Preserving the Past by Kim Nelson

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas.

The museum has started to prepare for the holidays by setting up trees and hanging Christmas lights in the village.

We are looking forward to all of you visiting the museum for our Christmas gathering from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Dec. 3. The cost is $1 for non-members, while museum members are free for this event. We will feature visits with Santa, caroling, crafts in our children’s learning lab and fresh-baked cookies. You also can enjoy our beautifully-decorated museum. Come spend a day with us to kick off the Christmas season.

Speaking of memberships — maybe I wasn’t, but I am now. We are so excited to be able to offer incentives to businesses for being a member at the museum. One of the incentives includes a free meeting room rental. Please contact me directly for more information on business memberships to see what other incentives are available. Individual and family memberships are available, as well. It’s as easy as calling 373-8003 or stopping by the museum from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday to get signed up. There are so many amazing benefits to being a member. Some of those benefits include periodically free admission into events sponsored by the museum, use of the library for research and supporting the preservation of the history of Freeborn County.

We continue to offer organizations, clubs, families and business the opportunity to adopt a building in our village. There are 10 buildings left. If you are interested, please contact me at 373-8003.

As the museum continues to look for ways to enhance our displays, we have started to pursue grants that will help us provide interactive displays at the museum. I am looking forward to being able to share this project as it progresses. The museum relies on grant funding, along with memberships, to provide Freeborn County with a resource that will preserve the history in our county. With these grants, along with your memberships, we are excited to be able to continue our work for the communities of Freeborn County.

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.

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