Preserving the Past by Kim Nelson

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

Have you got your membership yet to the Freeborn County Historical Museum? Now is the time to renew your membership for 2017 or sign up as a new member. 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 your membership card. 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.

Our last defensive driver refresher class for 2016 is fast approaching. It will be from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. Nov. 17. The cost of the class is $20 for AARP members and $25 for non-members, which includes the class materials and administrative host fees. We ask everyone to pre-register by contacting the museum at 373-8003.

You may think it is too early to talk about Christmas, but it is just around the corner. Our annual Christmas gathering will be Dec. 3 at the museum. The gathering will take place during our regular hours from 10 a.m. to 4 pm. If anyone is interested in volunteering for this event, please contact Abbie Lotts at 373-8003. This year we will feature great activities for children to include Santa’s workshop, pictures with Santa, fresh-baked cookies and Christmas tree displays.

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

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. – 4:00 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday.