“Halloween is coming up and we really wanted to do our annual Spirits of Hillsborough Tour. It’s one of our most popular events. "
“While we were certainly eager to reopen, we had to exercise caution and be smart. We’ve been thinking, ‘do we have all the necessary protocols in place,’ ‘have we done everything that we're supposed to be doing so that everybody stays safe.’ How do you do it? This is all new territory.
We opened yesterday and it feels so good! I'm just excited to see people. I really want visitors to stop by, come in, and learn about this fabulous historic community. It's so important for us to interact with the public and have that face to face time, that, you know, I couldn't have prepared myself for what it would be like to have to shut down and then not have that.
Like other sites and organizations, the majority of our programs and tours are face to face. Given the pandemic we have had to work hard to create virtual content from nothing. We are still working on a digital guided walking tour. This has been a big challenge for us. Not having that digital and virtual content ready to go. It’s motivated us to be creative and think more broadly about how we reach audiences in new ways.
Halloween is coming up and we really wanted to do our annual Spirits of Hillsborough Tour. It’s one of our most popular events, with ghost actors lurking behind trees and character actors performing live. Sadly though, we had to cancel it. In its place, we are hosting a "Haunted Hillsborough Stream and Scream" virtual event. We still hope to do a modified version of the Spirits of Hillsborough Tour in the spring. Just sort of switch it up. We are trying to adapt as much as we can, but it’s hard and it’s definitely sad because those are traditions we all look forward to.
I don't think it's been all negative, though. I think COVID has helped us recognize those things we take for granted. Like being in the office with your colleagues, grabbing a sandwich with friends downtown, shaking someone's hand or giving them a hug. That human connection is what it's all about." -- Sarah, Alliance for Historic Hillsborough #NorthCarolina
