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BioBlitz 2023
July 22, 2023 | 8:30 a.m. – 1 p.m. at the Red Cedar State Trail, Menomonie
Do you love nature and being outside? Would you like to take a walk with a scientist and identify plants and animals? Join us for BioBlitz — a fun study of the Red Cedar State Trail's biodiversity. We'll look for birds, mammals, insects, wildflowers and more!
You bring your curiosity, a smartphone with the iNaturalist app installed, or bring your digital camera.
We'll be joined by local naturalists and others who know the area. Together we'll get outside, do some science and record it for the future!
Meet at the depot/visitor center at the Menomonie trailhead. Groups will explore the trail with a specialist guide. Check in at 8:30 a.m. — an orientation beginning at 9 a.m. will cover what to expect.
Be sure to wear appropriate clothing, shoes, and bring things you may need such as sun screen, snacks and water. The BioBlitz will be rescheduled if the weather is inclement.
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To Register: Call the Rassbach Museum at 715-232-8685
Wakanda Wonderland
December 11, 2021 | Saturday, Noon - 7 p.m.
A new holiday festival is coming to Menomonie and Dunn County! Wakanda Wonderland is a community gathering featuring decorated holiday trees created by local businesses and community groups — perfect for a family outing. Located on the east lawn of the Rassbach Heritage Museum in Menomonie’s Wakanda Park, the event includes tree viewing, bonfires, food and beverages, and horse-drawn wagon rides.
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Proceeds will benefit the Society's Solar Victory Garden initiative.
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Interested in sponsoring or creating a tree for display? Contact Ashley Asher at 715-317-0525 or Ashley@elevatedendeavors.net for details.
New Exhibit: Storylords
Opens Saturday, January 22, 2022 |
Holy Camole! Jump on your bike-o-tron, chant the verse above and teleport with us to the land of Mujuste to learn about Storylords, the live-action instructional television series developed in the mid-1980s at UW-Stout for the Wisconsin Educational Communications Board. The series focuses on building reading comprehension strategies through the use of fantasy for second-, third- and fourth-grade students.
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The exhibit opens to the public on Saturday, January 22, 2022 during our business hours, 11 a.m to 5 p.m. A members-only preview will take place on Friday, January 21 from 6 to 9 p.m.
Bat House
March 17, 2022 | 6 p.m.
Join us for a Brews & Build event at Fulton’s Workshop! Unwind from the week by having a brew (n/a available!) make a fun project, and/or get creative with Lego, our magnet wall, and all the other great activities available in the workshop. This is a night for grown ups (18+) to be creative and allow the brain to relax -- a proven way to relieve stress and anxiety.
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Our March project is building your own bat house. You will have all the materials ($30 per house) to build your bat house, and learn about the best place to set it up!
Call 715-232-8685 to reserve your spot, or online.
Beverages available for a separate fee.
Don't want to make the project and just want to come and do other fun activities in Fulton's Workshop? Regular museum admission of $5 applies. (Members, as always get in free and just pay for project materials/beverages).
Barn Quilt Workshop
November 5, 2022 | 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
BACK BY POPULAR DEMAND!
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Barn Quilts are large pieces of wood painted to look like a quilt block and hung on the exterior of a barn, house, garage or other building. Most Barn Quilts are made of solid colors comprised of simple geometric shapes such as squares, rectangles and triangles, easy to view at a distance.
Create your own Barn Quilt in this eight-hour (including ½ hour lunch break) workshop. All supplies provided including snacks and refreshments. Bring a brown bag lunch. Wear old clothes and bring a hair dryer if possible. Arrive by 8:15 a.m. to check in. Choose and submit a simple design with up to six colors (including black and white). Search online for “barn quilts” on search engine or Pinterest for ideas, or check out examples on www.facebook.com/mjbarnquilts. E-mail chosen design to mkolstad2@charter.net no later than October 28.
Cost: 2’x2’--$65 4’x4’--$105
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Note: Call Rassbach Museum at 715-232-8685 to reserve your spot by October — limit 12 participants.
BioBlitz 2022
June 18, 2021 | 8:30 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Do you love nature and being outside? Would you like to take a walk with a scientist and identify plants and animals? Join us for BioBlitz — a fun study of Wakanda Park’s biodiversity. We'll look for birds, mammals, insects, wildflowers and more!
You bring your curiosity, a smartphone with the iNaturalist app installed, or bring your digital camera.
We'll be joined by local naturalists and others who know the area. Together we'll get outside, do some science and record it for the future!
Meet at the Rassbach Museum in Wakanda Park. Groups will explore the park with a specialist guide. Check in at 8:30 a.m. — an orientation beginning at 9 a.m. will cover what to expect.
Be sure to wear appropriate clothing, shoes, and bring things you may need such as sun screen, snacks and water. The BioBlitz will be rescheduled if the weather is inclement.
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To Register: EVENTBRITE LINK HERE .
Picnics & Petals: A May Celebration
May 6, 2022 | 1 to 4 p.m.
A spring celebration featuring a market, refreshments, pie eating contest, activities, and more.
Box lunches, beverages available. Pie eating contest. Spring-themed activity stations including paper marking, sunflower planting, fairy wish bottles, and terrariums. Outdoor games, live music, dancing, and more. Silent auction, and raffles.
Springtime market features plant sale, bird & bat houses, hand-crafted items, plush puppets, and more.
Proceeds benefit the Solar Victory Garden at the Rassbach Museum.
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*** POSTPONED*** Wisconsin’s Most Haunted Locations
Join us for a ghostly journey with paranormal author Chad Lewis, as he explores Wisconsin’s Most Haunted Places. Chad covers the entire state --- from wandering ghosts in the Northwoods, a haunted B&B in Milwaukee, prowling phantom creatures and graveyard apparitions. Complete with photos, case histories, eyewitness accounts, ghost lore and directions, this unique presentation encourages you to visit these places for your own ghost story.
Lewis has been featured on the Discovery Channel's A Haunting, William Shatner's Weird or What, ABC's Scariest Places on Earth, and Destination America's Monsters and Mysteries in America, and is a frequent contributor on Ripley's Believe it or Not Radio. He has authored more than 25 books on the supernatural, and extensively lectures on his fascinating findings.
Cost: $10 in advance, $15 at the door
Tickets available at Rassbach Museum (11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Tues - Sat).
Seating will be limited to 100 people to assure social distancing and masks will be required.
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Note: Subject to covid-19 response -- could be moved online if needed.
Bat House
March 17, 2022 | 6 p.m.
Join us for a Brews & Build event at Fulton’s Workshop! Unwind from the week by having a brew (n/a available!) make a fun project, and/or get creative with Lego, our magnet wall, and all the other great activities available in the workshop. This is a night for grown ups (18+) to be creative and allow the brain to relax -- a proven way to relieve stress and anxiety.
​
Our March project is building your own bat house. You will have all the materials ($30 per house) to build your bat house, and learn about the best place to set it up!
Call 715-232-8685 to reserve your spot, or online.
Beverages available for a separate fee.
Don't want to make the project and just want to come and do other fun activities in Fulton's Workshop? Regular museum admission of $5 applies. (Members, as always get in free and just pay for project materials/beverages).
Old Fashioned Fourth
July 2, 2022
Join us Saturday, July 2 (yes, the second) for an "Old Fashioned Fourth" -- a celebration commemorating the 246th observance of the United States' Independence Day.
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The Rassbach Museum will be open to the public for free (donations gladly accepted) from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
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Check back in late June for other plans as they develop.
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Our lawn is a good place to view the City of Menomonie fireworks!
Midwestern Strange
October 27, 2022 | 7 p.m.
Part memoir and part journalism, B.J. Hollars’ nonfiction book, Midwestern Strange, offers a fascinating, funny, and quirky account of flyover folklore. By confronting monsters, Martians, and a cabinet of curiosities worth of strange phenomena in our own backyards, Hollars challenges readers to look beyond their presumptions and acknowledge that just because something is weird doesn’t mean it’s wrong. A little bit X-Files, a little bit Ghostbusters, and a whole lot of Sherlock Holmes, Hollars will describe his efforts to get to the bottom of many of our most tangled tales.
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B.J. Hollars is the author of several books, most recently, Go West Young Man: A Father and Son Rediscover America, Midwestern Strange: Hunting Monsters, Martians and the Weird in Flyover Country, and The Road South: Personal Stories of the Freedom Riders. His work has been featured in The Washington Post, Parents Magazine, NPR, and elsewhere. Additionally, he is the founder and director of the Chippewa Valley Writers Guild, The Priory Writers Retreat, and the Midwest Artist Academy, as well as an associate professor of English at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire.
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Cost:
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View the book trailer on YouTube.
Treats on the Trail
October 29, 2022 | 1 - 3 p.m.
Join us at the Lions Club Game Park in Wakanda Park to enjoy the beautiful fall weather, hike the nature trail, and gather Halloween treats along the way! The entrance to Treats on the Trail will begin by the pavilion near the bison.
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The cost is $3 per child. This event is for children 12 and younger and children must be accompanied by an adult throughout the afternoon.
We'll also have lunch available (hot dogs, chips and soda or water) for sale beginning at noon.
If the weather is inclement, the event will be moved to the Rassbach Museum nearby.
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Presented in cooperation with the Menomonie Lions Club
Historic Haunted House Village Walk
Opening October 16, 2022 | 11 - 5 p.m. , Tuesday - Saturday
Our annual Historic Haunted House Village is back! Tour the village, meet the creepy neighbors and learn how they became haunted! Vote for your favorite.
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To enter the Haunted House Challenge:
Create a spooky, haunted, creepy-looking house or building to add to our village walk at the Rassbach Museum! Call us at the museum at 715-232-8685 to let us know you want to participate. We ask that you also write a short story describing its haunted history. This will be on display next to your creation.
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Entry into the Historic Haunted village is $5. The base for your haunted house or building may not exceed 12” x 12.” You can build it from scratch, or we have a limited number of “blank” paper mache houses for you to use as a starting point available at the Rassbach Museum ($10 each, includes your entry fee)..
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Entries must be finished and dropped off at the Rassbach Museum by October 15. Your house and story will be on display at the museum through Halloween!
Stitching 101
October 4, 11, 18 and 25, 2022 | 6 - 8 p.m. | Holtby Hall at the Rassbach Museum
Discover some local history as you learn the basics of sewing and stitching!
Join the Stitching 101 class for four weeks of tutorials, and take home your own Possibles Bag at the end. We will be using upcycled materials, but feel free to bring your own. Class size is limited, so register early to ensure your spot. Sewing machines will be provided, but you may bring your own.
Topics will cover pattern reading and assembly, required supplies and their uses, basic hand- and machine-stitching techniques, and much more. The class is geared toward beginner sewists with no experience, but people of all levels of experience are welcome. If you're bringing your own fabrics, please note that flannel or canvas are recommended, however, this project can also be completed with light leather-type materials or plastic leathers for more experienced sewists.
Leading the class will be Amber Olson, an avid self-taught sewist who has been been in practice for more than 25 years. She's excited to share her passion with the community.
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To Register:
The $50 fee covers all four sessions. Participants ages 14 and younger will require parent supervision and registration. Registration will be confirmed upon receipt of course fees. Call the Rassbach Museum at 715-232-8685 (11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Tuesday - Saturday) to reserve your spot.
Payment may be made by check at the museum , directly through PayPal at amber.j.olson1008@gmail.com, or by Venmo (QR code is found on the discussion tab at our Facebook event page).
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Quilts of the Pinery
March 8 - 23 , 2024 | 11 - 5 p.m. , Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday Saturday and 2 - 8 p.m., Thursday
An exhibit of quilts — both antique and newly made, from the area of Northwest Wisconsin formerly known as “The Pinery.”
Features include a virtual “Bed Turning” of antique quilts, Scandinavian Folded Star demonstration, beginning quilting classes on March 14 and 21, and a featured speaker.
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To enter:
Entry fee is $10 per quilt. Full details are in the entry form below. Download and complete the entry and waiver forms below:
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Entry Form [pdf]
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Waiver Form [pdf]
Weathered Barns of Dunn County
Photography by Mark J. Quilling
Februrary 11, 2023 - March 25, 2023 | 11 - 5 p.m. , Tuesday - Saturday
Mark has photographed the weathered beauty of barns throughout Dunn County. A familar sight, this exhibit encourages us to look at these buildings in new ways.
Picnics and Petals A May Celebration!
May 13, 2023 | 1 - 4 p.m.
Join us for our third annual May Celebration! The event includes a plant swap, plant sale/vendor market, spring-themed activity stations, outdoor games, and bike decorating and parade. Raffles and silent auctions will be held for cakes, a hand-made picnic quilt, and picnic baskets filled with meals and treats that to take to the park and enjoy. Get a close-up look at a bald eagle and other birds of prey from the University of Minnesota Raptor Center.
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Hooked!
Tales of Fishing in Dunn County
Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday 11 a.m. - 5 p.m. | Thursday 2 - 8 p.m.
Dunn County has had a long relationship with the sport of fishing. This new exhibit includes Tibbets fishing tackle manufactured here, a vintage Carver Commander motorboat, some impressive fish mounts, a fond look back at the Wolske Bay Marina and much more. Kids can try their luck at a classic ice fishing shack, and be sure to tell us your fish tale.
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Book Talk: Gravedigger's Daughter - Growing up Rural
Author Debra Raye King
March 30, 2023 | 6:30 p.m. , Rassbach Heritage Museum
Gravedigger's Daughter - Growing up Rural is a collection of short stories and essays based on actual events in the 1950-1970s in northern west-central Wisconsin. Little Elk Creek is a tightly-knit community of Norwegian immigrant farm families who assist one another at harvest time and share their skills so all can succeed.
Debra Raye King shares her remembrances from an era when her father was the gravedigger at the local church cemetery and it wasn't unusual for a daughter to help shovel. Debbi and her twin Sue were the only students in first grade at the eight-grade one-room schoolhouse two miles away from home. Shopping was done in Menomonie where highlights of the trip included a visit to the Farmers Store, a meal out at the Dew Drop Inn, and guessing in winter when the clunker would fall through the ice.
Experience the grit, heartache, joy and innocence of growing up rural with these tales of one family farm in Wisconsin.
Market in Holtby Hall:
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Plant sale with variety of annuals and perennials
- Vendor Market
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Plant Swap
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Hand-crafted garden aprons and flower crowns
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Springtime plush puppets
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and more!
Activity stations, including:
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Hand-crafted paper making
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Plant your own sunflower seeds,
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Beeswax art
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Outdoor games
Support the Rassbach Museum's Solar Victory Garden project through:
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Raffle for spring themed cakes
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Silent auction of themed picnic baskets filled with meals and treats that will be perfect to take out into the park and enjoy.
Entertainment:
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May Day Morris dancers - The General Hardware Border Morris
Dancing Troupe -
Amazing bubbles by The Bubbler, Steve Russell!
Food:
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Sandwiches/hot dogs available for purchase, and baked goods
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Pie eating contest -- registration, age groups and rules below:
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Contest Rules [PDF]
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