By Pat Mulso, Preserving the Past

We&8217;ll be wrapping up the spring school tours this week at the museum

and then we&8217;ll be busy with many repairs in our historical village. We&8217;ll begin with the painting of the shoe shop, blacksmith shop and woodworking shops. Other summer plans include the foundation repair on the parsonage along with a new roof.

We also plan to replace the roof on the school. The church in the village is also in need of a roof and painting, we will be working on ways to raise money for that project.

Eddie Cochran Weekend will be here before we know it and along with that come visitors from England as well as all over our region. The museum will be open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Friday, June 13, and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, June 14. On Sunday we will have our ecumenical church service at 9:15 a.m. in the village church. We will have root beer floats available on Saturday afternoon.

Please stop by and visit if you have a chance.

Eddie Cochran would have been 70 this coming October.

On June 21, we will be having a Swiss steak dinner fundraiser at the American Legion in Albert Lea to raise money to help with village projects.

You may purchase tickets at the museum or from any FCHM board member.

We will host an AARP four-hour defensive driving refresher class on Thursday, June 26, from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. The cost is $15 and you must pre-register for the class. You do not need to be a member of the museum or AARP to take the class. You may register by stopping by the museum or call 373-8003.

We will be hosting another historical bus tour on July 10; watch for more details soon. We will be extending our hours during fair week this year and will also be hosting some special programs during the fair.

In August we will again team up with Graceland Cemetery to bring you Echoes from the Past, A Journey into History.

In August we will also host a historical bus tour of some of our older cemeteries in the county in recognition of the Minnesota Sesquicentennial.

On Sept. 21 we will have our annual &8220;Autumn in the Village&8221; with some new attractions/events. Be sure to mark your calendar and watch for more details in the future.

We will host a bus tour to Overland Park, Kan., to see the play, &8220;The Last Romance,&8221; starring Marion Ross and Paul Michael in October.

Remember, if you don&8217;t tell the story or pass on the history of your family, it could be lost. Don&8217;t wait until it is too late; take the initiative to preserve your heritage for generations to come. Whether you are the person that knows the story or you know who does, ask questions, take notes and be the historian. We all have important stories to tell; don&8217;t let yours go untold.

Almost every week we receive calls and letters from individuals trying to find our about their ancestors.

We can find vital information, births, deaths and marriages, but not too often can we give them personal stories that really tell them what the person was like or what their life experiences were.

Consider keeping a journal, what you think is just a normal day&8217;s reflection could mean the world to someone in the future.

As you can see we have a full schedule ahead of us and hope that you will join in on the fun and enjoy the excellent historical facility that Freeborn County has. As FCHS celebrates its 60th anniversary we want to serve the community. We are:

&8220;Building the Future by Preserving the Past.&8221;

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