The Aurora
Colony Museum will celebrate its grand re-opening, unveiling a fresh,
new look with a 2 p.m. Saturday ribbon-cutting ceremony.
The $25,000 remodeling was approved by the
museum’s board of directors, marking the first changes to the museum’s
layout in 40 years.
The museum facelift has been in the
works since June, when staff began emptying the museum.
“You won’t recognize it,” director Alan
Guggenheim said.
About 25 volunteers and several
professionals have worked on the project. While some tasks, such as
the lighting and the floor refinishing, were done by paid
professionals, the majority of the work has been done by unpaid
volunteers.
All of the exhibits have been
consolidated to the downstairs portion of the museum, with the
upstairs becoming offices and storage areas.
The floors have been refinished, the
interior has been painted, new lighting installed and a new sidewalk
poured.
The maple flooring has been brought back
to life again, Guggenheim said. About 100 years old, the floor boards
came from an Aurora elementary school, and were placed in the museum
about 40 years ago. Now, after three-days of sanding and restoration,
the boards gleam like jewels.
“It’s beautiful,” Guggenheim said.
The new textile room is in what was
known as the society room. It will be home to permanent exhibits
featuring quilting, spinning, fabrics and clothing of the Aurora
Colony era, 1856 to 1883.
New office equipment was also purchased.
The board of directors made another
significant change, Guggenheim said.
During a retreat at Stauffer-Will Farm,
the board wrote a new mission statement: “The Society promotes
interactive lifelong learning by inspiring curiosity about the
heritage of the Aurora Colony.”
During the Saturday retreat, the board
discussed a five-year plan for the museum, and rededicated itself to
preservation, he said.
Plans include the development of
educational programs, hands-on workshops, events and activities for
all ages. The focus will be on original music, textiles and fiber
arts, architecture, and village arts and crafts using the Aurora
Colony as an inspiration, Guggenheim said.
Children visiting Stauffer-Will Farm can
use a froe to split a cedar shake in an 1869 barn, he said, and
educational programs for children, adults and senior citizens can
provide that same hands-on experience in an actual historic setting at
the Aurora Colony Museum.
More educational programs are planned
for the Tie Shed behind the museum, which Guggenheim said is the 19th
century version of a parking structure. Activities would include arts
and crafts and special study groups.
Past and present come together to
re-open the museum.
Wayne Yoder, the first president of the
Aurora Colony Historical Society, and current president Brian Asher
will preside over the ceremony, with Yoder cutting the ribbon.
Refreshments will be served afterwards at the museum.
Several activities follow during Aurora
Colony Days this weekend.
Museum admission is free, with tours
offered at 11 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. Aug. 13, and at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m.
Aug. 14. From 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Aug. 13, there will be a rummage sale
on the museum courtyard, and in the new textile room, there will be
spinning and quilting demonstrations. On Sunday there will be an
appraisal fair from noon to 3 p.m. in the museum courtyard with four
local appraisers. Items are limited to four per person at a cost of $5
per piece.
Exhibits are currently being reinstalled
in preparation of the Saturday re-opening ceremony. For more
information, call the museum at 503-678-5754.