Have you ever wanted to operate an old windmill? This is your perfect chance! We're looking for adventurous individuals interested in learning about how to operate our windmill including running the sails and using the stones to grind. This is a very new program for us, and the windmill hasn't had volunteer millers in decades, but it is important to us and integral to our longterm success.

Running the sails regularly is good preventative maintenance for the windmill, keeping components greased and shaking out any unwanted moisture from cracks and crevices. We make it a point to run the windmill, just the sails, at least once per day whenever possible, ensuring also that the standby position of the sails is constantly changing. We are still working on building out a schedule for grinding during the travel season when we will be much busier. 

Running the windmill's sails isn't difficult, but it does require some strength and attentiveness. The process involves climbing all the way up to the cap to disengage the brake. The operator then climbs down to the second floor and locates the chains out on the gallery. These chains set the positions of the shutters on the sails and can sometimes be a challenge to move. Once you close the shutters, the wind will take care of the rest. It is important for operators to make routine checks of different components when running the windmill as well as listen for odd sounds as the sails turn. During operation, the grindstones may be used, but more often than not, we take the time to engage with tourists who always have interesting questions when the sails are spinning. 

Using the grindstones is a little more challenging and requires a little more work. We don't expect every volunteer operator to be able to run the sails and grind. Just having the sails turning is a great feature for us and something we are always looking for help with. It's easy, fun, and a very rare opportunity.