Column: Preserving the Past, by Pat Mulso

The Freeborn County Historical Museum is hosting an eight-hour defensive driving class from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. March 2. The cost is $19, and you must pre-register for the class. This is the initial class that must be taken to receive a discount on your auto insurance in Minnesota. Once you have taken the eight-hour class, then you are required to take a four-hour refresher class every three years to continue receiving a discount on your insurance. Most auto insurance companies start giving the discount when you reach 55 years of age. Anyone 50 or older can take the class. At the time of registration we will need your name and address as it appears on your driver’s license along with your driver’s license number and date of birth. If you are a member of AARP we need that number also. You will receive your certificate at the end of the class. You should bring a sack lunch for this eight-hour class. Coffee and water will be provided.

If you have already taken the eight-hour class, but are in need of the four-hour refresher class, we will host a four-hour class from 12:30 to 4:30 p.m. April 8. The cost of this class is also $19, and you must pre-register and the same information is needed at time of registration as listed above. Our classes fill up quickly, so please call in or stop by to register soon. The museum is open Tuesday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. You may also leave a message on our answering service and we will return your call.

We hope you caught the segment on the Off 90 Program on KSMQ this past week; it was on a week later than I listed in my last article. If you missed it you can go to the KSMQ website and view our segment on the computer. It touched on many different facets of our museum.

We are also having a Library Lock-In from 8:30 a.m to 2:30 p.m. March 18. The cost is $25 for members and $30 for non-members. During this session we will help you one on one to do research on your family history. The class size is limited, so don’t delay and register soon. If the class is full, we will take your name for the next class.

If doing the research is not your cup of tea, consider hiring the museum to do the research for you. Call and schedule an appointment with Linda and Pat to see what options fit your needs and see examples of the family books we have produced.

With spring just around the corner we are busy planning Discover History Days, school tours and other events that will take place this summer and later in the year. If you are interested in being a tour guide, please give us a call and we will add your name to be contacted for our tour guide orientation that will be held in April.

Membership calling will take place this week, so if you have not paid your 2013 museum membership and were a member in 2012 you will probably receive a reminder call this week from one of our board members. Memberships are a key component in our general operating budget. Thank you for your continued support to the museum and our programs to support the preservation of the history of Freeborn County and its people.

Remember, what happens today is history tomorrow! Have a great week — share a story about your youth with someone you know or visit a shut-in and listen to one of their memories from days gone by. You might be surprised how much you both will enjoy it!

 

Pat Mulso is the executive director of the Freeborn County Historical Museum in Albert Lea.