Column: Pat Mulso, Preserving the Past

June has just flown by at the Freeborn County Historical Museum, Library and Village with Eddie Cochran Weekend, two defensive driving classes, Night at the Museum for a private party, several group tours, out of town researchers, Kiwanis meetings, and construction underway on our building addition, just to name a few things that have happened already this month.

This afternoon at 2 p.m. please join us in the lower level of the museum for a sampling of the photos that are being scanned in phase two of our “Preserving Freeborn County Photos” project. The door will open at 1:45 p.m., and the program is free to the public. This project is funded in part or in whole with money from Minnesota’s Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund. Please join us for a peek into the past of Freeborn County, through a sampling of our photo collection.

A special thank you is needed for the Freeborn County Historical Museum Program Committee for all their hard work to plan the “Fashion Through the Years Style Show Brunch” that took place Saturday. It was a huge success! This was a fundraiser for the museum building expansion project. Mary Packer Umstead, the owner of the Mary-Go-Round Shoppe, was the coordinator of the style show. She shared her personal collection of vintage clothing and accessories for this event. Thank yous are also deserved for our models and narrator Kelly Schultz. Also thanks to Addie’s Floral, the Albert Lea Convention and Visitors Bureau, the Albert Lea-Freeborn County Chamber of Commerce, and the Mary-Go-Round for selling tickets for the style show and to Tami Staker, owner of Celebration’s, for donating the place mats and napkins for this event.

The Freeborn County Historical Society Swiss Steak Fundraiser is scheduled from 5 to 7 p.m. July 12 at the American Legion, Post 56, 142 N. Broadway Ave., Albert Lea. Supplemental funding by Thrivent Financial for Lutherans, Albert Lea Chapter 31179. Tickets are $8. This is a fundraiser to replace the air conditioner for our archive area. Tickets are available at the museum or from any board member.

We again this year are proud to be part of Blue Star Museums, which gives us a chance to thank our military families for their service and share with them America’s cultural treasures. Blue Star Museums is a partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts, Blue Star Families and more than 1,300 museums across America to offer free admission to all active military personnel and their families from Memorial Day through Labor Day 2012.

We have scheduled our next Library Lock-In for July 13. The cost is $25 for members and $30 for non-members. The time is 5:30 to 11 p.m. This is an opportunity for you to research your family history with the one-on-one help from one of our experienced volunteer helpers. Pre-registration is required, call Linda or Pat by July 6.

The museum will host a four-hour defensive driving refresher class from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. July 17. The cost is $19. You must pre-register for the class. You will need your driver’s license when you register. We will also offer another class on Aug. 9.

The museum will be closed on July 3 and July 4. We will be open our regular hours on July 5 and July 6. We hope you have a safe and happy 4th of July!

If you have been thinking about joining us on the research trip to Salt Lake City, this is the last week to reserve your spot. Please call or stop by the museum for details. The date for the trip is Oct. 7-13.

 

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