Keeler In The Community
Keeler Tavern Museum & History Center Awards Scholarship to Sara Hansen
June 16, 2022
Ridgefield, Conn.— Keeler Tavern Museum & History Center is proud to announce that Sara Hansen is the recipient of the 2022 Bettie Jane Third Memorial Scholarship.
Hansen, who is graduating from Ridgefield High School this week, has volunteered at KTM&HC for years. She began her volunteerism by participating in the museum’s Junior Interpreter program, which empowers young people to help share the site’s stories with the public. Hansen received her earliest training from her mother, Jenn Hansen, a KTM&HC board member and volunteer interpreter. In October 2020 and 2021, Hansen performed as a “ghost” in the museum’s popular “Ghosts of Ridgefield” specialty tours, telling stories to sold-out crowds of visitors first as a Wild Thing from Maurice Sendak’s children’s book Where the Wild Things Are, and then in 2021 as Sybil Ludington, a young woman who, during the Revolutionary War, allegedly rode over 40 miles through dangerous woods to alert her father’s militia about the approach of British troops.
The Bettie Jane Third Memorial Scholarship is awarded annually by KTM&HC to a graduating senior who is planning on majoring in general history or library sciences and/or who has volunteered considerable time at the museum. The scholarship award is given in memory of the late Bettie Jane Third, a professional librarian and avid supporter of KTM&HC.
According to KTM&HC Board Member Joel Third, his late wife Bettie Jane “would be very pleased with the selection of Sara Hansen, who has been a great supporter of the museum in a variety of ways.” Hansen’s contributions to KTM&HC’s interpretation of site-specific and local stories will leave a lasting impact on the museum and its visitors, and KTM&HC is pleased to to recognize her achievement and support her future educational endeavors with this scholarship.
Photo: KTM&HC Board Member Joel Third (left) presents Sara Hansen (right), a graduating senior from Ridgefield High School, with the 2022 Bettie Jane Third Memorial Scholarship.
About Keeler Tavern Museum & History Center
Keeler Tavern Museum & History Center (KTM&HC), located on Main Street in Ridgefield, CT, tells the town’s—and nation’s—history through the lives of its past residents. The four-acre historic site features an expanded site experience featuring museum and outdoor tour options, rotating exhibits, and access to the scenic grounds and gardens. Additional information, including updates about on-site and virtual programming and events, as well as rental availability of the Garden House, can be found at keelertavernmuseum.org, @KeelerTavernMuseum on Facebook and Instagram, @KeelerTavern on Twitter, or by emailing info@keelertavernmuseum.org. For inquiries about school programs and digital learning experiences, please email education@keelertavernmuseum.org.