Erica Broad of the museum staff stands among the new exhibits on Albany’s railroad history.
Here’s the news from the Albany Regional Museum: It will reopen to the public on June 10.
That’s what Keith Lohse, the executive director, told me when I wandered in off the street on Tuesday.
The museum has been closed for a few months for an extensive remodeling and freshening of the exhibits. The job is not yet done, but Lohse says the opening date is fixed, no matter what happens.
I think visitors to the new museum will be delighted by what they find. Also they’ll be much better informed about the history of this region and this town.
One of the groupings of exhibits that’s already done has to do with transportation, especially Albany’s history with railroads. People who now complain about train horns or delays at grade crossings will learn just how the Oregon & California was persuaded not to byass Albany when the first line was built.
The exhibits bring the past to life not just in words and pictures, but with video and audio recordings and gizmos the visitor can touch and move.
One of the audio stories, I was told, features the clear voice of Albany Coucilwoman Matilda Novak.
On Tuesday I got to look around the place for a few minutes, and I’m looking forward to seeing it all when the museum reopens to the public next month. (hh)
Amy Bozorth, collections and exhibits manager, designed the new exhibits. Here she’s about to install a video screen.
A steel gate from the old First National Bank found a new use in the museum’s rendition of a stockade.
How Albany became a railroad town is the subject of this text.
This is an exciting redo of our Museum! These new exhibits will certainly bring in the Albany citizenry and tourists!
I am not sure if my previous comment was received.
Congratulations!
Really exciting to see interactive elements for children and adults as well.
Thank you for the update Hasso. I enjoy museums in general and have always liked visiting ours. I put that opening date on my calendar.
Great news, will visit the week the museum re-opens. Thanks for the information.
Hasso, nice report. btw, Kim and I used to joke that your ideal story to write would be about an armed soccer team traveling by train to an LNG terminal. There was a lot of fun to be had in the DH newsroom in those days.
Complain is misspelled – compain
Thanks. Now it’s fixed.