The headless horseman in October. The hot air balloon that goes in the sky every week. The breakfast and dinner with Santa. These are a few things that Conner Prairie is known for.

    Many Noblesville students have prior experience with Conner Prairie; whether as a guest or volunteer at this interactive history park, Conner Prairie is an attraction for all ages.

    When people go to Conner Prairie, they’ll see volunteers from all ages dressed up in costume, walking around and living life like they aren’t in 2016. But why would someone, a teenager especially, take part in something like this?

    Sophomore Trevor Zavac has volunteered at Conner Prairie for nearly six years.  Zavac is a first person interpreter who dresses up in costume and works in the different houses. He is responsible for teaching the guests about daily life in 1836 Indiana.

    “We are able to teach guests about their roots and where they live and what it was like here 200 years ago.” Zavac said. “ We can share our current experiences and compare our modern life with life in the 1800’s. It’s cool to see people’s reactions to that, and that’s why i do it.”

   Volunteers at Conner Prairie don’t have a script. They only have their character, so they have to know everything from facts like their birthdays and where they live, to life experiences and stories that have happened to them. They have to become their character and make it believable.

    “After a while you notice a pattern to the questions people ask,” Zavac said. “They may ask the same thing over and over again and once you have the basic facts and answers you can tell a story about that question. You kind of just move with it. It’ll take you with it wherever it goes.”

    Freshman Devin White started volunteering at Conner Prairie in 2013. This year, White has worked mostly in Create Connect, because he was given a new character. Create Connect is a station at Conner Prairie where they talk about not only history, but also science. They have exhibits from learning about planes and electricity to learning about the space race which is from the perspective of 1957.

    “Create connect is a lot different than other areas because you have to talk a lot more about science,” White said. “It is more hands on, which is what I like about it.”

    White’s character in Create Connect is Thomas McClure. He is a relative of the McClures in Prairie Town and his sister, Betty, graduated from Purdue with an aeronautical degree. McClure and his sister have a big interest in space and try to make a spaceship reach the moon.

    “Thomas McClure is a fun character to be,” White said. “I think he is a lot like me in the way that he is interested by everything.”

    One of White’s favorite memories is when he first began. White worked in costume in Prairie Town. While in Prairie Town, White’s character was Seth Bucher. Bucher and his sister took care of the house for Dr. Campbell.

    “I was so proud because my whole family came to see me,” White said. “I was so proud that i got a job.”

    Conner Prairie doesn’t just connect with the past, it connects with the future. Every volunteer, and every worker is impacted by Conner Prairie. Conner Prairie makes learning history fun, for everyone.

    “History is very important,” Zavac said. “I think that when we know where we came from we can understand who we are.