Upcoming Events
and New Exhibits
New Exhibit: Storylords
Tuesday - Saturday, 11 a.m. - 5 p.m.
“Thunder and Lightning, Trumpets and Drums, Readers Rejoice, A Storylord Comes!”
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.
New Exhibit: The Cartoon Art of Norm Rockwell
Opens July 2022 | Tuesday - Saturday, 11 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Since 1980, Menomonie-based Norm Rockwell has been creating cartoons that have entertained readers. Rockwell has been published in more than 80 newspapers nationwide and 2,000 of his pieces have appeared in more than 200 magazines and periodicals including The New Yorker, Good Housekeeping, Boys’ Life, Highlights for Children, The Saturday Evening Post, Reader's Digest and The National Enquirer. Dunn County residents read his locally-themed cartoons regularly in The Dunn County News.
This retrospective exhibit covers the breadth of his publications and features examples of original pen and ink drawings.
Join us for a members-only meet and greet with Norm on July 27 from 5-8 p.m. If you're not a Society member, you can join that evening.
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.
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).
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.
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.
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)..
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!
Midwestern Strange:
Hunting Monsters, Martians and the Wierd in Flyover Country
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.
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.
Cost: TBD
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.
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.
Presented in cooperation with the Menomonie Lions Club and Explore Menomonie.
Barn Quilt Workshop
November 5, 2022 | 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
BACK BY POPULAR DEMAND!
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
Note: Call Rassbach Museum at 715-232-8685 to reserve your spot by October 21 — limit 12 participants.
Quilts of the Pinery
January 31, 2023 - February 4, 2023 | 11 - 5 p.m. , Tuesday - Saturday
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, a display of antique sewing machines, and demonstration of treadle machine sewing.
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]