Summer 2010 Newsletter

All good things must come to an end. Unfortunately for the museum that includes service on the Board of Directors. In August two of our dedicated members will step down: Marilyn Abariotes and Dawn Nielsen will each have completed six years of service. Both are officers of the Board and both will be missed.

Dawn Nielsen is currently vice-chair of the WCHA Board. She is on the board of the Blair Historic Preservation Alliance as well and this serves as a common thread to make both organizations stronger in voicing concerns for the history of Washington County.

An English teacher at Blair High, she believes that we need board members from around the county to advocate for their “corner of the county” and to form a unified body for the entire county. Dawn also is involved in presentations with her husband of history readings of Danish settlers. When you see her walking around Blair, wave and say hello.

Marilyn Abariotes is our current Secretary and has been a volunteer for a number of events as well. She is an Iowegian who graduated from Dana and stayed to become teacher and librarian for the Blair Schools. She and her husband raised their family here.

Upon retirement in 2003, she was encouraged to join the WCHA where her interest in history, old homes and antiques made a good fit. She is also involved in the Friends of the Blair Public Library, AAUW and several other organizations. She plans to stay involved in the Museum and encourages everyone to be willing to serve if asked. It will help you awaken a passion for history of the county.

Dawn and Marilyn will be honored at a reception following the Annual Meeting of WCHA on August 9th. Stop by and thank them for all they have done for WCHA and the Washington County community.

THANK YOU!!

Needs of the Museum

I know it seems like we are always looking for something. Well some immediate needs are: People to help keep our flower beds in order this summer at the museum.

People to help supervise our summer events. We are always looking for volunteers to help with school visits and to do demonstrations

People to help with cataloguing our collection.

Donations of items from the unincorporated communities of the county. This is our next exhibit and we would like it to be a big one.

Scanners, painters, organizers and helpers.

New members of the Guild

After a number of years of service, Wanda Miller has indicated she would love to train someone to take over the care of the genealogy records, funeral notices, etc. This is something that involves working several hours a couple times a month to file the records.

Give us a call or email us and make our day.

See You At The Museum!!

From the Director

As summer approaches, so does the increase in attendance. We hope that this year we will reach new heights.

We wish to thank Martin Marietta for helping us with our summer classes. We will also be holding W-CHATs, activities at Fontanelle and of course our big event: Tractors Tall and Small.

As is the job of the Director, I not only have to look at this summer, but I must also think ahead to fall and winter and even make some plans for next summer. Please visit us often at our web site to see what is going to happen.

One of my major goals has been to make this museum children friendly, but also offer programs for adults. This is also true of our sales area. We have a number of new items so come and check out the dinos and pioneers..

Stop by to see us at the Washington County Fair and at Gateway to the West. We hope to do some different things at each event.

We are always looking for volunteers to help us with a number of projects. Help of all ages is wanted and appreciated

The Tool group from Omaha is currently looking over our collection and promised to help us create an exhibit in the future. If you have an organization that can lend your expertise to such an endeavor, please contact us. We still have several thousand items to catalog in our computer.

See You This Summer!!

From the Curator

The new exhibit at the Frahm House is on the clothing fashions of the Edwardian Era, which spanned 1900-1910. The clothing being displayed will show a shift from the dark, heavy fabrics of the Victorian Era to a more comfortable, lighter fabric for men, women and children. Many pieces are from Fred and Sarah , who wed in 1905. In1906 daughter, Catharine was born. Come see the variety of lawn dresses, children's and men's clothing.

Faith

See You At the Frahm House.

Summer At The Museum: A Frontier Fair

Enclosed with this newsletter is the trifold that was handed out to students at all the elementary schools in the county. Please look at the list of events and consider attending one or more. Some activities are limited in attendance, so make sure there is space still available before you come.

We are excited to offer these classes and hope you are as well. It is part of the effort to make the museum accessible for all ages and interests. Please note there are some classes for adults.

We are grateful to those that have offered to help with the teaching of these classes. Since we are adding more staff as I write, I will thank all of them in the next newsletter.

Don’t forget we are open Wednesday through Friday and on Sunday at the museum and Saturday at the Frahm House. Check the website for our hours. Plan a day in Fort Calhoun.

History Day A Success

March 6, 2010, found 101 students, 10 teachers, 30 judges and assorted other volunteers and parents assembling at Dana College for the first NorthEast Nebraska History Day. While the day has been held before at another site, this was the first time it was held at this location with this configuration of counties involved.

Two of the new schools involved were Arlington Middle and Blair Senior High. The Blair delegation walked off with two medals.

Competition was held in five areas, all with the general theme of Innovation in History. Students could enter as a group or individual for an exhibit, a documentary, a website, or dramatic presentation. Research papers by individuals were also permitted.

Top three place winners were advanced to the state competition held in April. Apparently the judges did a good job of selecting the winners. One fourth of the contestants advancing to the national competition came from the NorthEast District. There are six districts in Nebraska.

Next year we hope even more schools and students participate. The general topic deals with treaties and will be officially released in August. Check our website then for additional information. This is truly a way to Awaken a Passion for our History. Some of the presentations will be on exhibit at the county fair in August.

SEE YOU NEXT YEAR!.

W-CHATs Continue

MarchOur monthly lecture presentation will continue through the summer.

May 27th at 7 PM will be a presentation on life as a soldier during a time of war. Those presenters at this time are S. J. Wachter, Pat Hunsche, Wayne Winslow, Carl Lorenzen and John T. Beck. This will be at the Blair Hospital meeting room on the lower level. This is an opportunity to remember what Memorial Day is all about.

June 24th at 7:00 PM will be at Too Far North and will be a presentation by the only Sate Senator ever elected from Herman, Senator Frank Korshoj. Come early and check out the exhibit on Herman at the Museum.

July and August are still in the planning stages, but promise to be interesting. Please check on the Web Site for what is happening on the 4th Thursday of the month. As always, refreshments will be served and a good time is had by all.

Check out W-CHAT!

Tractors Tall and Small II

After a great success last year and a little arm twisting this year, the Tractors Tall and Small will be back on August 14, 2010 at the museum. Judy and Marv Rohwer will once again chair the event. Some of the best of last year will be repeated and new events and displays will be added this year to make it even bigger and better.

Thanks to a generous donation by Abe’s Trash, we are well on our way to making this a major success. We will once again have big tractors outside and small tractors inside. We will also have the youth art competition and vendors to sell farm related products as well as food vendors available with your favorite items again this year. We will also be raffling off several items, including another pedal tractor.

New for the event will be a miniature display of farm related scenes provided by the Omaha Area Miniature Association, a pedal tractor pull for youth and one for adults, and as a special treat Der Kuntry Pedlur will also put in an appearance.

With good weather we are promised to have even more tractors put in an appearance up and down the street. Prizes will be awarded for best tractor and display. Of course you are also welcome to see what we have on display at the museum and at the Frahm House. So mark your calendars now and plan to attend Tractors Tall and Small II.
See You At The Show!!

Contact us at WCHA 402-468-5740 or at curator@newashcohist.org  or
info@newashcohist.org  or come to the museum: 102 N 14th in Fort Calhoun.
Join Us!