By Pat Mulso

May has been a very busy month at the museum with two days of Discover History, 20 school tours as well as an adult bus tour and many out of town visitors. Thank you to all our Discover History mentors and our tour guides for making it possible for us to share our local history with our students. We want to thank everyone that supported our swiss steak fundraiser, along with the American Legion for providing the place and cooks to make the event happen. During May we have also started some of our repairs and upgrades on the village buildings. Thank You to all the volunteers helping with these special projects.

With the end of May just a week away, we are fast approaching our June events, with Eddie Cochran weekend being the first major event for the month. The drive in social starts at 6 p.m. June 12 at the Country Inn & Suites, Green Mill and Motor Inn Co. on East Main Street.  There will be awards, food, music, our famous root beer floats and lots of socializing. The event is free and open to the public. The 29th annual Eddie Cochran Car Show is on June 13 in downtown Albert Lea. Registration begins at 8 a.m. The fee is $10 per car. Cars will be parked on Broadway between Fountain Street and William Street. Fountain and William streets will be open, but Clark Street will be closed on Broadway. Spectators may view the cars throughout the day and vote for their favorites. Registration will be held at the CVB Office on the corner of Broadway and Clark Street. Food vendors will be available as well as the downtown restaurants for your refreshments throughout the day. There will be a ’50s window decorating contest downtown and music by Mega Force during the day as well.

Spectators are welcome and there is no admission fee.

The museum and village will be open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and there will be two presentations about the life of Eddie Cochran, one at 11:15 a.m. and one in the afternoon. The time for the second presentation will be announced soon.

Awards will be announced at approximately 2 p.m. and the car cruise will begin at 4 p.m. from North Broadway.

Our June Defensive Driving Refresher Class will be from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. June 11. The four-hour class is required every three years after the initial eight-hour class is taken to continue receiving a discount on your auto insurance. The cost is $20 for AARP members and $25 for nonmembers. This fee includes class materials and an administrative fee. Those interested must register for the class by calling the museum at 373-8003 or stopping by during our regular business hours, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Wednesday through Saturday.

Save the date, at 9:30 a.m. June 20 we will be hosting our Style Show Brunch which will take place in Bethany Hall at First Lutheran Church. The theme is “Special Occasions” from prom and party dresses to wedding dresses. Tickets are $15 and seating is limited. Tickets will be available soon at the CVB, Mary Go Round Shoppe, Addie’s Floral and the Museum.

The dates for our annual research trip to Salt Lake City, to the world’s largest genealogy library, have been reserved. We will depart on Oct. 19 and return on Oct. 25.  A $100 deposit is required to reserve your spot for this unique trip. Whether you are a seasoned genealogist or just beginning, this is a trip of a lifetime that you won’t want to miss. Stop by the museum for details or to reserve your spot. We will also be having additional library lock-ins this summer. Watch for dates soon.

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.