I need to change the name of this column to something like,
“The times they are a’changing.” I’ve quoted that Dylan song more
times this last year and here I go again. This time, it’s the museum.
Since I moved here, I have been enthralled by local history and the place to find it
– the Temecula Museum. Nothing like a chat with Tony Tobin or a look through old High
Country articles to set the world straight. I always said once my kids were in school, I
wanted to volunteer there. So, when I saw a recent announcement for docent training, my
opportunity had come.
Last Monday, I attended the second of six two-hour training
sessions for docents, along with over 25 other volunteers – men, women, young, old,
bearded, shaved, new to Temecula, grown up in Temecula. According to Wendell Ott, Museum
Services Manager, this is the second
training session since the re-opening of the museum. The first class trained 37
volunteers. “We just get all kinds,” Ott said, “people who have only lived
in Temecula a few years but like history, and people who have watched the community
change. We have a 14-year-old boy who is taking the course and some in their
seventies.”
I was surprised by how many people were willing to make a 12-hour training and once a
month volunteer commitment. I was more surprised by the training. Having read all of
Horace Parker’s works and A Thousand Years in Temecula, as well as countless other
articles and essays, I
felt prepared. I wasn’t!
Wendell Ott slapped a nearly 500 page handbook on me and an hour and a half Native
American overview. I thought I knew where the first village of Temecula was, only to find
out the Vail Ranch location was centuries, maybe millenia, after the gathering near the
City of Temecula sign as you head south on the freeway out of town.
The last half hour was spent learning how to interpret artifacts. Ott said besides giving
us local information, he wanted us to know about the theory of tour presentation. Wow! I
learned! My curiosity was rolled back to when I took the time to make guesses and muse and
wonder on
things. Although Ott has been in Temecula for less than a year, his 30 year background in
museum management is opening a path to inspire visitors and volunteers alike to want to
know more.
Speaking of changes, here’s another one. Beginning in March, my column will go
weekly, appearing every Monday. I am excited to cover the stories and people important to
you. If you have a local hero, or a pet peeve, or a really cool group, or a pressing
concern, or an interesting follow-up or insight into a news story, give me a call or
e-mail me. Just like the docents at the museum, my job is to interpret, not just give
facts. Your input is vital in that endeavor.