Strathearn Museum Needs New Docents

At 79, Millie Baker can’t tell legends of the Chumash forever.

Her assignment as a docent at Strathearn Historical Park and Museum puts her at the park the first Wednesday and third Sunday of each month. Then there are the elementary school tours to squeeze in.

A core group of retirees who volunteer to conduct the museum’s tours is spread thin, she said. “We’re all getting older. We need new blood in that group, we really do.”

In a town that prides itself on volunteerism, the Simi Valley Historical Society is looking for a few good folks. Ideally, the museum would have enough docents to hold tours daily, not just three days a week.

And with school tours starting in January, Pat Havens, museum director and city historian, is worried the museum cannot keep up with demand.

“I hope we would not have to cancel any tours,” Havens said. “Last year we struggled to fill all those calendar days . . . What we have to have immediately is several more people who like to do school tours, so I can get them trained.”

The museum has two part-time paid employees to run the docent program and cannot schedule more tours without additional volunteers.

Teachers would schedule more tours if they were available, said Jean Nielson, a Simi Valley school district teacher.

Between 40 and 50 teachers take students to the park each year, timing visits to coincide with what they teach in class. Students learn about American Indian culture in the third grade and California history in the fourth.

The museum is also centrally located, meaning parents can help with driving, Nielson said.

“That’s one of the reasons we like Strathearn,” Nielson said. “It’s local and we can use it without big expense.”

The society holds public tours of the park at 1 p.m. Wednesdays and from 1 to 4 p.m. on weekends. The park grounds are open from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays. Elementary school tours run weekdays from January to May.

For information or to volunteer, call Strathearn Historical Park and Museum, 137 Strathearn Place, at 526-6453.