Leprechauns to be found at Gale Center

In March, leprechauns will be brought to life at the Gale Center of History and Culture, 10300 South Beckstead Lane. The tiny, mythological creatures will be the subject of a storytelling event, Tuesday, March 15, when professional storyteller Carol Esterreicher explains to attendees why "Leprechauns Never Lie."

"I'm going to start with a story about leprechauns and hidden gold and teach the children a magic trick," Esterreicher said. "Then I'll show them how to do it. I bring all the materials so they can take it home and show their families."

The trick involves making "gold" disappear, then reappear, and is simple enough that anyone five years or older can master it, according to Esterreicher.

"A second grader taught me this trick back in the 70s when I was a school teacher," she said. "It was from this Mickey Mouse activity book and I've used it many times because magic is an excellent teaching tool. It teaches children about sequencing and how if you put things in the right order, you get the right result."

Esterreicher has been telling stories her whole life, but has been a professional storyteller for 15 years. She decided to pursue the career fulltime after retiring from a career as a speech pathologist.

"I think children like [storytelling] because it causes them to use their imagination - rather than just reading a book and showing them pictures," she said.

The event begins at 7 p.m. and is free to the public and is geared toward youth, 5 and older. Esterreicher, who is a member of the Utah Storytelling Guild, has visited the Gale Center before and Museum Coordinator Rhonda Wilson is hoping to make storytelling events a regular thing.

"Historically, storytelling is so important," Wilson said. "We wouldn't have a lot of what we have without people who were storytellers. As a museum, we're very supportive of storytelling."

The Gale Center has been open since 2007 and has exhibits that celebrate the past in a way that appeals to all ages, according to Wilson. Exhibits include a weather station on the roof, an interactive River of Life display and an early 19th century school room.

None of the detailed exhibits or educational activities would have been possible without the unwavering support of members of the community, Wilson said.

"It was begun by volunteers who worked really hard with [South Jordan City] to get this started," she said. "It's now run and owned by the city, and the city was a huge part of getting it started, but it was volunteers who had all the momentum and a lot of them are still around, volunteering."

One of those volunteers is Dave Edwards, who is adding model trains and a panorama to the mining exhibit. "He's doing the labor completely for free and he's very skilled," Wilson said. There is no completion date set for the reopening of the exhibit because Edwards is working on the project in his spare time.