Potential

So, this week’s assignment (and week is used very loosely, since this was supposed to be done a few weeks ago) is to come up with an idea for a fun, interactive exhibit for our topic. I find that my creativity likes to come and go. So with ample time for preparation, I am still unsatisfied with the ideas I have come up with for bringing Concannon during prohibition to life. So I thought I would focus on a bigger picture: Livermore during prohibition. Obviously, through my research I have learned about more than just Concannon winery, but I would still need to learn more about the rest of the town.

Set the scene: You knock on an old run down door and give the bodiless voice that greets you a password that you have received. After checking around to see if the cops are around, he opens the door, continually looking out for potential cops. Once inside you glance around, captivated by what you come to realize is the setting of a real life speakeasy right here in Livermore. Once you sit down, a young woman comes over to ask what you would like.

I would like to recreate a speakeasy in Livermore. Just when everyone starts to get comfortable, the cops come in and start uncapping all of the bottles of alcohol, just as I read about in an article from the Livermore Herald. The bartender/owner would come back and recap them or complain about how much it cost him to lose that much of his supply.

From the speakeasy, guests would receive a little background information about prohibition. I would include this afterward, so they can make their own inferences, and be caught as off guard as possible so that they can retain more of the experience.

Though alcohol is not necessarily a family friendly topic to everyone, it would be for educational purposes and would not include the making or tasting of any alcohol for anyone.

Through a virtual tour of the only winery to stay open during Prohibition, Concannon, they could gain a feel for the hardships that people were going through, as well as what hardships they were going through. Prohibition was a tough time for Livermore, due to its history of vineyards. At an outdoor location, there would be a station that goes over the different things that can be done with grapes, and the options wineries had during the era of prohibition in order to stay open:
Church/alter wine
Illegally sold alcohol
Raisins
Table grapes
Livestock (Wente)
Selling land
Bankruptcy

A miniature (small enough to fit on a table) grape press could be brought in, and people could crank the press in order to show how grape juice and wine are made by these machines (generally in a much larger scale).