The American Revolution Sputters in Idaho

I wish I could say I was overwhelmed. But I wasn’t. On Saturday, I dropped by the Twin Falls Public Library to see a traveling exhibit. It’s called the American Revolution Experience. While I didn’t expect to be ducking musket balls, I did expect a bit more.

Credit Bill Colley.

The exhibit is sponsored by the Daughters of the American Revolution. With assistance from the Battlefield Trust. The good news is, this traveling show isn’t funded with your tax dollars, but it probably didn’t have much financial backing at all.

I’m not sure how it captures the imagination of the young, who are the people who most need a history lesson. People under 50 are a video generation. I found a few cardboard cutouts of some founding fathers, a few notes on more obscure Americans, and a few tiny screens reminiscent of an old camping TV my mom bought me in 1979.

The cutouts reminded me of an old family story. My dad was a big fan of the vampire character Elvira. Her likeness was used in a beer promotion forty years ago, and cutouts were used in grocery displays. My dad knew the manager of a local store, and when the promotion was over, he gifted the cutout to my old man.

Credit Bill Colley.

When you would go and visit him, she greeted you when you opened the front door!

I applaud anyone raising awareness of our history, I’m just concerned the traveling exhibit doesn’t meet expectations and doesn’t increase curiosity.

My interest in history was inspired by Hollywood. Films about ancient Rome, World War Two, and Abraham Lincoln. After seeing the stories, I started reading books, which generally give you a better non-fiction account.