OMA Award Spotlight - Bay Village Historical Society
On Sunday, April 19, the Ohio Museums Association held our Annual Awards dinner to recognize the winners of our 2025 Awards of Achievement and 2025 Visual Communication Awards, in conjunction with the 2026 Annual Conference in Columbus.
During the ceremony, OMA celebrated the outstanding achievement of Ohio museums in Visual Communications, individual and institutional achievement, and the tireless work museum professionals undertake to help to advance Ohio’s museum community both locally, and on a national level.
Over the next few weeks, we will be highlighting our 2025 OMA Award of Achievement winners with our OMA Award Spotlight.
OMA Award Spotlight - Awards of Achievement
The Awards of Achievement are presented to reflect the outstanding quality and caliber of work by Ohio museums and their professionals in two categories: Institutional Achievement Awards and Individual Achievement Awards.
Nominations for these awards are incredibly detailed. This in-depth process helps to illustrate how these institutions and individuals have gone “above and beyond” the normal call of duty to support their institution, serve their public and advance the cause of the museum community.
Each year, the review panel is overwhelmed by the outstanding projects, innovative programming and dedication to our field as exhibited in each of the institutional and individual nominations. Congratulations again to each of our award winners!
Today, we'll be featuring our winner for the 2025 award for Best Education and Outreach (organizational budget under $500,000).
Bay Village Historical Society - Pioneer Days: Recreating the Past
The Bay Village Historical Society’s Pioneer Days: Recreating the Past, is a week-long children’s program based on the real life Cahoon family, who moved from Vermont to Bay Village in the mid-19th century. The historical society worked with the National Historic Oregon Trail Interpretive Center, the Children of Gettysburg Museum, Hale Farm and Village, the Western Reserve Historical Society, the Geauga Historical Society Village, and the Senior Wood Shop, along with a host of local volunteers, to bring this event to fruition and ensure its historical accuracy.
Activity stations included carding, spinning and weaving; handmaking paper, quill pens and ink and writing with them; creating phenakistoscopes [fen-uh-KIS-tuh-skohps] and kaleidoscopes, making bread from a starter, churning butter (a must for fresh bread!), beating rugs and doing laundry on a wash board. (Volunteers noted that the kids loved beating rugs and found the washboards therapeutic. Probably the same could not be said of actual 19th century folks!). The Herb Guild sponsored an activity where the children learned about herbs and plants of the era and were able take some home. An early Bay Village’s resident was an herb doctor, and his existing recipe book was used to explore his special concoctions. In another activity, each group of children had a “wagon” with blocks, barrels, and a list of what the Cahoon family had proposed to bring, including its weight. The children had to decide as a group what they would bring on the journey and remove items that were too heavy or unrealistic. Some decisions were difficult. Group leaders noted that it was extremely interesting to hear how the kids rationalized items to eliminate. The last day culminated with a hike to the location where the Cahoon family settled and there they discussed why the Cahoon’s chose that spot. The Cahoon’s had a gristmill, sawmill and a fish house, so settling on the stream was critical for daily needs.
Research was conducted for each activity and reference guides were created for the group leaders to accurately present background information that was enhanced by items from the museum’s collection. This approach also exposed the public to the wealth of information that the museum holds.
As a result, the number of families with children who now visit the museum has drastically increased and many return more than once. The experience was met with rave reviews as evidenced by post-event surveys. When asked to name a least favorite activity, one participant wrote, “Saying goodbye for the year.”
Did your museum have an innovative and impactful education or outreach program during the 2026 season? Be sure to nominate it for the 2026 award for Best Education and Outreach! Learn more here.