|
 From the
first peoples who lived in the county to today’s first graders, we
have told the stories of Champaign County through exhibits,
collections, school field trips, public programs and events,
publications and social media since 1968! Begun as the Early
American Museum as a facility of the Champaign County Forest
Preserve District with donations by William Redhed, we’ve grown into
a highly-respected community resource that serves over 20,000 people
every year.
To celebrate we’re getting the party started on May 6, 2018, by
opening our exhibit about our founding year, “1968: A Time for Every
Purpose.” We’ll explore the tumultuous events, enjoy a trip down
memory lane into the pop culture and seek to understand the need to
preserve our history in that critical year. The exhibit opening - a
free extravaganza, 1:00-5:00 p.m. will feature tours of the new
exhibit, snacks from 1968, live music with the Live Juxebox Show
with David Howie and a mini car show in the museum parking lot, and
other activities for all ages!
That’s
just the beginning! We’ve got 1968-themed programs all year long!
Keep your eyes open as there will be programs on the movies, modern
architecture, the Vietnam War, and Civil Rights throughout the 2018
year.
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After the opening, the next 1968-themed program is a joint
venture with the Rantoul Historical Society called “Fighting with No Front
Lines.” It will be an engaging roundtable discussion with local Vietnam veterans
Stephen Douglas and Jim Cheek and is to be held at the Rantoul Public Library on
May 20th from 2 to 4 pm.
And that’s not all, we’re looking forward 50 years too! The museum needs to
replace our aging collections care area for large artifacts. Over the course of
this year, we’ll unveil plans to renovate that space so that generations to come
can continue to learn not only about preservation and collections care, but also
the history of Champaign County and East Central Illinois.
[LISA SPRINKLE
Marketing Coordinator
Champaign County Forest Preserve District] |
