Column: Preserving the Past, by Pat Mulso

With school tours right around the corner, this week will be a busy one, as we have our annual tour guide orientation at 1:30 p.m. Thursday and the annual village cleanup day from 8 a.m. to noon on Saturday. A special thank you to all the volunteers who help with the opening and cleaning of the buildings in the village. This yearly project would be monumental without the help of so many dedicated volunteers. Our tour guides share their knowledge of earlier lifetimes in Freeborn County with 2,500 to 3,000 area students each May and we also value their dedication to our future generation of leaders. Volunteers, we appreciate all you do for us! If you would like to help in either of these areas call the museum this week for details at 373-8003.

Freeborn County Historical Musuem building expansion update: The interior walls are all up, painting is being completed in the lower level and ceiling grids are being installed. The doors and windows are in, brick and stone work is completed on the exterior of the new addition, bathroom ceramic tile is in, railing and lower doorways are painted, electrical is all roughed in and the elevator is installed. Next steps: ceilings completed and light fixtures installed, built-in cabinets installed, bathroom fixtures installed, registers for heat and air installed, sprinkler heads turned into position and smoke detectors installed, inside doors to be hung and doorways to old building completed. Upper level walls to be mudded, sanded and painted, flooring to be installed and finishing touches to the inside as well as landscaping, sidewalks and retaining walls to be completed on the exterior. So lots will be happening in the next weeks as we move toward summer and embrace the busiest time of our year.

Plans for Eddie Cochran Weekend are going well; be sure to mark your calendar. June 7 to 9 will be full of activities here at the museum, the fairgrounds and around town. More details in the near future.

The museum will host a four-hour defensive driving refresher class from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. May 14. The cost is $19, and you must preregister for the class. Call 373-8003 for more details or stop by the museum during our regular hours, which are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Friday.

Save the date: We are planning a mystery bus tour for Aug. 15. The tours usually begin about 8:15 a.m. and return between 4 and 4:30 p.m. Lunch and admissions are included in the price of the tour. Watch for more details around the first of June.

The summer is booking up as many events are locking in dates. We have several class reunions booked already as well as other programs and events that will take place here at the museum. I have many programs on the calendar for organizations, church groups and other entities as they plan their programs for the year. So if you are looking for a location or program for your organizations please consider the museum for your needs.

The fourth Annual “Taste of Heritage” event that was held at Northbridge Mall on April 6 was a huge success, and I would like to thank all our many volunteers and sponsors that helped to make the day a great experience for all that attended and helped us to celebrate the diversity in our community. This event is planned by a committee of volunteers, and sponsored by the City of Albert Lea’s Human Rights Commission, Riverland Community College multicultural services, Albert Lea Convention & Visitors Bureau, Freeborn County Historical Museum, Library & Village, Freeborn County Community Foundation and the Alliance for Educational Equity.

 

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