Museum Tidings

Midsummer Issue
August, 1998

The official quarterly newsletter of the Tehama County Museum
(WebPage edition)

 

OH GOLLY MISS MOLLY!
Will you took at all the things going on at the Museum in Tehama! First a stirring birthday party for the Declaration of Independence on July 3rd, with the Red Bluff Community Band,, our own Judy Chamberlain really hitting that high F in the National Anthem, a summary of the grievances listed in the Declaration by Margaret Bauer, and a heart-rendering Journal from a man who endured through the Revolutionary War by Paul Quinn. Jeanne Crook presided over the refreshment table in the Gallery for ice cream and real birthday cakes!
Next an Archeological Dig at the site of the Museum Annex led by Shasta College Social Science professor Ed Clewett with some of his history students. This activity was thoroughly covered by the TV stations and the news media and produced over 500 artifacts left over from China Town. These are being identified and cataloged and will be on display at the Museum.

All of this led to the Ground-Breaking ceremony on July 24th. This was a real gala event with representatives from all of the cities in the county, from the supervisors and city councils, the Sheriff’s department and other county offices, and again, all of the news media spoken and written in attendance. As co-founder of the Museum, Margaret Bauer turned the first shovel-full of dirt with the SOLID GOLD SHOVEL (well, gold-COLORED shovel!).

Marty Graffell, our PR man and MC, had set up the whole affair concluding with a catered lunch provided by Terri’s Restaurant in Los Molinos. The Pine Creek school bell on the front lawn was rung with great vigor to herald the beginning of the project.

At this point you pause, take a deep breath, and get ready for the next affair of surprises and activity.

Anyone who thinks a museum as sort of stagnant and quiet DOESN’T KNOW THIS MUSEUM! Upcoming is the annual JUBILEE…our largest money-raising and fun event of the year! So what’s new and different this year?

ATTENTION!

The JUBILEE takes place every year on the Saturday and Sunday following Labor Day. RIGHT?? NOT THIS YEAR!

THIS year we are going to start on FRIDAY NITE with a street dance and barbecue from 6 to 10 PM. Music will be furnished by the HOT CINDERS from Redding…an all-girl band of great talent and enthusiasm. This is just for openers to get into the mood of the JUBILEE!

So go right now….we’ll wait… and mark your calendar for the 11th, 12th and 13th of September. We have raffle tickets for sale at the Museum or from board members.

TO THE BOOK RACK...

Merrill Bauer’s thesis on the elementary schools of southwest Tehama County that sent graduates to Corning High School has been published and is now available. The County Library have copies and copies are for sale at the Book Nook, at the Museum and are also for sale at the Facts and Fictions in Red Bluff or may be purchased directly from Margaret Bauer. $10 a copy and FULL of information and pictures.

The latest issue of the MEMORIES, yearbook of the Genealogical and Historical Society, is also now available at the Museum. These yearbooks are $8, but to Museum members the first 12 issues may be purchased as a set at a reduced price.

WELCOME TO A DANDY GROUP OF NEW MEMBERS!

New Life Members are;
John & Carolyn Steffan
Charles F. Martin
Al & Janilee Gordon
Chris & Colette Bauer

Rosemarie Boitano
Mark & Iris Brown
George & Patricia Lindner
Marie Froome
Thomas & Claire Heffernan
Lee & Gale Morgan
Alma Jean Williams
Patricia Bitterman-Brown
Karl & Pamala Andersen
Mrs. Diane Frydenger
Irmgard Gorby
Rolland & Judi Papendick
Dennis & Janine Weston
William & Carol Durham
Ron Warner (mayor of Tehama)
Russ Frey
Rob Heard
Ida Knowles

We welcome all of these good people and attach herewith a word of explanation:: The board has decided to have our membership year begin on January 1st, so all dues will become due with the New Year
HOWEVER ... new members who join AFTER the 31st of July (which is past the year middle) will have their membership extend to January 1st of the NEXT year. That is a gift by the Museum for 5 months of free membership.

We tried once to have each renew a year from when they joined when they joined.. but Holy Toledo! what a job that was to keep track of everybody! Life members don't have to worry about dues; theirs are paid "in perpetuity."

HEIGH HO ... COME TO THE JUBILEE!
And here is a letter to the membership from Judy Chamberlain who manages the Country Store for us each year:

Once again the Country Store will be a prominent feature of the Tehama County Museum’s Jubilee on September 12th and 13th. We depend on you, our members, to stock the Country Store with your contributions of homemade jams, jellies, pickles, yeast breads, nut breads, cookies, brownies, candies etc. as well as homegrown fresh vegetables, fruits and nuts . Your generous responses in the past made it possible for the Country Store to yield $300 to $400 annually for the Museum’s coffers.
So remember the Country Store as you do your summer canning, preserving and gardening. We can also use your help at the store on September 12 & 13. Your Museum needs YOU!
For more information please contact Judy Chamberlain at 833-5461.

As the clipping says: I am only one, but I am ONE. I cannot do everything but I can do something. What I can do I ought to do. If each ONE does one thing, MUCH will be accomplished!

IN MEMORIAM
ZELLA AUDREY ABBAY
RED BLUFF
1911 - 1998

Zella was a great gift to the Museum. Having been office manager of the Paul Bunyan Lumber Co. for so many years, her talent for the Museum was as treasurer at a time when most of us couldn’t balance our own checkbooks. She got and kept our records in order.

She was a member of the St. Peter’s church in Red Bluff, the Historical Society, the Museum, the Eastern Star and a longtime member of the Pink Ladies at the hospital. She was survived by her daughter and husband of Red Bluff, four grandchildren (all of whom are doctors!) and four great-grandchildren.

A SHORT HISTORY OF MEDICINE (OR ANYTHING ELSE).
I have an earache.

2000 BC Here, eat this root.
1000 BC That root is heathen. Say this prayer
850 AD That prayer is superstition. Here, drink this potion.
1940 AD That potion is snake oil. Here swallow this pill.
1985 AD That pill is ineffective. Here take this antibiotic.
2000AD That antibiotic is artificial. Here, eat this root.

Which brings us nicely to the fact that our good board member, Ruth Britt has recovered from her serious surgery enough to be with us again! Was it a root, a potion, or a or a whole bunch of antibiotics that helped, Ruth?

TWO THINGS

There are two things the Museum needs more than almost anything else. One is more NEW MEMBERS and the other is MORE DOCENTS ( a fancy name for host or hostess) who are willing to spend only 3 hours PER MONTH showing off the Museum to guests and finding the joy of meeting new people and of learning more about the Museum to tell to those people. (For the JUBILEE, it means "all hands on deck!" to take care of all that needs doing.) The two ladies to contact THAT YOU ARE WILLING are: Pat Felthouse at 527-1805 or Betty Wilson at 384-2152.

"You follow the rules, you do what you can, you say what you must, and you live with what happens."…advice from a pioneer grandmother.

It’s a wise person who knows the difference between FREE SPEECH and CHEAP TALK.

In a discussion of remedies, one woman said "trying to cure a headache with banana peels is like trying to irrigate the Sahara with spit."

It’s paradoxical that all of us want to live longer but none of us wants to get old. (Your editor feels that it takes some of the sting out of that three lettered word to say "chronologically gifted."

People seldom become famous for what they say until after they become famous for what they have done.

NOTICE: THERE WILL BE NO CHARGE THIS YEAR FOR THOSE WANTING TO DISPLAY CRAFTS AND SELL IN HABERT PARK. APPLICATION BLANKS MAY BE SECURED AT THE MUSEUM FROM PAUL QUINN AND OTHER BOARD MEMBERS. SORRY NO FOOD BOOTHS OR ITEMS ALLOWED!!!

MORE ABOUT THE JUBILEE
Each part of the event " is important to the whole. If each part can be responsible for turning a decent share of the total receipts, the amount of work required to produce this, our MAJOR FUND RAISER for each year, will have been well worth it.
Therefore, you will find ten raffle tickets enclosed with this newsletter… to buy if you choose, to sell to friends. Please return the money ($1 per ticket) to the Museum at P.O. Box 275, Tehama, CA 96090, or return those tickets which you cannot dispose of. This activity gives every single member a chance to contribute to the success of the whole enterprise. And WE THANK YOU!

The raffle has its own new approach this year. The larger items (like the bicycle or trips to the moon or whatever) will be drawn on Sunday about 3:30 or 4:00 PM has been our custom. HOWEVER, all during the day on both days there will be a signal given and some other item will be raffled off by surprise.

Sooooo…. Will YOUR name be announced as the next great WINNER?

EXHIBITS
Part of the fun of the JUBILEE is to visit the rooms of the MUSEUM to see the new exhibits. This year is the first of three years celebrating the admission of California as a State of the Union 1850. This past year the displays in the Harvey Room have been of a pre-sesquicentennial nature. This year begins the 1st of the 3 year series the whole state is being urged to mount. The time line will be from the discovery of gold to World War I. Come and see what the Exhibit committee has arranged with the artifacts that belong to the Museum!

SCHOOL TRIPS

We are delighted to have group of school children come to visit the Museum. This is particularly true of such displays as the Quilt Show or the Doll Show. Groups of Docents take a morning off to explain some part of what the kids see and after the visit is over, the children write us letters of appreciation. About half of the letters from the group from Gerber school were in Spanish (which at least one of our board members could read). Here are some excerpts from a group of student letters:

"Thank. you for letting us into the jail. That was fun too! I was especially interested in the Indians because I am 1/8 Indian."

"I liked the Museum because there was a part that was like a bedroom. I liked the big doll too."

"It’s fun to see the neat things there. I hope we come again…it was cool."

"If we go again, will you guys still be there?"

"I liked the dinosaurs and those things. The things upstairs were really neat."

"I liked the dentist’s chair and the emergency exit. I wanted to go on it."

"Was the guy upstairs the mayor? I liked it there and in the jail. Are you going to have it open for the other 3rd graders?"

"Thank you for putting us in jail. I liked the guns and the bones."

"The Museum is great. Where did you get all those Indian things?"

"I like everything in the Museum. Who owns that stuff anyway?"

"The upstairs was pretty. I hope I go there again. I hope you are happy showing us the Museum. It was fun."

EACH LETTER WAS ACCOMPANIED BY A COLORED DRAWING AT THE TOP…ABSOLUTELY DELIGHTFUL!