SCOTT COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY
August 2016 Newsletter
By the time this is sent out, it may no longer be August! This month has just evaporated, along with all that lovely moisture we enjoyed earlier this summer. Once again, we survived the Dog Days of Summer. Did you know that is an actual time period from July 3rd to August 11th? Check that out on Google for more interesting data! Light showers this morning and pleasantly cool, but we need a good soaking rain, don’t we? Seems I always start the newsletter with the weather . . .
But there are other things to write about – for instance, our very interesting June Jaunt event. Around 60 guests enjoyed Deb Lawrence’s program on early Scott City hotels and boarding houses, complete with wonderful vintage photographs and priceless nuggets of information. As always, homemade cookies and punch helped make the day even more enjoyable.
The current temporary gallery exhibit has been well-received. Even our many visitors from other towns and countries have enjoyed “Main Street Scott City – The First 100 Years,” and the Dirty Thirties exhibit in the foyer. It’s always fun when we can put together an exhibit from our own amazing collection of photos and artifacts, but it’s also a challenge to come up with a new display every few months. If you have a collection you’d like to loan for a few weeks, please let us know.
We are continuing the “My Story” project; recording live DVD interviews with anyone who would take advantage of this unique opportunity to share a lifetime of memories with family and friends. We started this project several years ago with our own digital DVD camera, which did a pretty good job, but now, Scott Holt has volunteered his time, expertise and excellent video equipment to make top-quality DVD recordings. He furnishes the lights and camera – we furnish the interviewer – you furnish the action! You may not think you have much to talk about, but that’s just not true. Everyone has a story to tell, and only you can tell yours. Recent interviews have been done with Howard and Dorothy King, Jerry and Joyce Wiechman, and Joe McGonagle. Please call the museum for more information (620) 872-5912.
It’s nearly time to ‘walk with the spirits’ again. Late afternoon on Tuesday, September 27th, local historians will once again gather at Battle Canyon to retrace the Battle of Punished Woman Fork. Those who walk the battlefield each year are always moved by this experience, and you are welcome to be a part of it. For more information call the museum, or be at the site around 4:00 p.m. on that date.
Our next special meeting will be the annual Member Appreciation Day, which will be held this year on Sunday, October 16th, at 2:00 p.m. at El Quartelejo Museum/Jerry Thomas Gallery & Collection. Guest speaker will be Jim Hoy, who entertained us so well recently with his program, “Singing the Cattle North.” His topic this year will be “Kansas Legends and Folklore.” Put this on your calendar NOW. We schedule this event each year just to say thanks to YOU, for the many ways you support your Scott County Historical Society.
Are you a woodcrafter? We need a volunteer to make replacement floor glides for the meeting room chairs. Those small glides are easily lost when chairs are stacked, leaving exposed metal edges which catch on the carpet. To avoid this damage, we remove the caps from the tops of the chairs to use as floor glides (Are you still with me?) So what we actually need are caps for the tops of the chairs. Anyone interested? Come by and take a look.
We also need a volunteer to clip obituaries from the SC Record for us. We keep an obituary file, which is helpful for genealogical research. Treva McCandless has been doing this, but as she has moved to Colorado, we need a new ‘clipper.’
You might be interested to know that this summer we’ve had visitors from 24 states and five foreign countries; Iowa, Oklahoma, Missouri, California, Tennessee, Colorado, Arizona, New York, Nebraska, Texas, Wisconsin, Alaska, Washington, North Dakota, Utah, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Maryland, Michigan, Oregon, Indiana, North Carolina, Kentucky, and all corners of Kansas; Mexico, India, Canada, Ukraine, and the Netherlands. We love having visitors from other places, but we really appreciate the homefolks coming by and bringing their families and visitors. Even those who come in often, tell us that they always see something they hadn’t noticed before. How long has it been since YOU have come in? We are open 1-5, Tuesday-Saturday, and there is no admission charge. Come out soon and spend some time with us!
IMPORTANT UPCOMING EVENTS:
Walk With the Spirits – Tuesday, September 27th – 4:00 p.m. at Battle Canyon
Annual Member Appreciation Day – Sunday, October 16th – 2:00 p.m. at museum