(But you didn’t) Back in the spring of 2020, we were dealing with the immediate impacts of the pandemic, trying to figure out how to open the museum safely, how to connect with audiences we couldn’t connect with in person, …
9. Illustrating a Story of (Inter)National Significance
Back in about 2010, we were doing a lot of research for an exhibit on Creston’s military history (more on that later). In the process, we learned about Jack Hall, a veteran of the Canadian Army in World War II …
8. Having a One-of-a-Kind Object
The logging arch is definitely a one-of-a-kind object, and that’s partly why it got so much attention going through the parade last year. But for the most part, a lot of what comes into small community museums is pretty standard: …
7. Stealing the Show in the Parade
In twenty-five years of working at the Creston Museum, it’s really only happened once (well, maybe twice, if you count the time Derry our Model T quit part way through and we had to push him…but that was really just …
6. Winning Google
Okay, so yesterday I told you about how a little article on Creston’s wacky time zone gets my phone ringing every time someone, anywhere, does something with their own time zone. That’s fun. But the real highlight of the job …
5. Being the Local Expert on the Time Zone
Speaking of crazy stories, the one that crops up most often is the local time zone. Back in about 2009, a newly elected Town Councilor announced that she was going to ”fix” Creston’s time zone. Within what felt like about …
4. …and Occasionally Making Them Up
I talked yesterday about some of the crazy stories in local history, and how telling them is always a highlight of the job. With such material to work with, why would I ever feel I need to make something up? …
3. …Telling the Crazy Stories…
Yesterday, I mentioned that confirming the crazy stories that abound in local history has been one of the highlights of my work here. Well, telling the crazy stories is also pretty high on the list. There are so many to …
2. Confirming the Crazy Stories…
Local history is full of crazy stories (more on those tomorrow). Inevitably, when I hear one, I try to confirm it. That’s not always easy to do, and most often we need to be satisfied with either a little hint …
1. Driving the Old Stuff
Top of the list of highlights from twenty-five years in a community museum has got to be driving the old stuff! I’ve driven both Gibson (a 1947-ish Gibson tractor) and Critter (our 1954 Massey-Harris Pacer) in the Blossom Festival parade, …