By JENNA BUZZACCO
jennabuzzacco@sanduskyregister.com

SANDUSKY - Bob Ford sneaks history into his performance.

On Monday, for instance, he was performing at the Ohio Veterans Home in Perkins Township and he began talking about how big the trees used to be. Soon, he was telling a story of a man who lived in a tree while his home was being built.

And Ford, an Ohio historian, doesn't tell just tell his stories. He sings them.

Ford is in town this week as part of an outreach program sponsored by the Sandusky State Theatre. The program is meant to bring history to the community in a fun and interesting way, said Julie Baker, box office manager.

"This is a great outreach program," Baker said. "I traveled with him (Tuesday) and it was a powerful presentation."

While Ford talked about pioneers and general history at OVH, he's focusing on the Underground Railroad while at the schools this week.

"I stumbled on the work of a local historian who had done all this work with the Underground Railroad," Ford said. "From there, I've followed the trails across Ohio."

Baker said Ford was excited to see the markers as he drove up Ohio 4 from Cedarville. He also said he was hoping to look at the Underground Railroad markers while in Sandusky.

Ford said he grew up loving history and music. His mother was a teacher, who sang in the car, Ford said. And while his father looked down on her musical abilities, her singing is what shaped Ford and his sister into folklorists.

"All of this is good," Ford said. "I always tell people I'm blessed because I love what I do."

Ford's Underground Railroad presentation grew out of one of his school projects. He was asked to write a play about black pioneers and he soon learned how important they had been to the state's history.

"When I was growing up, black history wasn't taught in schools," Ford said. "Women's history wasn't even taught in schools. It's because the history books were written by white men."

Ford's version of history is taught through song and stories. On Tuesday at Sandusky's Jackson Junior High School, Ford worked on an interactive presentation.

Students were told they were a group of abolitionists. They were asked to choose roles and to imagine themselves in those shoes. While Ford doesn't discourage students from any role, he reminds them that if the student was a woman or African American, the odds of them being a lawyer or doctor were slim.

Then the fun began, Ford said.

"We would start out with a story or a drama, and by the end of the presentation, they were debating the topic," Ford said.

The program changes for every level of education, Ford said.

Matthew Joslyn, educational director, said the theater is excited to be a part of this outreach program.

"We are happy to be part of something celebrating and showcasing a Ohio historian and performer," Joslyn said.

Thanks to the theater, the program was presented free in the school and at OVH.

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