Remembering birthday celebrations
Published 9:50 am Saturday, February 26, 2011
Column: Pat Mulso, Preserving the Past
My dad’s birthday was yesterday, he would have been 96 years old. I wonder what he would have done to celebrate if he were still alive. My guess is he would have prepared one of his specialties, swiss steak, pot roast, or his famous meatloaf along with all the trimmings and we (the children and our families) would have all gone home to be there with him.
After cleaning up the kitchen there would have been a family card game. This is where your memory and strategic skills would be tested. My dad could be watching a ball game on television, listening to another game on the radio and still be able to tell you every card that had been played. We were always taught to be good sports, even if we lost, but of course, it was more fun to win.
We all enjoy playing cards and games and did so quite often as we were growing up. Probably because it was cheap entertainment and there was no fighting allowed or the game would be put away. And of course there would be cake and ice cream after supper. Normally we did not have dessert, but eight times a year we had cake and ice cream. On your birthday you got to decide what meal Dad would prepare and what kind of cake Mom would make. In February there were two birthdays, so we got dessert twice that month! What a great family tradition!
Our calendar is filling in already at the museum as we schedule school tours, Discover History Day, Summer Day Camps, bus trips, Library Lock-Ins, Eddie Cochran Weekend, Echoes from The Past…A journey into History, Autumn in the Village, special hours during the Freeborn County Fair and the Red Power Roundup Show, Defensive Driving four-hour classes, class reunions, weddings, farmers market fundraisers and our annual Swiss Steak Fundraiser just to name a few things.
The museum will be sharing a booth at the annual home show with other nonprofits again this year, and we hope you will stop to visit and learn about our building expansion project on March 12 and 13.
Mark your calendar for March 13, from 2 to 4 p.m. Stop in at the Freeborn County Historical Museum to watch a Power Point presentation that shows some of the photos that we have scanned from our collection as part of our “Preserving Hometown Photos” Library Legacy Grant project. This project was funded in part or in whole with money from Minnesota’s Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund. This open house is free to the public, and we encourage you to stop by and enjoy seeing a sampling of the many photos in our collection.
The Freeborn County Historical Museum will also be participating in the Taste of Heritage Festival that will be held from 1 to 4 p.m. on April 2 at the Northbridge Mall. Please plan to attend and learn about the different nationalities that formed Freeborn County and those that are part of our heritage in today’s world. Watch for more details next month.
The museum will host a four-hour Refresher Defensive Driving Class from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. on April 5, 2011. The cost is $19, and you must pre-register for the class. Please call us at 373-8003 or stop by during our regular hours, Tuesday through Friday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. to register for the class. The refresher class is required every three years, after the initial eight-hour class, to continue receiving a discount on your auto insurance.
Our next quarterly newsletter will be coming out soon, if you have not paid your 2011 FCHM membership yet, you will not receive one. This is your final reminder, to avoid being dropped from our membership roster, send or drop off your membership dues this week. If you have not been a member in the past consider becoming one and help us to continue preserving the history of Freeborn County and its people! We also have gift membership certificates available. We appreciate the individuals and businesses in our community who continue to support the museum and our programs. Remember, what happens today… is history tomorrow!
Pat Mulso is the executive director of the Freeborn County Historical Museum in Albert Lea.