“Life is not fair; make the best of it.” Did you ever hear that growing up? How about: “Life is what you make of it”?

You can be negative and dwell on the bad things that happen or you can accept the things you have no control over and work on the things you can improve. That was my mom and dad’s philosophy, along with hard work will never hurt you and don’t be afraid to learn new skills. Be a good friend; you never know when you might need one. And there are always two sides to a story. We have had many unpleasant stories in the news lately, and these stories have details that are unknown to us as the public. They are tragic not only because of their seriousness, but also because of the impact they have on the families involved. Respect for others’ feelings is something that seems to be lacking in our society in general these days and maybe that is a trait that we need to focus on.

Discover History was a huge success with the help of many volunteer mentors, the hard work of our 11th-grade humanities classes, their teachers, other volunteers and the staff at the Freeborn County Historical Museum. We had beautiful weather and the fifth-graders had the opportunity to experience history firsthand with many activities. Thank you to all who helped with this great event!

Last Sunday we had our annual meeting at the museum. Included was a presentation about our building expansion project. If you belong to a group or organization that would like to see the presentation, please call the museum at 373-8003 to schedule a program time. The presentation is 10 to 15 minutes long and time for questions can follow.

Our school tours began last week and will continue through May. This is an opportunity for all the elementary schools in our area to visit the museum and learn about local history and what life was like in earlier times.

The village officially opened on May 4 and is open now through the end of September during our regular hours of 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Friday. There will also be special hours during the fair. Check the website for Saturday hours and special events at www.smig.net/fchm.

Our next AARP four- hour refresher defensive driving class will be Tuesday, June 8, from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. The cost is $19 and you must register for the class.

International Museum Day is Tuesday, May 18. We will have reduced admission that day ($2). Please consider inviting a friend or neighbor to visit the museum with you and share the treasure of our collections with them.

We are planning a FCHS Day Camp for June 15 and 17 from 9 a.m. to noon. The cost is $20 for members and $25 for non-members. The camp is for children in first through fourth grade. During these two mornings the participants will enjoy games, crafts, activities and experiences from earlier times. Cost includes all supplies. Please pre-register by June 4 by calling 373-8003 or stopping by the museum at 1031 Bridge Ave., Albert Lea.

The next library lock-in is May 21 and is already full. If you are interested in attending a lock-in this summer, please call and get your name on the list and we will notify you when the next class is scheduled.

Mark your calendars now for Eddie Cochran Weekend. The dates are Friday, June 11, and Saturday, June 12. There will be more details coming soon.

We are busy making plans for bus tours and other special events at the museum for the summer, watch for details in the near future.

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