Thursday in Bancroft Bay Park, Amy Roemhildt told a group of sixth-graders about a fever she had heard was infecting people in the area. It was causing them to forget what year it was.

&uot;What year is it?&uot; she asked.

They guessed: 2003? 2002? 1700?

&uot;He’s in the past, she’s in the future,&uot; she said of their guesses. It was 1853.

Dressed in a straw hat and dress reminiscent of the era, Roemhildt was one of 62 presenters teaching kids about what things were like at various times in history at the Big Island Rendezvous. This weekend, the event will be open to the public and will include entertainment.

Roemhildt said she thinks her presentation is important because it teaches people how hard life was in those times.

&uot;Our society is technical and so sterile. It’s scary how helpless we’re becoming,&uot; she said.

She said what she finds amazing are the kids who ask her if her camp fire is real, or don’t understand that chickens lay eggs.

In her presentation, she explained the story of her character &045; an Ohio woman who leaves her large house and comforts for a pioneer life.

One of the songs she sings is about a piece of canvas and the many uses a pioneer would have for it.

&uot;These kids are having as much fun with me as when they’re playing video games and watching TV alone,&uot; she said.

She said the story of her 1853 character is not unlike her own. She and her husband had once been in marketing in Ohio and decided they didn’t want to sit behind desks and stare at computers. Her husband now teaches at Mankato State University, and they spend much of their time teaching kids about the pioneers.

(Contact Tim Sturrock at tim.sturrock @albertleatribune.com or 379-3438.)