In a cozy log cabin in Coloma, MI, I am greeted by an intelligent, chipper young woman, Tracy Gierada. I've just walked through the cabin doors of the North Berrien Historical Museum where Tracy is the Director of Education. I am there for a brief tour but I walk away with eager plans to bring my kids to visit.
Tracy and the North Berrien Historical Museum will be hosting a FREE children's program at 1:00 p.m. this Wednesday, December 29, 2010, called Winter Break Time Travelers. The program is designed to take children ages 6-12 through history to discover where the New Year's traditions of today have evolved from. RSVPs encouraged. The afternoon's activities include games, crafts, music and lessons about the New Year. Did you know that the song "Auld Lang Syne" means "times gone by"?
As she continues to tour me around the building, pouring out a wealth of exhibit information, she impresses me with her knowledge. The Museum's mission is to preserve and distribute information regarding the history of the North Berrien region - encompassing Hagar, Coloma, Watervliet, and Bainbridge Townships as well as the Cities of Coloma and Watervliet, and the Paw Paw Lake region. And for this local girl, learning about my area's history is very cool.
The display cases I see in the one-room showroom house photos, artifacts and oodles of information about our area's people, industries, accomplishments and more. This could be your great grandparents, grandparents and even your parents stories in these cases. The Museum takes donations so if you have materials and a story to share you are encouraged to contact them. The North Berrien Historical Society, which operates the Museum also runs The Carter House, just down the street. The Carter house is one of the oldest homes in the Coloma area and was donated to the NBH Society by Mrs. Carter in honor of her husband Roger Carter, former NBH Society president.
Parents, Teachers and Homeschoolers should stop by the Museum to pick up an Educational Program brochure detailing their tours, presentations and travel trunks. Coming up this spring, they will feature an exhibit on the Women of WWII. Continuing focus on women this summer, the Museum will showcase the Western Bloomers, an all woman's softball team of the early 1900's. Tracy says the of kids who attend their programs, "They begin to understand their community better and what makes it special and different from any other place out there. Children gain personal confidence and pride from having positive experiences in a non-school educational setting. A child's time at the museum helps prepare them for many other types of public interactions and learning opportunities they will have in their lives."
So to keep the kids' cognitive wires working well this week, visit the North Berrien Historical Museum this Wednesday, and then return again and again for more deep dives into our North Berrien roots. The North Berrien Historical Museum is located at 300 Coloma Ave., Coloma, MI 49038. Phone: 269-468-3330 Fax: 269-468-4083 Email: nbhs2@sbcglobal.net Web: www.northberrienhistory.org.
