Fort Steuben and the Visitor Center are finally open! We missed having the eager school groups and the summer youth program this year - opportunities to make history interesting and relevant to the next generation. But tours are available - both self-guided or with a volunteer guide. The Summer Concerts are again filling Thursday evenings with the sound of music. It's a bit different since we ask all our attendees to social distance and remain seated during performances. Masks are recommended but not required. Everyone who attended the last few concerts respected our requests to stay with family/household groupings and keep six feet apart. The performers, too, appreciated the opportunity to entertain even though it was different from the past.
Social distancing is something that may take a while to get used to. Most of us like to be close enough to people to speak without shouting and to be able to exchange greetings with hugs, high fives or handshakes. Bumping elbows seems odd. There have been other times in history when such practices were necessary, most notably the Flu Epidemic of 1919. We survived those crises, and we will survive this one with possibly some new customs! Please come to Historic Fort Steuben by day to learn some history and on Thursday evenings to enjoy live music - we are all in this together!