Working at This Is The Place Liberty Park in Salt Lake City as pioneer villagers has changed the perspective of many who have dedicated time to making the Pioneer Village as realistic as possible.

For Pioneer Day on Thursday, hundreds of employees and volunteers dressed in period clothing to show visitors what it may have been like to live as a pioneer.

One couple, Michael and Maryanne Barnard, has been employed for eight years. Michael Barnard works at many of the park's events dressed as Brigham Young. Barnard and his wife are both history buffs and started working at the Park when he retired. Michael Barnard described how their lives have been changed because of the experiences.

"I think I've realized that the pioneers really were not much different from us," Michael Barnard said. "They go through the same struggles, the same problems."

The employees and volunteers are asked to transform the way they look, talk, and act to resemble the early pioneers. Many pioneer performers are seen using a spinning wheel, making rope, playing pioneer games and shooting off cannons.

"When you are here everyday, the pioneers become much more than just a story on a page," Maryanne Barnard said. "These are real people, and the stories have become just so dear to my heart."

Many ask the Barnards if they plan to go on a couple's mission for the LDS Church, but to the Barnards, this is their mission. The park is not owned by the church, and employees are not allowed to approach people to talk about the church.

"We can answer questions if they are asked," said Maryanne Barnard. "We have talked to people from all over the world, and this experience is really a mission for us, just for an expanded period of time."

Michael Barnard has noticed a change in his speech as a result of working at the park.

"I use 'ma'am' and 'sir' more than I did before," Michael Barnard said. "And 'good day' instead of 'hello.'"

Barnard explained that in the days of the Mormon pioneers, "Hello" was something someone would say to an inanimate object, such as a house or a village. "Good day" is what someone might say to another person as a greeting. Michael Barnard is stationed at the barber shop and Maryanne Barnard is stationed at the hat shop.

Other employees and volunteers vary from high school students working at the village as a summer job to students at the University of Utah and mothers who bring their kids along with them to volunteer.

Melanie Brown, one of the pioneer performers, is a student getting her master's at University of Utah.

"I was so grateful to find this job," Brown said. "I am just working here for the summer in between the two years of my master's program, but I want to come back next summer."

The pioneer village located in Salt Lake City consists of houses and shops that have been either moved to be part of the village, or recreated to give the same effect as the originals. The park is situated on a hill, so visitors can look out and see the entire Salt Lake Valley.

It is the place that the pioneers first entered the valley. A monument of Brigham Young stands to remember the day Brigham Young saw the valley and said "this is the place."

Editor's note: An earlier version of this story misspelled the Barnard's name. BYU NewsNet apologizes to the Barnards for the error. BYU NewsNet will correct errors that are brought to its attention, and thanks those kind readers who do so.

Copyright Brigham Young University 25 Jul 2008