It is hard to believe that already a year has passed since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. It seems like just yesterday that abruptly all St. Patrick’s Day festivities were cancelled, the physical and metaphorical fog rolled in, and people rushed to the grocery stores to buy essentials for quarantine. For a few weeks, it was uncertain what this virus was, how deadly it was going to be, and how long it was going to last.
The St. Charles History Museum was one of the businesses that were shut down, but the museum staff was still working behind the scenes. The Museum shut down temporarily in the month of April and May but was able to re-open with limited capacity at the end of May.
Scarecrow welcomes visitors to the Museum
Throughout the summer and fall of 2020, the Museum was able to host events and programs that adhered to CDC guidelines. From our Junior Historians virtual program with the St. Charles Public Library, to the Scarecrow Stroll with the St. Charles Business Alliance, to the Grave Reminders Cemetery Walk with the St. Charles Park District and Preservation Partners of the Fox Valley, every single event was sold out.
Despite 2020 being such a challenging year, we are taking the momentum from our successes and channeling it into 2021. Not only are we back open (with limitations,) we are planning several programs, events, and exhibits for this year.
The first big 2021 happening for the Museum will be the virtual Breaking Barriers: Suffrage in St. Charles exhibit which will go live on March 8 – just in time for International Women’s Day. Along with this virtual exhibit will be programming, including a portrayal of suffragette Alice Paul by historical interpreter Leslie Goddard. This is scheduled for Wednesday, May 19 at 1 p.m. and will be hosted via Zoom. More details to come!
After the Breaking Barriers exhibit ends in July, our next exciting exhibit will focus on education and teachers who fought for and believed in the future of our community’s children. This exhibit was inspired by the tough year teachers and students endured in 2020. We wanted to not only commemorate St. Charles’ schools, teachers, and students, but to also showcase some never-before-seen artifacts that relate to Charles Haines, who was instrumental in forming the high school and school district, and Alice Davis, who was one of St. Charles earliest and most prominent educators. This exhibit is slated to open in August 2021.
Speaking of education, it is our goal to amplify our existing educational programming, as well as develop additional programming. Our aim is to implement hands-on activities, even if they are virtual. We want kids and adults alike to be able to immerse themselves in history, and through our programming, we are hoping to accomplish just that. Dates for these programs are yet to be determined but be sure to check our website for future details!
We are planning to end our year on a high note through our biggest 2021 fundraiser, which will be held at the Dunham Woods Riding Club on Friday, Dec. 10th. The details for this event are still in the works so stay tuned!
That past year has been challenging for everyone. The Museum certainly looks different than it did a year ago, but we are still so excited for all the new things on our horizon.
We are grateful we were able to serve St. Charles throughout 2020 and are more than excited to take on 2021. We hope you will tag along with for the ride!
