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You were a smashing
hit! You were
Mrs. Calvin Adams to us all as
we listened!" Lola Lawson, Wesley Homes Retirement
Communities.
First Person
Programs
 Remember
the Ladies: Revolutionary Points of View
The American
Colonists in 1776 were deeply divided: many were
in favor of rebellion, many wanted to stay part
of England and many just wanted to be left
alone. Karen brings this pivotal era for our
nation to life as she portrays Patriot Susannah
Foote of Boston and Loyalist Eliza Fowler of New
York. Their contrasting points of view shine a
light on the past that can help us see our
modern times more clearly.
Audience: intermediate through adult.
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Tales From
the Times of Lewis & Clark
While
Lewis and Clark were exploring, day-to-day
life went on for the rest of the country.
But imagine the excitement when the Corps of
Discovery returned safely to Saint Louis in
September of 1806! Join Karen as she brings
this momentous time to life. Clad in the
clothing of the era, she portrays Mrs.
Calvin Adams, wife of a St. Louis tavern
keeper, who is eager to share the latest
stories and gossip heard around town.
Audience: middle school through adult.
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Narcissa
Whitman: Lady at the Crossroads
Our nation's history is the story of diverse
cultures meeting and interacting in ways both
peaceful and hostile.
As a missionary to the Cayuse in what is now Eastern
Washington, Narcissa Whitman was at the center of
one such cultural intersection.
Using the text of many of Narcissa’s letters as well
as portions of her beloved hymns, Karen portrays
Mrs. Whitman as she shares her challenges, joys, and
sorrows.
Audience: high school through adult.
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Sisters in
Time
The summer of 1855 was a time of change in the Puget
Sound as more and more people of diverse ethnic
groups settled the land. Karen brings these times
to life with "Sisters in Time." Wearing a work
dress of the era, Karen portrays 4 very different
women of that summer as she sings their songs and
tells their tales.
Audience: high school through adult.
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The Women Who
Wait - vignettes of the Civil War
While our
country was torn asunder in the Civil War, women of the North
and South were united in their solitary struggles as men marched
off to war. Often lost amid the din of the battlefield,
their stories are an integral part off our nation's history.
With words from letter, diaries, and songs of the times, Karen
portrays women from differing walks of life and points of view
as the strive to survive in a time of violence, turmoil, and
societal change.
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 No Woman Has
Ventured As Far:
The Art and Adventures of Abby Williams Hill
Abby Williams
Hill left behind the confined life of an 1890s
woman to embrace the wilderness. Her paintings
commissioned by the Great Northern and Northern
Pacific Railroads capture the glories of natural
wonders including those in Yellowstone, Mount
Rainier and Northern Cascades National Parks.
She worked to fight ignorance and improve the
lives of children with the Congress of Mothers,
the precursor of the PTA. Karen portrays this
vibrant woman who was ahead of her time and has
much to teach us today.
To see Karen in action, portraying
Abby Williams Hill,
click on =>YouTube<=
Audience: high school through adult.
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 So Many Things to Do
Yet:
The Saga of Thea Foss
Born in
Norway, Thea Foss and her husband Andrew
arrived in Tacoma in 1889. Starting
with a used rowboat, they built a maritime
empire. Karen portrays Thea in 1912,
the year of the first Foss tugboat.
She reflects back on her life and looks
forward to the future. At a time when
few women could, Thea Foss took her place in
a "man's world", always believing "we are
members of one great body… we were born for
the good of the whole".
Like other
immigrants, she added her experiences to the
rich blend that is Washington.
Audience: middle school through adult.
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A Visit
with Mother Foss
Born in Norway, Thea Foss and her
husband Andrew arrived in Tacoma in
1889. Starting with a used
rowboat, they built a shipping
empire. Karen portrays “Mother
Foss” as she looks back on
challenges and happy times, and
looks forward to the future
in
her new community. Her
life’s story is mixed with folk
tales and songs from her native
Norway.
Audience: elementary school.
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"My students have really enjoyed Karen's visits.
She knows how to inhabit a role in a convincing
way, tell a great story and be historically
accurate as she brings a character to life.
Her knowledge of details, anecdotes and regional
history is amazing."
--Pat Martin,
History
Teacher, Auburn High School
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Show & Tell Programs |
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"You are quite knowledgeable about this time period
and quality living history. Your style was
delightful and credible and the audience was
comfortable, intrigued, and drawn into your
stories." --Sally Freeman,
Park Ranger, Lewis and Clark NHP, Fort Clatsop
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On the Trail with
Lewis and Clark
Lewis and Clark
traveled over 8000 miles into the wilderness and
inspired a nation to follow. Join Karen for an
imaginary journey into the unknown as she shows what
the Corps of Discovery brought along and tells tales
of the animals, people and wonders they encountered.
Audience: elementary through adult.
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Back to
the Fur Trade
The
cast of characters in the fur trade of
the Pacific Northwest in the 1800s was a
fascinatingly diverse blend of
Europeans, Native Americans, Hawaiians,
and American settlers. Meet these
people who created the region's first
"shopping malls" as Karen takes you Back
to the Fur Trade. Dressed as a
Hudson's Bay Company laborer, she tells
the tales, sings the songs, and shows a
trunkful of tools and treasures from a
time that brought great change to our
land and culture.
Audience:
elementary through adult.
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People on
the Move: A Visit with Narcissa Whitman
More than
250,000 people traveled on the Oregon Trail.
Why did they travel? And what was the
journey like? Karen takes your
classroom back in time as Narcissa Whitman
invites the tired wagon trains to her home
in Oregon Territory. She sings songs,
tells tales, shows items from her times and
tells what life is like for her and her
eleven children.
Audience: elementary through middle
school.
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Wagons
West!
Imagine
taking a 6 month trip with your family in a
wagon the size of a small car. That's what
it was like to travel the Oregon trail!
Join a wagon train through time as you sing the
songs and hear the stories of the pioneers and
the people they met along the way. Wagon
Master Karen wears the proper period attire and
shows items from the past guaranteed to get us
to our Manifest Destiny.
Audience:
elementary through adult.
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How-to Workshops |
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Bringing History
to Life in Your Classroom
Looking for new ways to bring the past
to life at your school? Living history
performer, teacher and storyteller Karen
Haas will bring a cassette crammed with
Fur Trade treasures, a firkin full of
Oregon Trail tools, and ideas galore
guaranteed to get your students as
excited about history as she is.
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Character
Building
If you're
tantalized by the thought of traveling back
in time, discover the next best thing:
living history. This lively and interactive
workshop will get you started on the road to
recreating the past with topics such as
effective research techniques, deciding on a
persona, building your persona's character
and creating historic clothing.
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