Heritage Museum opens for the season May 18
May 10, 2024
Opening Day at The Heritage Museum is always an eagerly anticipated event. This year, the Museum will host the celebration on Saturday, May 18, from 10:00-5:00. As always, the entire family will find something of interest in presentations and demonstrations.
We are pleased to present for your enjoyment two speakers and one performance this year in the Beebe Room.
10:15 Dr. M. Lynn Barnes, our historic dress and textile expert will present her latest research project: Bridal Belle of Libby? How the Erhard Family Brought French Fashions to Libby, Montana.
Fashion has always been a statement of social status coupled with individuality and special events. In the historic dress collection housed at The Heritage Museum, there are multiple "statements" of fashion. One of the treasures is a gown from the Erhard family collection that exemplifies French fashion silhouette at the turn-of-the-last-century. This gown, a gift of Nancy Erhard, is the subject of Dr. M. Lynn Barnes’s presentation on Opening Day. Come see and learn how French fashion is expressed with laces, silhouette and fabric, and how those fashions traveled to Libby, Montana.
11:15 Jeff Gruber will present a preview of his upcoming book, Our Hometown, Volume II.
The second edition of Our Hometown will focus on places and events outside of Libby, but in Lincoln County. Topics and themes that will be included are exploration, fur trapping and settlement of northwest Montana, mining – including the development of the local vermiculite industry; hunting, and fishing, homesteading, early transportation methods in the area including rail, steamboats on the Kootenai River, and early roads and highways. A large segment will chronicle the Libby Dam project.
"My goal in writing Volume II is to capture and portray to readers the unique and steadfast character of those who first settled in the Libby area," said Gruber.
His presentation at the museum will include photos and historical accounts that are included in the book. The expected release of Volume II is in late spring 2025.
12:15 The afternoon will kick off with a rousing skit performed by the Old Time Opera House Theater.
Don’t miss these goings-on outside the museum walls:
1:15 Enjoy the sounds of the Big Sky Bows & Blowhards Band which will perform in the outdoor Pavilion.
Check out the many products for sale by vendors amongst the trees.
Lunch in the historic Sylvanite Cookhouse featuring our delicious hamburgers, home baked pies and cold drinks
The Lincoln County Amateur Radio Group will be set up in the yard, ready to answer questions, explain their equipment or demonstrate the sending of messages.
Tour the Museum grounds in a Model-T Ford or antique fire engine with a trained chauffeur at the wheel.
View a Cross Cut Saw demonstration
Crush rocks in the antique rock crusher. It is more fun than it sounds.
Be sure to take the kids to see how lawns were mowed back in the day with rotary push mowers.
Smokey Bear will be on the grounds from 10 to 12:00 followed by Sparky the Fire Engine Dog from 12 to 2:00
A Silent Auction will be held in the Swamp Creek Community Hall from 10 to 4 to benefit the Shay Locomotive Restoration. Don’t miss out on this opportunity to take home something unexpected. Up for auction will be log furniture, a full body cougar mount, a large Turkish-style rug, Gift Certificates for Quinn’s Hot Springs lodging, Big Sky Water Park, Twin Lakes Village Golf, Fairmont golf pass, and gift baskets.
Between 10:00 and 4:00, stop by the Shay shed to visit with our locomotive mechanics. They’ll bring you up to date on the progress of the Shay restoration and share plans for the future.
Beginning opening day and continuing through the month of June, the Kootenai Valley Quilt Guild will display their beautiful quilts in the Tower Gallery. The gallery will house a changing exhibit throughout the summer with artwork by local artists during July and finish off the season with photographs in August through the season’s end.
The Museum will be open for the season through September 30th, Monday-Saturday, 10:00-5:00 and Sunday, 1:00-5:00. A donation for your admission is always appreciated. The Heritage Museum is a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation and relies on donations to continue its mission to collect, preserve, protect and interpret the history of Lincoln County for education, research, cultural enrichment and recreation for local residents and visitors of all ages.
The Heritage Museum is run entirely by volunteers. If you are interested in volunteering, opportunities abound; call the Museum at 406-293-7521. www.libbyheritagemuseum.com
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