Tunbridge
The Vermont Historical Society, which oversaw the expo, polled members of the public, spoke with individual historical societies, examined its resources and goals, and looked at costs and attendance figures before coming to the conclusion that the event “was sort of reaching the end of its effectiveness,” said Amanda Gustin, public program manager for the Vermont Historical Society.
“We spent about nine months studying the event itself,” Gustin said. “We also looked across our lists and reached out to individual historical societies and called them for more substantive conversations.”
Among the factors the society considered were the expo’s goals, the outreach opportunities it provided and its ability to reach new audiences.
“Our eventual conclusion was that it just wasn’t working for its goals anymore,” Gustin said.
Attendance figures peaked at 8,000-10,000 around 2008, Gustin said, “but there was a steady decline in attendance” ever since. The last couple of expos, including the last one in 2016, drew about 4,000-6,000 attendees.
Gustin said it cost about $100,000 to put on the expo, which was offset by admission fees and donations from sponsors.
But admission fees covered less than half that cost and the pressures on staff time “were considerable.”
“It was never a financial disaster. It was never a complete problem, but it was also a question of where we were putting our resources,” Gustin said.
“People were sad and we’re sad. It was an event that we loved as well,” Gustin said. “But they’ve understood that we need to focus on other things and put our resources elsewhere.”
The state’s historical societies were informed of the decision several months ago.
Representatives from several Upper Valley historical societies said they would miss the camaraderie and the chance to view the work of other organizations that the expo provided.
“It was so nice to see the big crowds up there and stand out in the crowd,” said Martha Knapp, president of the Hartford Historical Society.
She recalled the last exhibit the Hartford Historical Society did for the expo-wide theme of “water.” Hartford chose to focus on the silent film Way Down East, which featured silent film star Lillian Gish on an ice floe in the White River. “It was just so nice to have all those history-minded people all in the same place at once.”
Knapp will also miss the opportunity to introduce Hartford history to those who weren’t aware of it before.
“History’s not a big seller,” she said, “but it is to some people.”
Larry Coffin, president of the Bradford Historical Society, recalled exhibits put together by Diane Smarro, who used to engineer the displays. One focused on the history of town eateries, another on the impact of the Waits River on the town and wider region.
“One of the things we tried to do was promote Bradford,” Coffin said. “Our opening line was, ‘Have you ever been to Bradford?’ That would lead to some conversation.”
The expo also inspired the Bradford Historical Society to do more research and put together more exhibits.
“It gave us a focus,” Coffin said. “We would spend a good deal of time in the winter getting it together.”
There was also the benefit of having dozens of people interact with the exhibit.
“Generally speaking, the whole time that the fair was open you’d have people stopping to look at what you’re doing,” Coffin said. While the organization still puts together exhibits, like this year’s “Bradford in World War One: At Home & Over There,” now, “not nearly as many people would see it,” he said.
But the end of the expo doesn’t mean the end of the Vermont Historical Society’s outreach efforts, Gustin said.
The organization will still be holding its popular exhibit-creation and fundraising workshops, among other programs, and historical societies across Vermont will have opportunities to bring their exhibits to the Vermont History Museum in Montpelier.
The society also has begun to travel to towns all over the state to host programs, such as pub trivia events at breweries throughout the state, including one recently at Harpoon Brewery in Windsor.
“Those have gone over really well,” Gustin said. The events have also helped “get people to recognize that history can be a ton of fun.”
Matthew Powers, executive director of the Woodstock History Center, has been impressed with Vermont Historical Society’s efforts, including an event that was held in Woodstock. “They are doing a lot of outreach across the state,” he said.
And in the last few years, Powers said, he has seen the younger generation take a greater interest in the history of the places where they live. “Millennials are very interested,” Powers said. “There’s a renewed interest in sense of place.”
Editor’s note: For more information about the Vermont Historical Society and its programs, visit http://vermonthistory.org/. Liz Sauchelli can be reached at esauchelli@vnews.com or 603-727-3221.
