On Saturday, July 12, 2008 from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., Old Economy Village, a National Historic Landmark site, will present, The Joy of Toys. Children of all ages, especially those young at heart, will delight in making and playing simple toys and games of the 19th century. Event activities are included in the cost of admission to the Village. Adults (18 years & older), $7.00, Youth (6 years - 17 years), $5.00, Senior Citizens (60 years & older), $6.00 and Under 6, No Charge. Call (724) 266-4500 for further details.

Make & play simple games & toys of long ago. Enjoy the mystery of parlor games and use your imagination as you play with those wooden toys of yester year including a rocking goat and a dancing or acrobatic man. Create rags dolls, pin wheels, a thaumatrope, a puppet theater, and a jumping jack, a paper marionette which has delighted children and adults for hundreds of years. Try your hand at hoop and stick or cup and ball, sack races, jump rope, ring toss, stilts and a bean bag toss. What treasures will you find in the fishing pond or on a visit to the “Lady of the Lake”? Play with jumping jacks, wind-up tin toys and more.

Discover the hands-on das Kinderhaus, a child-sized re-creation of a 19th century Harmonist household. Venture back into 19th century life as children “prepare” a meal for their family on a small scale cast iron stove and serve dinner on redware platters. Parents will enjoy experiencing a bit of history with their children as they weave a table runner on a loom, dress as a Harmonist, stuff a straw mattress and relax after the day’s exertions on a rope bed.

Why celebrate The Joys of Toys at Old Economy Village? Even though the Harmony Society practiced celibacy as a general role, more than 100 children have been identified in the records during the 100+ years the Harmony Society existed. In the later years, the Society also dealt with children through a contract with the State to educate the German speaking children in the area. Through this venue, the Harmonists were exposed to children’s games and toys. Even as far back as 1824-26, there were toys at Economy; when the Feast Hall was being constructed, two children dropped their tops into an excavation area. The tops were never retrieved until the building underwent preservation measures several years ago. Those tops are on exhibit in the Museum’s permanent exhibit area.

“Toys and games have been a part of childhood since the beginning of time,” according to the Museum Education Supervisor, Roberta Sunstein. “In past centuries, toys were made from odds and ends lying around the home. It was not until the 19th century that “play” was considered important to a child’s development. When manufactured playthings came about, toys mirrored daily life, teaching life’s lessons to the unwitting student. The Joys of Toys offers a fun way to explore amusements that may have been played here in Economy during the 19th century.”

Old Economy Village was the third and final home of the Harmony Society. In 1824, the group purchased approximately 3000 acres in southern Beaver County along the Ohio River. By 1828, the Society had constructed a village, housing over 500 members, in addition to a Feast Hall/Museum Building, Meeting House, cotton, silk and woolen textile mills and shops for many different crafts and trades. The Old Economy Village Visitor Center offers visitors an orientation film, a permanent exhibit on the Harmony Society, the Museum Store and a new exhibit entitled Out of Harmony, which discusses the tensions and divisions which existed within the outwardly peaceful Harmonist community.

Should your family be unable to attend The Joys of Toys, Economy’s regular hours of operation are Tuesday – Saturday, 9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.; Sunday, Noon to 5:00 p.m.; the site is open thru December 31st. The site is closed Mondays and holidays, except Memorial Day, the Fourth of July and Labor Day (call for hours). Please allow 2 hours for a visit. Daily admission is charged: Adults (18 years and older), $7.00; Youth (6 years - 17 years), $5.00; Senior Citizens (60 years and older), $6.00; Under 6, No Charge. Persons with disabilities who need special assistance or accommodation should call (724) 266-4500 in advance to discuss their needs. Pennsylvania TDD relay service is available at (800) 654-5984.

For more information call (724) 266-4500 or visit our website at www.oldeconomyvillage.org. Old Economy Village is one of 25 historic sites and museums on the Pennsylvania Trail of History®, administered by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission. For more information or to request a free 24-page visitor guide, visit www.phmc.state.pa.us or phone toll free 1-866-PA TRAIL. For more information on Old Economy Village visit www.oldeconomyvillage.org.