Preserving the Past by Pat Mulso

The month of August has been a busy one for the museum starting with the fair, a bus tour, the Jeff Gordon Show, Echoes from the Past and many other meetings and projects. You will soon see a new flag pole on the north side of the building just to the east of our entry and there is also additional landscaping taking place on that side of the building. The library flooring will be changed and there will be several new exhibits completed before “Autumn in the Village,” which will be from noon to 4 p.m. Sept. 21. You will see new items appearing on our walls and exhibits changing as we really get settled into our new building.

We have also had some staff changes. Kathy Mandt, our receptionist and volunteer coordinator retired in June, however, she has helped us out several times as we worked through the process of hiring her replacement. We want to say thank you to Kathy for her many years of dedication to the museum. We will miss her! With her retirement came some additional changes in schedules. Her replacement will alternate working Wednesday and Thursday one week and Friday and Saturday the next week, and Kathy Freese will work the opposite days. We would like to welcome Barb Whiteaker to our staff; she has filled Kathy Mandt’s position. She will be working with volunteers, memberships, receptionists and the gift shop. We also have another new part-time employee, Hattie Phillips. Hattie will fill in as receptionist during lunch breaks and will be working with exhibits, inventory and other special projects. Please help us welcome our new employees when you stop in next. Also, a special thank you to Angela Sammon for helping out this summer during our transition of positions.

The Freeborn County Historical Society Board would like to thank the following sponsors for their contributions and support for the Jeff Gordon Fundraiser Show Aug. 14 at the Marion Ross Performing Arts Center: American Legion Post 56, Bayview Freeborn Funeral Home, Built-Rite Mfg. Inc., Calico Hutch Quilt Shop, Citizens State Bank-Glenville, Com-Tec, Conger Meat Market, Doors & Floors Inc., Freeborn Construction, Freeborn County Co-op Oil, Hi Yield Products – Alden & Hartland, Innovance, Inc., Jensen Mfg. Inc.,  Jim & Dudes Plumbing, L & D Ag/Mfg., MCT Mortgage, Monson’s Body Shop, Mulso Financial Services, North American Mat Co., Northern Country Co-op, Security State Bank MN, TB3’s Bar & Grill, US Bank and Willis Pfieffer Antiques. Proceeds will go toward the purchase of a new copy/fax/scanner/printer for the museum.

The museum will host two Smart Driver Safety four-hour refresher classes in September. One will be from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Sept. 6 and another from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. Sept. 25. The fee is $20 for AARP members and $25 for nonmembers. This includes the AARP Course materials as well as an administrative host charge. Your driver’s license number is needed at the time of registration as is your AARP number if you are a member. Preregistration is required. You will receive your certificate the day of the class.

We are hosting a bus trip to Lanesboro Sept. 13. The bus will leave the museum at 8:30 a.m. and return at approximately 5:30 p.m. Tour the town, shop or visit the local museum in the morning, lunch at a restaurant of your choice and then attend the play, “Arcadia,” in the afternoon at the Commonweal Theatre. The cost is $55 for members and $65 for nonmembers, which includes bus and play tickets. Please register for the trip by Friday.

We will start accepting memberships for 2015 Sept. 1. The museum has not raised its membership fee or admission for over 20 years, I believe. Starting Sept. 1 our adult admission will increase to $7.50, students to $2 and children and members will continue to have free admission. Membership for an individual will continue to be $25 per year, but household and family memberships will be $35 per year. This is a great value for a family and will help us to continue to offer free admission to the museum throughout the year to our members, as well as for such events as Eddie Cochran Weekend, “Autumn in the Village,” our new lecture series and discounts on our bus tours and other special programs. Paying your memberships without a reminder notice helps us to keep our postage and paper cost down. A new membership form will be in the September newsletter.

If you have not been a member in the past, consider becoming a member and help us to preserve and protect our local history. New members will receive the membership benefit of September through December of 2014 as well as all of 2015, if they become a member now. Renew or join now!

 

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