By DIANE GASPER-O'BRIEN

dobrien@dailynews.net

Always trying to find educational opportunities for her children, Amy Glover decided to check out Christmas Past at Historic Fort Hays this year.

Neither Glover, nor her three children, were disappointed.

The Glovers were among several hundred people who braved the cold weather Friday night to tour the buildings and happenings at the fort.

Jacob Glover is working on a doctorate degree from Kansas State University.

So while Dad studied, Mom took the kids out for an evening of adventure.

"We home school, so we're always looking for crazy, exciting things," Glover said.

"We've come to Pioneer Days (in the fall), but never this," she said.

"It's a lot warmer then," Glover added with a laugh, "but even in the cold, this was really neat."

Others obviously feel the same way.

At times, it was hard to make your way through the crowd in the guardhouse.

While her children enjoyed seeing the model train display in the blockhouse, Glover admitted they were most entranced with the guardhouse activities.

One could pick up fresh popcorn to enjoy while either watching an old fashioned movie or listening to youngsters in the Western Kansas String Academy perform.

There even was a table to make a Christmas stocking craft.

Joy Glover's most vivid memory of the guardhouse might have been the jail.

"I was scared," the 5-year-old said of the soldier figure behind bars.

"She said, 'That's spooky,' " said her mom, who added that the favorite activity for Joy and older brother Isaac, 7, and younger sister Gracie, 3, might have been an outdoors one.

"They were really excited about the hayrack ride," Mom said.

There also were the traditional activities in the officers' quarters, where volunteers impersonated those who lived at the fort in the late 1800s, as well as fried apples cooked over an open fire outdoors.

People huddled over the campfire waiting for the apples to cook, trying to shake off chill the cold night air.

Not even the ringing of a cell phone could ruin the atmosphere as one of the pioneer women, played by June Knittel, talked about life on the plains.

Christmas Past 2009 was particularly special for one of the volunteers.

Emily Hallan -- playing the role of Josephine Yard, wife of Col. John Yard -- was able to spend time there with her grown son, T.J., and daughter, Tracy.

Hallan enjoyed handing out candy, much like Josephine Yard did at a Christmas party at the fort years ago.

But, Hallan admitted, her most memorial experience this year is not make-believe.

T.J. Hallan just returned from a tour in Iraq in September, and he and his sister decided to join their mom at the fort Friday.

"I remember bringing them here when they were young; such good memories," Emily Hallan said. "I was looking at that nearly full moon and thought, 'How beautiful.' It was blessing that we were all here together."