This summer, my family put in some hard work in 90+ degree heat to repair damage from a tornado to our lake house property in north Georgia. It was amazing at the end of the day to see what we had accomplished with saws, wheelbarrows, and a huge pile of wood chips!
I’m Ellen Smith and I felt the very same pride on June 2nd when members of the
Conner Prairie Alliance were invited to a sneak peek and dedication of the 1
863 Civil War Journey’s River Crossing Play Area. Our hard work at
The Apple Store at Conner Prairie last fall helped underwrite the area through a $90,000 donation. Those of us with young kids were able to see the immediate fruits of our labor in their faces that afternoon as they enjoyed the play area. And all of us are smiling at the thought of the hundreds of kids playing in the water and piloting the steamship Alice Dean every day this summer.
Working at the Apple Store may not involve hard labor like my time in Georgia (although lifting huge barrels of apple cider up to fill our slushie machine takes a certain amount of brawn!), Alliance members work hard to keep our store open for more than 300 hours in September and October each year. Countless additional volunteer hours of preparation and maintenance year-round are required to succeed in our goal of supporting the mission and programs of Conner Prairie.
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Along the way, we have so much fun and get to know each other better as we dip thousands of caramel apples, stock many varieties of orchard apples and gourmet food items, work the registers and serve our customers.
We’re gearing up now for another season of raising money to support Conner Prairie: The Apple Store opens on Thursday, September 1st! If you love to sit back at the end of a long day and feel happy and proud about what you’ve contributed, you’re invited to join us now. Visit the 1863 Civil War experience and the River Crossing Play Area, check out our Alliance and Apple Store websites, then contact us at
ConnerPrairieAlliance@gmail.com for membership information.
We’d love to welcome you aboard!