Preserving the Past by Pat Mulso

Thank you to all volunteers that helped with the Eddie Cochran Car Show and special presentation at the museum this past weekend. The weather was not the best, but I think everyone enjoyed our new location for the car show in beautiful downtown Albert Lea. A very special thank you to Jerry Monson, the Eddie Cochran committee chair.  We appreciate your dedication to this event. We had visitors from Kansas, California and England to see the car show and exhibits at the museum. Proceeds from the weekend will be split between the museum building fund and museum programs.

Our next big event is the third annual Vintage Style Show. This year’s theme is Would You Wear This? This year’s show is at 9:30 a.m. Saturday in Bethany Hall at First Lutheran Church in Albert Lea. Vintage attire is optional. Tickets are $15 and must be purchased in advance. Tickets are available at the museum. We have sold out the past two years. If you don’t have your ticket yet, you can check with us to see if there are any still available. Call 507-373-8003 and leave a message and your phone number and we will get back to you.

The museum will host a four-hour Smart Driver refresher class on from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. Thursday. The cost is $20 for AARP members and $25 for non-members, and includes an administrative fee. You must pre-register for the class.

We regret to give notice that we are cancelling the bus tour scheduled for July 15 to Agco in Jackson due to a maintenance close down. We will try to reschedule this tour next year. We do, however, have other bus tours planned for August, September and October. Details are in our last museum newsletter.

The museum is having a Swiss steak fundraiser from 4:30 to 7 p.m. Thursday at the American Legion in Albert Lea. Tickets are $9 and may be purchased at the museum.

The museum, library and village will close at 2 p.m. July 3 and will also be closed on July 4 to observe Independence Day. We will reopen from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. July 5.  Have a safe and happy Fourth of July!

If you have been considering going on the research trip to Salt Lake City this year, the deadline is approaching quickly. You must register and make your initial deposit by June 30. We currently have nine individuals registered to attend. The dates are Nov. 9 through 15. It’s an experience you’ll never forget. Call or stop by the museum if you have questions concerning this trip.

The first weekend in June, Arnie and I made a trip to Farmington, Mo., to meet the missing link in my mother’s family that I told you about in an earlier article. We attended the Kleinberg family reunion, and I was able to meet and visit with four brothers that are the great-grandsons of my missing Gerhard Hartings. There are still missing pieces to the puzzle, as they do not know where Gerhard was prior to 1880 or anything about his childhood.

They were, however, able to give me photos of Gerhard’s daughter, Theresia. She was their grandmother. I am now in search of information that will tell me where he was from 1850 to 1880.

Now that I know that I have the right person, the search is on! I will keep you posted as the story progresses. We shared information and are planning to have a huge reunion in Ohio in 2016 so they can meet their new extended family.

 

Pat Mulso is the executive director of the Freeborn County Historical Museum, Library and Village, 1031 Bridge Ave.