It isn’t only the weather that is hot, hot, hot, in Florence, so is The Florence Pioneer Museum and Research Center at 100 E. Front St. FPM has some interesting happenings a-goin’ on! First: “A Night at the Museum” ( Yes, we “borrowed” the title from the movie!) will be presented on Saturday, July 27th from 5:30-8:00 pm. Proceeds from this fundraiser will be going towards our winter energy expenses which is now a major part of the budget as we were open during the winter months for the second straight year! Last year’s expenses were close to $2,000.00. The cost of admission to “A Night at the Museum” will be $10.00 a person. Local “expert spirits” will meet and greet you and talk about their times in the different interests of the area: coal mining, railroads, cement, schools, auto dealers, libraries, post office, rocks and fossil, the Florence fire department, farming and ranching. Sweet and savory goodies will be served along with a glass of wine, lemonade or water for the $10.00 admission. Tickets may be bought at the FPM during business hours, on-line at our website: www.florencepioneermuseum.org or at the door on the night of the event.
Also new at the FPM is our mural on the west side of the museum. Local artist, Sandy Dale, has given her time and talent to spiff up the old blue garage door into a wonderful rendering of a double hinged door of the original building that was there in 1904: The Brown and Son Transfer Station. Sandy was born as a fifth generation artist and grew up with art as a lifestyle. Sandy is the creator of the “Gnarlies”–funny little gnome-like characters you see around town and at her studio. Sandy has left her mark around Florence in many places: a 1938 farm scene in a restaurant, five rooms in a lovely private home, a mural depicting the history of Florence for a bank, a mural with Ed Penner in the Pour House Coffee Shop, a mosaic mural with Peg Piltingsrud at the Bell Tower and now at the Florence Pioneer Museum. Stop by the museum to see Sandy’s work of art and try to find our new “peeps” in the mural. A big THANK YOU to Sandy, from the museum, for her work.
Watch for other FPM sponsored events in the future: “Tour de Coal Towns” bike ride/fun/run September 14th and our model train exhibit in December and of course, our Chili Bowl event in January of 2020.
