Calendar of Events
#HandsOnHistory: It Takes a Village
Interactive Exhibition
August 21 – November 2, 2025 · 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Carriage Barn
Included in site admission
Try out historic tools, design a new town layout, and cast your vote for important trades - past, present, and future - at Keeler Tavern Museum & History Center’s newest exhibit, #HandsOnHistory: It Takes a Village. Located in KTM&HC’s historic carriage barn, the fun, interactive exhibit opens on Thursday, August 21 and runs through Sunday, November 2.
#HandsOnHistory is one of KTM&HC’s signature programs: an annual series of rotating, interactive exhibits that showcase objects from the museum’s extensive tool collection and explore intersections of history, science, and technology.
This year, in honor of the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, #HandsOnHistory focuses on Ridgefielders' attempts to achieve the ideals set out in the founding document: "Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness." By highlighting various tradespeople living and working in Ridgefield in the early 1800s, the exhibit draws attention to how the people here chased these ideals, as individuals and as a community, through traditions of specialization and interdependence.
Access to #HandsOnHistory is included in the price of site admission. On Sundays in October and early November, visitors receive free site admission and access to family demonstrations: interactive talks and demonstrations by educators, artisans, and skilled tradespeople.
Thank you to our sponsors!
Diamond Sponsor
- The Donofrio Family
Gold Sponsor
- Tom & Michele Quindlen
Silver Sponsors
- John & Lori Berisford
- Karen & Rich Calo
- Elegant Ridgefield
- The Fountain Inn
- Rhonda Hill
- Imogene & Mike Jaykus
Bronze Sponsors
- Dimitri's Diner
- Nancy O
- Annette & Dan O'Brien
Sponsors play an integral role in our ability to make #HandsOnHistory available to all audiences. Click here for sponsorship opportunities!
Interested in bringing a school or youth group? Book an educator-led tour of the exhibit free of charge; email education@keelertavernmuseum.org for more information.
» View the full calendar of events