HISTORIC EVENT PLANNING COMMITTEE MEETING…EXCITEMENT ABOUNDS
October 22, 2019
The first meeting of the Historic Event Planning Committee was held on Tuesday, October 15 at the Cedar Key Historical Society. Anna Hodges, Executive Director of the Cedar Key Historical Museum, chaired the meeting. Those in attendance were Sarah Buckley, Linda Seyfert, Nancy Sera, Jane Veltkamp, Joan Selby, Carol McQueen, Katy Gerritt, Rebecca Gallagher, and Gabriel Lauer and Evan.
BOAT BUILDERS TO EXHIBIT GUNBOAT REPLICA
Hodges began the meeting by covering upcoming events at the Historical Museum. The first event will be the opening of a new exhibit, “The USS Fort Henry.” The Crystal River Boat Builders are donating a replica of the gunboat that was part of the Union Blockade Squadron that patrolled off Cedar Key during the Civil War. This will be the first evening event at the museum and is restricted to members only. Hodges said, “If you have a long black dress, this would be the time to wear it.” So, why not stop at the Historical Museum where someone can help you join?
UPCOMING EVENTS
Other upcoming events are:
- The Christmas Party on December 19
- Island Morning Coffee with Catharine Hobday on January 23, 2020
- Another new exhibit opening on February 7, 2020. Bernadette Christian donated a collection that features “The New York Eagle Pencil Factory Collection.” Period music will be played.
- Membership Dinner on March 20, 2020
- Tour of Historic Homes and Businesses on April 19, 2020
NEW TREASURES AT THE MUSEUM
Hodges was extremely excited about not only the new historical collections that have been donated, but also about the new discoveries being found in the archive room. One collection found was the Seafood Festival Programs from the very first seafood festival.
JUNIOR VOLUNTEERS PROMOTE CKHS
Hodges plans for the museum to be open more into the community. To help with that, two Junior Volunteers are putting the museum on Facebook, Instagram, and building U-tube videos. Hodges will be going forward bringing out history with events in a way that will generate people’s interest. Hodges exclaimed, “We could become a center of culture in Cedar Key, if not Levy County”
BRAINSTORMING EXPLODES
A “brainstorming” session exploded. A few of the ides discussed were having a historic photo session, a fashion show in period clothing, and an outside showing of a movie, possibly Christmas.
Hodges stated that after the museum gets a grant and the archives are in order, she would like to have a “movie night at the museum.” Hodges explained that Dr. Ken Sassaman and Ginger Mayer are scanning documents once a month.
Hodges said, “At the museum, we have people in their 80’s and people in their 50’s, but we skipped a generation. However, by continuing to encourage community involvement and interest, as shown by the Junior Volunteers, the Historical Museum won’t skip another one.”
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