Celebrating History and Families

It's an exciting time at the McMinn County Living Heritage Museum. The year 2007 marks the 25th Anniversary of the Museum and is the catalyst for several new and exciting changes that will take place as we celebrate our anniversary and next generation of Museum visitors.

The Living Heritage Museum is all about visitors and we’re striving to make everyone not only feel welcome once they have entered our doors, but feel able and eager to take those first few steps towards them. Museums often have the stereotype of being a highbrow place that are fine for kids to visit as long as they’re quiet and touch nothing. However, if we curtail their unfiltered attraction to history as a child, how can we demand they appreciate it as an adult?While we have always welcomed families, we are working hard at the promotion of family-friendly policies, attitudes and exhibitions with our new “Kids Initiative.” We will provide the tools parents need to help themselves and their kids interact with history with several new components sure to spark kids, and parents, interest, including a Kid’s Club, a Passport to History Program, a Junior Docent Program, a Junior Board of Directors to get ideas from kid’s themselves and a Boy/Girl Scout badge program. And that’s not all! Kids Club members will receive newsletters full of fun information and games. Every exhibit and program that is offered will include something that visitors of all ages are sure to find enjoyable and engaging.We’ll still continue with the great annual exhibits and shows that have made the Living Heritage Museum a success. The 25th Annual Quilt Show will take place May 5 – June 30, 2007 and will include several new programs to help celebrate the anniversary of the Museum and the quilt show.

So make your plans to visit the Living Heritage Museum throughout 2007. You'll never know what you'll find when you get here. And be sure to come back to our new blog, Museum Pieces, every day. Museum staff and volunteers will be contributing to the website on a daily basis so you can keep current with what's new at the Museum.

• Diane Hutsell, Executive Director