Preserving the Past by Pat Mulso

The county fair always brings back memories of childhood days, and this year was no different. I remember 4-H projects, the exhibits, food, visiting with friends and the rides. I also remember the many hours spent as a child at this time of year breaking green beans on the front porch with Mom, Grandma and anyone one else who was home at the time. My mother always canned over 100 quarts of green beans to last us through the winter. Then she froze a lot of corn on the cob, as well as corn off the cob, and we would help shuck and clean the corn as well.

The lazy days of summer were not so lazy once it was time to start canning. There was the picking, the cleaning and the canning. When we were small we couldn’t work with the canning, but we certainly helped with the rest of the process. We picked raspberries, grapes, strawberries, rhubarb, cherries, peaches, pears and apples, green beans, corn, cabbage, sweet potatoes and sometimes peas. Then, of course, a little later we would gather the walnuts and lay them out in the basement to dry before the icky job of cracking them. Those were the good ole days, when I was growing up.

We hope everyone enjoyed their visit to the museum during the fair. It’s always fun to see what the children want to show their parents and grandparents when they get to be the tour guides. We also want to thank the fair board for helping us financially to make it possible for fair attendees to visit the museum and village free during the fair.

The museum will host two fundraisers during the month of August. The Jeff Gordon Show is at 7:30 p.m. Thursday at the Marion Ross Performing Arts Center. Tickets are $12 in advance and $15 the night of the performance. Tickets are available only at the museum. The variety show will features songs from the ’50s and ’60s. Please join us for an enjoyable evening. Funds raised will be used to purchase a new copy machine for the museum.

Our second event will be “Echoes from the Past…A Journey into History.” This year’s presentation will be at 6:30 p.m. Aug. 20 in the meeting room at the museum. This way we won’t have to worry about rain or mosquitoes. The lives of four local pioneers will come to life as re-enactors tell the stories of their lives. Refreshments will be served by volunteers from the Sons of Norway. The cost is $5 per attendee.

The museum will host a four-hour refresher defensive driving class from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Sept. 6. The cost is $20 for AARP members and $25 for non-members. This includes course supplies and an administrative host fee. Pre-registration is required.  You may call the museum at 507-373-8003 or stop by during regular hours of 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday.

The museum is also hosting a bus trip to Lanesboro on Sept. 13. The morning will give you the opportunity to shop, visit the museum and have lunch on your own and then we will have tickets to a play at the local theatre in the afternoon. The cost is $55 for FCHM Members and $65 for non-members.

Remember, what happens today is history tomorrow!

 

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