Preserving the Past by Kim Nelson

The museum continues to be a busy place. We just finished Autumn in the Village on Sept. 17.  Having it on a Saturday was something new this year and It seemed to be a popular change. It was cold but we still had over 250 people in the village and museum. Thank you to all of the staff and volunteers that helped at Autumn. We are so fortunate to have such dedication at work for us! 

You still have time to take advantage of membership renewal/sign up month. If you purchase a membership for 2017 this month, the membership would be good September 2016 through December 2017. What a deal! A family membership is just $35 for the whole year. This membership includes anyone in your household. Think about what you spend $35 — think about spending $35 on a membership to the museum for 2017. We also offer other membership rates from $25 to $1,000. Please contact me to learn more about the different levels of membership.

We continue to host Defensive Driving classes at the museum. Our next refresher class is from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday.  Please contact the museum at 373-8003 for more information on these and any further classes. 

We are excited to introduce a new event at the museum. From 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Oct. 1 the museum hosted-event was What’s Your History Worth. For $5 area residents came to the museum with any treasures that they might have always wondered what they might be worth. We had knowledgeable appraisers here that could help find information out on those special pieces. They were not official appraisals, but would assist you in understanding what your history is worth. There were refreshments and the museum displayed some special collections from our community.

Remember to check us out on Facebook and make sure to follow us to get updates on the museum. Also, you can hear me on KATE radio every Sunday morning for updates from the museum. I love visitors too so come on in and see me; we are open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesdays through Saturdays. Until next time.

Kim Nelson is the new executive director of the Freeborn County Historical Museum, Library and Village, 1031 Bridge Ave.