Applications Now Being Accepted for the Young Interpreter Apprenticeship Program This Summer at Fenimore Farm in Cooperstown

COOPERSTOWN, NY — Since 1993, the Young Interpreter Program at Fenimore Farm (formerly The Farmers’ Museum) in Cooperstown has enabled young people to work side-by-side with the museum’s talented craftspeople at various sites including the Blacksmith Shop, Lippitt Farmhouse, Middlefield Printing Office, and the Westcott Shop. In this apprenticeship program designed for young people ages 13-14 (as of May 1, 2025), participants learn about America’s past, develop lifelong skills based on trades and crafts common to ordinary people of rural 19th-century New York State, and share their newfound knowledge with museum visitors.

Apply today

To apply, please visit Young Interpreters Apprentice Program to submit an essay of approximately 400-800 words expressing your interest and detailing the reasons why you want to be a Young Interpreter. Essays must be received by May 20, 2025. Candidates will be notified of acceptance by mid-June. Young Interpreters are expected to work one day a week for a period of eight consecutive weeks starting the last week in June and ending the last week in August.

If you have questions, please contact Patrick MacGregor at (607) 547-1527 or e-mail p.macgregor@fenimorefarm.org.

The Young Interpreter Program is sponsored in part by the Cooperstown Rotary Club.

About Fenimore Farm

Fenimore Farm in Cooperstown, New York, provides visitors with a unique opportunity to experience 19th-century rural and village life first-hand through authentic demonstrations and interpretative exhibits. Founded in 1943 as The Farmers’ Museum, Fenimore Farm remains one of the oldest rural life museums in the country. It comprises a Colonial Revival stone barn listed on the National Register for Historic Places, a recreated historic village circa 1845, the Empire State Carousel, and a working farmstead. Through its 19th-century village and farm, it preserves important examples of upstate New York architecture, early agricultural tools and equipment, and heritage livestock. Fenimore Farm’s outstanding collection of more than 23,000 items encompasses significant historic objects ranging from butter molds to carriages, and hand planes to plows. The museum also presents a broad range of interactive educational programs for school groups, families, and adults that explore and preserve the rich agricultural history of the region. FenimoreFarm.org

Fenimore Farm and Country Village is located in Otsego County which is part of the Mohawk Valley Region of Upstate New York.