Aug

Smithsonian Sleepovers: A Pleistocene Party

Janet Hewitt explains what brings volunteers back again and again to one of the Smithsonian’s most popular public programs.

It was a warm Friday night in late June and the National Mall was buzzing. Tourists were out in force. Food trucks were doing land-office business. And the Smithsonian Folklife Festival had just launched its festivities, filling the Mall with music you could move to from a comfortable spot on the nation’s front lawn.

Yet a special kind of buzz seemed to be coming from the National Museum of Natural History. And it had nothing to do with the Insect Zoo.

It was after 5 p.m., and most museums on the Mall, including Natural History, were emptying out, as security guards kindly reminded visitors it was closing time.

But not me. I was one of 40-plus lucky Smithsonian volunteers headed up the stairs and into the museum—privileged to be inside during the magical evening hours. (Just ask Ben Stiller.)

We were reporting for the second installment of the 2024 season of Smithsonian Sleepovers, a special Smithsonian Associates program that allows kids ages 8 to 14 (and their accompanying adult) to participate in games and challenges, immerse themselves in hand-on crafts and even learn how to eat like a T-Rex!

The Associates cast and crew, led by Program Manager Brigitte Blachere, had rolled their props into the Ocean Terrace Cafe for a full volunteer briefing scheduled for 6 pm. Volunteers were reminded to wear their special Sleepovers t-shirts and were asked to choose their table activity assignments from among such topics as Dino Dinner, Bug Eyes, Blubber, Predator vs. Prey and Beguiling Bats. This evening’s program was called “The Game of Survival.” (And before you ask, no, this didn’t involve hunting down children throughout the museum!)

The activities for kids were due to begin at 7:30 pm. Volunteers would be done for the night and head home shortly after 11 pm. By 11:30 pm, lights in the museum would be turned off and Sleepover participants would doze off in the Ocean Hall under Phoenix, the giant right whale suspended from the ceiling.

The Cast of Night at the Museum 2 outside the Smithsonian Castle

The cast of “Night at the Museum: The Battle for the Smithsonian” in 2014: From left, Ben Stiller, Ricky Gervais, Robin Williams, Hank Azaria, Amy Adams, Owen Wilson and director Shawn Levy (Photo by Ken Rahaim)

Smithsonian Associates launched the Sleepovers program in 2009 (inspired by the 2009 film Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian, the sequel to the original Night at the Museum released in 2006). The program was a hit from the start. Sleepovers have been held at four different Smithsonian museums, but post-Covid, are only held at Natural History.

The goal, Brigitte says, is “to bring the Smithsonian alive and highlight the various museums and their collections.” She told us Sleepovers have “brought 15 years of extremely positive press to the Smithsonian” and she’s enjoyed working with “everybody across the institutions.”

Brigitte is something of a theater veteran. In fact, her background was in Off-Broadway theater production, with stints at the former John Drew Theater (now the Hilarie and Mitchell Morgan Theater) in East Hampton and at the Shubert Theatre in New Haven.

But tonight, her stage is the Natural History Museum.

Kids and volunteers laugh as they dip their hands into buckets full of ice

2023 Smithsonian Sleepover volunteers helping out at an activity booth. (Photo courtesy Michele Welker, Smithsonian Associates)

It’s fair to say that the volunteers who help make Sleepovers happen are definitely not your typical Broadway theater types. With backgrounds in science, teaching, anthropology, and museum studies, they keep volunteering for this late-night, kid-focused event. I talked several to find out what makes them want to work without pay, late into the evening, on a Friday night, at a place with limited parking? It turns out they all said pretty much the same thing: It’s really fun.

I found T.J. Sinamon, a 40-year Smithsonian volunteer, at a long table filled with plates of giant marshmallows the size of Rubik’s Cubes. Her activity was designed to simulate what it’s like to eat if you are a T-Rex with those tiny little arms. Participants have to tackle the marshmallow only with their mouths.

T.J. has volunteered for Sleepovers since the program began in 2009. She was a special education teacher for fourth graders before she retired 20 years ago. She says that experience perfectly prepared her for the Sleepover audience of 8- to 14-year-olds.

The chance to be in the museum at night “is wonderful,” she said. “The kids understand how special it is. They ask if the museum comes alive at night.”

I tracked down another veteran of the marshmallow buffet line—Gianna Dusch. A statistician with the U.S. Census Bureau by day, her interest in science has inspired her to volunteer in several ways at the Natural History Museum.

“I come here for my nerdy science fix. It’s been fantastic,” she said.

Gianna has done roughly six Sleepover assignments. And the former biology major has spent Sunday mornings volunteering in the Hall of Human Origins and Deep Time. In fact, when I met up with her she was wearing what looked to be a very official, Natural History Museum, safari-type vest that, honestly, we all were secretly coveting.

Gianna enjoys Sleepovers so much that, in essence, she ends up paying for the opportunity to do them. She boards her dog Elliott overnight because she gets home so late.

We understand why veteran volunteers keep coming back for their annual Sleepover fix. But is it that way for everyone? I asked a trio of rookies setting up tables in another corner of the museum to get to the bottom of that question.

Eliza Vegas, Noah Brushwood, and Katelyn Bonaccorsy all attend(ed) the University of Mary Washington in Fredericksburg, Virginia. Two are recent grads and one is due to graduate in December. They signed up for three sleepovers this year and this was their second.

I wanted to know what drew them on a Friday night to the Game of Survival versus, say, sampling some new lager at a trendy place in Shaw.

Eliza is currently an intern with the National Register of Historic Places. She said she just liked the idea of volunteering for the Smithsonian and loves late-night activities. Her favorite part, so far, has been just seeing the kids get so excited.

Noah just graduated with a degree in creative writing and historic preservation and wants to be a writer. His favorite part about Sleepovers is watching the way people interact. (Sounds like a writer.) For example, he says some parents are so competitive with their own kids that they really are serious about winning the activity.

Finally, Katelyn, who will graduate later this year is majoring in historic preservation with a minor in museum studies. She’s been coming to the Natural History Museum since she was a kid and it’s “her favorite museum.” She says there’s a special ambiance at night in the museum. You definitely feel “kind of privileged or special” to be inside after hours. And her favorite thing about the experience so far has been the kids.

There’s no doubt it’s a special group of kids. As Katelyn put it, “I got to meet kids that know what ‘adaptation’ meant.” And being able to spot the markers of some future anthropologists is definitely part of the fun.

Seeing that eagerness to learn (and in some cases, budding genius), coupled with being in a magical place after hours, is what makes Sleepovers so special. All three of the friends from Fredericksburg felt the vibe. And it’s what keeps people coming back.

Taxidermy of enormous African Elephant in rotunda of national Museum of Natural History. Dim evening light is seen through arched windows near the ceiling

Henry the African Elephant presides over the rotunda at the National Museum of Natural History (Photo by Janet Hewitt)

For the record, my favorite part was seeing Henry the Elephant in the massive, shadowy Rotunda at night, presiding over his realm of wonders, whether they came alive or not. (But wait, am I mistaken, or did his trunk just move?)

Janet Hewitt is a volunteer with Smithsonian Associates Studio Arts Program and a former award-winning financial journalist.