San Dieguito Heritage Museum preserving stories about COVID-19 shutdown, submissions welcome

People are living through historic times and it is likely that they will be sharing their stories of the COVID19 pandemic with their children and grandchildren for decades to come. What do you think people 50 years from now should know about this historic event?

While the San Dieguito Heritage Museum (SDHM) is currently closed to visitors, its staff and volunteers are still hard at work fulfilling the museum’s mission of collecting and preserving the history of the San Dieguito River area (Leucadia, Encinitas, Olivenhain, Cardiff, Solana Beach, Del Mar and Rancho Santa Fe). SDHM would like to help area residents preserve their stories, photos and videos so that people in the future can learn about life during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Everyone is encouraged to share their experience of the COVID-19 shutdown and follow how one’s neighbors are thinking, feeling and coping. To submit an entry, please post your stories, photos and videos to SDHM’s Facebook page The Heritage Ranch, Home of the San Dieguito Heritage Museum using the hashtag #SanDieguitoTogether or send your entries to HeritageRanchHand@gmail.com. You can also post to Twitter and Instagram using #SanDieguitoTogether.

Submissions should include a photo or video and a short entry detailing your thoughts, experiences and musings during the COVID-19 shutdown. Children are encouraged to submit a drawing or photo and story. Original poetry and songs are also welcome. Below are some questions to consider, but feel free to share anything that’s on your mind:

When did you realize that the coronavirus was a serious public health threat?

 How are you passing the time during social distancing?

What do you miss most about life as usual?

How are you feeling? Has the shutdown given you a different perspective on life?

Have you or someone you know been directly affected by the virus?

Have you connected with people in new or different ways?

 If you have children, how are you keeping them busy? What have your experiences with homeschooling been like?

For school-age residents, what has been your experience of the shutdown?

 For this year’s graduates, how have you coped? Do you have any special plans to celebrate?