WILLIAMSBURG, Va. – Jamestown Settlement, a museum of 17th-century Virginia history and culture, will offer a festive array of 17th-century-style amusements – storytelling, music, dancing, juggling, games and puppetry – during “Children’s Day” on Saturday, September 12, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Throughout the day, visitors can take part in children’s games and activities of the period, including hoop rolling, hobbyhorse racing and ring jousting, whirligig spinning, stilt walking and bowls (lawn bowling), ninepins (bowling) and quoits (ring-toss).
At 11:15 a.m. and 2 p.m., children can make their own flat-figure puppet 
during a classroom program and then go outdoors for a 17th-century-style puppet show, which was a popular form of entertainment in England at the time. Children will be able to color and decorate pre-cut puppet patterns of people and animals to glue on a stick handle. Puppet shows will begin at 12 noon and 2:45 p.m. and also will feature music, juggling and other 1600s entertainment.
Music of the 17th century will be performed by the Itinerant Band at 10:45 a.m., followed by the sounds of award-winning fiddler David Gardner at 11:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. At 12:15 and 3:45 p.m., visitors can join costumed historical interpreters in colonial dancing. American Indian and African folktales will be presented at 10 a.m. and 1, 3:15 and 4 p.m.
Special programs on artillery and military tactics in the Jamestown colony will take place throughout the day. Visitors of all ages can join the Virginia 
Company militia during special programs at 9:30 a.m. and 2:15 p.m. Artillery demonstrations, starting at 11:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., will illustrate the steps in firing a 17th-century gun followed by an actual firing by historical interpreters.
Jamestown Settlement tells the story of America’s first permanent English colony through film, expansive exhibition galleries and an engaging living-history program in outdoor re-creations of a Powhatan Indian village, 1607 English ships and colonial fort, and a seasonal riverfront discovery area. 
Exhibition galleries chronicle the nation’s beginnings in Virginia and describe the cultures of the Powhatan Indians, Europeans and Africans who converged in 1600s Virginia. Touchable objects, question panels, and interactive exhibits and maps engage families in learning. Among artifacts on exhibit are objects related to a child’s life during colonial times. Ninety-minute orientation tours of the outdoor living-history areas are offered daily at 11 a.m., and 1 and 3 p.m.
Jamestown Settlement is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily year-round. Admission is $14.00 for adults and $6.50 for ages 6-12. Children under age 6 receive free admission. A combination ticket is available with the Yorktown Victory Center, a museum of the American Revolution. Parking is free.
Jamestown Settlement is located on Route 31 South, adjacent to Historic Jamestowne. For more information, call (888) 593-4682 toll-free or (757) 253-4838, or visit ww.historyisfun.org.
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