It's been nearly three months since the Becker County Historical Society Museum came under new leadership, and since that time, executive director Amy Degerstrom has been busily planning with BCHS board members and staff for a full 2011 calendar.
"We have a theme for every quarter at the museum this year," she said. "Every fourth month we'll have a new exhibit based on that theme.
"We have lots of wonderful things in storage here -- this is a way to let people see more of the collection."
Though the museum will still have many of its "built in" exhibits, such as the log cabin and logging displays, and the Native American history section, there will also be certain exhibit areas that will change to reflect each new theme.
"The hope is that people can come in and see something new with every visit," Degerstrom added.
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The theme for the first quarter, January through March, is "Early Occupations," and includes exhibits on pioneer medicine, firefighting, fur trading, logging, railroads and ice harvesting.
Area resident Paul Rousu will be bringing his collection of early fur trading artifacts for a special display running Feb. 17-March 10. Rousu's exhibit will be the focus of the museum's Polar Fest open house, which is set for Sunday, Feb. 20 from 1 to 3 p.m.
In April, new exhibits on "Your Museum's History" will be featured, including exhibits from the Otto Zeck family, the Pioneer Settler's Union, and a special "Courthouse" exhibit in the parlor area.
The museum will also be reviving a tradition from years past -- participation in International Museum Day on Sunday, May 15.
"We're looking for people to demonstrate historic crafts or skills," Degerstrom said -- such as those who regularly participate in black powder rendezvous activities or similar historic reenactments.
"Anyone interested in participating can call or e-mail us," she added.
The theme for the third quarter, July through September, is "The Future of History: Children in Becker County," and will include toy displays, historic children's stories, a new "kids' corner" area, and of course, the return of the popular "Kids' Day" events in August.
One other "push" by organizers this year, Degerstrom said, is to find one Becker County family to be featured in a special easel display at the front of the museum for each month of the year.
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"If you would like to have your family featured, please call us, or stop in at the museum," Degerstrom said. "We would love to make as many people a part of this as possible."
Those monthly family exhibits will also be part of the final quarter's theme, "Home is Where the Heart Is," she noted.
The easel displays will be incorporated into the theme, which will also feature weekly oral history programs, every Wednesday from 1 to 3 p.m.
The featured exhibit will be from the Long family, including paintings, love letters and journals.
The museum will also have its annual holiday open house in December as well, Degerstrom noted.
"My hope is that we can get people to stop in and tell us their stories, have a cup of coffee and look at this museum as a place where they belong and are welcome," she said. "The history of this county is the history of the people that built it -- the things they used, the stories they had to tell.
"These are all the things that make history interesting to me," she added. "It's easy for (historians) to get lost in objects, and forget that those objects don't have much of a story if you don't have the stories of the people that go with them."
The Becker County Historical Society Museum is located at 714 Summit Ave. in Detroit Lakes. For more information, or to be a part of one of these upcoming activities, call 218-847-2938 or send e-mail to mail@beckercountyhistory.org .
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The museum is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. every day, Tuesday through Saturday (except holidays), and also has a website located at www.beckercountyhistory.org , which includes an online store.
