MARYSVILLE The Marysville Historical Society held a fundraising barbecue on their property next to Jennings Memorial Park last weekend as part of the drive to create a $2 million endowment to build and run a new museum.
The sunny Saturday drew droves of people to the societys acre on Armar Road, where the new two-story structure is planned to be built.
The society has several properties at Jennings Park, including the historic Gehl Home. The barbecue was a good chance to explain the societys mission to the town while raising money. There was a silent auction of gift baskets featuring a variety of donated presents and bluegrass band Dysfunction Junction played to listeners sitting on hay bales under the bright blue sky. Auction items quickly rose in value, as visitors returned to the bidding tables after eating their lunch.
Lots of cool stuff, said Diane Dixon, owner of 3D Automotive in Smokey Point as she browsed the tables.
Event co-chairperson and society board member Rietta Costa said the Sept. 8 event was a follow-up to the campaign kicked off in June.
The museum is planned to be a 6,300-square-foot building that will also house the Norwesco Telecom Museum, a Marysville cache of old phones and communication equipment. The society is accepting donations for the building and is selling personalized ceramic tiles to help the effort.
I think its going to be a nice piece of culture to the community, said Costa.
The museum will be a good place for newcomers to Marysville to connect with community members as well as the past, and will feature traveling exhibits, providing a great educational resource, she added.
I dont think people realize the rich history we have, Costa said.
The museum can help keep that history as Marysville grows up quickly, Costa added, referring to the huge amount of farmland that has disappeared in the 35 years shes lived in town.
Board member Lyle Schadee said he joined the society for the sake of his children, and is working on a history project with the Marysville School District. One of the things hes learned through his research is the huge importance of the religious missions that brought Western influence to the area. The society is growing and that will help bring the Marysville areas rich history to life for younger generations, Schadee said.
I think they are missing the nostalgia that goes with the society, Schadee said.
The museum will be only one of the societys projects when it is completed. Past endeavors include helping save the old water tower that now sits in Comeford Park and moving the Gehl Home from its Getchell Hill homestead to the current site next to the Rotary Ranch Petting Zoo. Those tasks and the society property were funded by selling coffee at rest areas, bake sales and rummage sales. For the capital campaign the society is stepping things up a bit and fundraising will continue until the goal is reached. Most people dont realize that the building alone wont cost $2 million, but the museum will need to have an endowment to keep it open. The facility is mostly designed and the society is about one-fourth of the way to the goal.
Were still growing, Schadee said.
The societys next event will be the Breakfast with Santa,
Dec. 1, at Cedarcrest Middle School. Details are still being worked out, according to Costa, who said to keep checking the society Web site for more details.
The society can be reached at 360-659-5808, or by email at marysvillehostoricalsociety@verizon.net, or info@marysvillehistory.org. The Web site is www.marysvillehistory.org. The capital campaign office is located at 1624 Grove Street, phone 360-659-3090.