Column: Preserving the Past, by Pat Mulso

Where has the summer gone? Here it is fair time already! At 1 p.m. today is the last performance of “The Visit” by Friedrich Durrenmatt, being presented in our historical village. This activity was made possible in part by a grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board, through an appropriation by the Minnesota State Legislature and a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts.

The museum and village will be open extended hours during the fair again this year. Please stop over to see us and view items now on display that were saved from the old Albert Lea High School, as well as other new items making their way to the exhibit halls. The gate by our church in the village will open at noon on Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday and close at 8 p.m. each of those days. The gate will open at 10 a.m. Wednesday for Senior Citizens day and close at 8 p.m. Sunday our hours are noon to 6 p.m. Please join us for a walk into the past as you visit each of our buildings in the village. The museum will also be open so you can check out our new and old exhibits and the new building addition. We haven’t completed the entire transition to the new addition, but we are getting close. The museum library will be closed during fair week. Admission to the museum is free with your fair admission.

We want to thank everyone who attended our ribbon cutting ceremony for the new Marion Ross Exhibit on July 14. We had around 250 people present as Marion cut the ribbon on her new museum exhibit. Thank you for helping us honor our hometown star!

The museum will host a four-hour defensive driving class from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. on Aug. 13. The cost is $19, and you must register. This class is required every three years after the initial eight-hour course to continue receiving a discount on your auto insurance.

We are having a Mystery Bus tour on Aug. 15. We will plan to leave the museum at approximately 8:30 a.m. and return between 4:30 and 5 p.m. The cost is $55 for members and $60 for non-members. Please register and pay by Aug. 6 to reserve your spot. This amount covers the bus, admissions and your lunch. Join us for a day of surprises and leave the driving to someone else. We will be traveling in an air conditioned bus with a restroom. Call or stop by the museum to register.

Our 13th annual Echoes from the Past, A Journey into History will take place on Aug. 21 at Graceland Cemetery. This event takes place at 6:30 p.m. and brings the lives of four of our residents from the past to life as their stories are told. The cost is $5. Join us for an enjoyable evening.

The Freeborn County Historical Museum, Library & Village is proud to be part of the 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, the Department of Defense and more than 2,000 museums across America to offer free admission to all active duty military personnel and their families from Memorial Day through Labor Day 2013. To find out which other museums are participating, visit www.arts.gov/bluestarmuseums.

Save the date, Sept. 15 will be our annual Autumn in the Village event. This is a day you won’t want to miss as we showcase our new facility and have new exhibitors and participants joining us as well as those that have shared their demonstrations and exhibits in the past. This is a great family outing for all generations.

Remember, what happens today is history tomorrow!

 

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