Column: Preserving the Past, by Pat Mulso

The museum would like to say a very special thank you to all the members of the Low Bucks Car Club for all their hard work and dedication through the years for the Eddie Cochran Weekend and the support they gave to the museum for our part in the weekend. We, FCHM, plan to continue to observe Eddie Cochran Weekend and will work with others to continue to celebrate the life of our hometown hero, Eddie Cochran. The weekend may not have the same events or format as the past, but we will continue to celebrate the memory of Eddie on the second weekend in June 2012, watch for details next spring.

We hope you enjoyed the opportunity to visit the 22nd National Red Power Round Up show held at the Freeborn County Fairgrounds. Have you ever seen so many tractors in one place? What a great experience for all ages. Thank you to Bruce Jensen and Minnesota International Harvester Chapter 15 for their hard work and help in bringing the show here to Albert Lea.

This summer is going so fast, with these two big events already over, along with a wedding in our Village church, the Night at the Museum event, a private birthday party, farmers market and other everyday occurrences it seems the summer will be gone before we know it. We have had visitors from all over the United States coming to our library to do research and to stroll through our museum and village.

Our next four-hour refresher defensive driving class will be held from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. July 12. The cost is $19, and you must pre-register for the class. The four-hour class is required every three years after you take the initial eight-hour class. You may register at the museum during our regular business hours, which are from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Friday.

The Freeborn County Historical Museum is having a Swiss Steak Fundraiser on July 15 at the American Legion Post 56 in Albert Lea. We will be serving from 4:30 to 7 p.m. Tickets are $8 each. The funds will be used to purchase new computer hard drives for the museum library computers. Supplemental funding is by Thrivent Financial for Lutherans Albert Lea Chapter No. 31179. Please join us for good food, fellowship and the opportunity to support our project.

The Freeborn County Historical Museum, Library and Village will be open from 1 to 4 p.m. July 16 and Aug. 20 for your convenience. This is a great opportunity to bring the children and Grandpa and Grandma too to check out what’s new at the museum.

Our next Library Lock-in is scheduled for 5:30 to 11 p.m. on July 29. The cost is $25 for members and $30 for non members. If you are putting off working on your family history because you just don’t know where to start, this class is for you. Let one of our experienced volunteers help you one-on-one with your research. Don’t put off recording your history, as we never know what tomorrow will bring and what happens today is history tomorrow!

The Freeborn County Historical Museum, Library & Village is a Blue Star Museum and we offer free admission for all active duty military personnel and their families from Memorial Day to Labor Day 2011. To find other museums that are participating in this program visit: www.arts.gov/bluestarmueums.

We wish everyone a safe and happy 4th of July. Remember to be thankful for all your freedoms. We will look forward to seeing everyone at the 3rd of July parade!

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