Minnesota Historical and Cultural Grants

New MHCG website

A completely revamped website was launched this week which includes a new url: legacy.mnhs.org/grants. The site includes improved News and calendar sections, a new Featured Grants section as well as a Application Progress section to help guide and direct those applying for grants. The old MHCG site will still be available for several months but will no longer be updated.

Upcoming Grant Deadlines

Plan your historical organization's grant-eligible projects now--here's a list of upcoming small and mid/large grants deadlines:

• Small (Fast Track) Grants: Friday, March 23, 2012
• Small (Fast Track) Grants: Friday, June 15, 2012
• Small (Fast Track) Grants: Friday, July 20, 2012
• Mid/Large mandatory preapplications: Friday, June 1, 2012
• Mid/Large final applications: Friday, July 27, 2012

Contact the Grants Office, 651-259-3467 (John Fulton) or 651-259-3459 (Melinda Hutchinson) with questions.

From the Blog

What Style is that Anyway?
Video of session from the 2011 Preserve Minnesota Statewide Preservation Conference. Beth Wielde-Heidelberg from the Urban & Regional Studies Institute, Minnesota State University. Wielde-Heidelberg helps the audience become acquainted with the nuances of architectural style in order to be able to recognize key features in the field.

Facebook Findings

To date, 744 people like what they see in Minnesota Local History! Of interest this week:

• Saving municipal histories
• The case against Reserve Mining
• Maplewood Area Historical Society's History Matters participation
• More on History Matters Day

Job Opportunities

Paid Internship
Knife River Indian Villages National Historic Site, Stanton ND, seeks Intern. Deadline: March 2, 2012.

Program Assistant
Reiman Gardens, Ames IA, seeks Program Assistant I (Events Coordinator). Deadline: March 4, 2012.

Technical Director
Perlman Teaching Museum, Carleton College, Northfield MN, seeks part-time Technical Director. Deadline: March 9, 2012.

Do History Here

Living Electric Theater
Carol Donelan, Associate Professor of Cinema and Media Studies, Carleton College, Northfield MN, offers a narrated tour through re-created episodes in Northfield's early moviegoing history, Sunday February 26, 2012, 2 p.m., Weitz Center for Creativity. Free.

Stearns County Fashion Show
Stearns History Museum & Research Center, St. Cloud MN, presents a fashion show starring history characters as portrayed by museum docents, Thursday March 1, 2012, 1-2 p.m. Call 320-253-8424 for more information.

MACC Discussion
Join Brooklyn Historical Society, Brooklyn Center MN, at Embassy Suites Brooklyn Center, Saturday March 3, 2012, 9 a.m. to hear a talk by Colin Turner, Executive Director of Midwest Art Conservation Center. Find out how MACC can help improve your historical society's collections. Breakfast begins 8:15 a.m. Call Diane, 763-560-8893, to RSVP.

First Tuesday Fundraiser
Join Stearns History Museum, St. Cloud MN, at Anton's on Tuesday March 6, 2012, 4:30-6:30 p.m. for Stearns History Museum & Research Center fundraiser. Anton's and Cash Wise Liquor will provide wine and appetizers. Tickets: $15. Call 320-253-8424 for more information or to purchase tickets.

Fundraising Event
Blue Earth County Historical Society, Mankato MN, celebrates the remarkable heritage of Blue Earth County at their annual fundraising events "Surrounded by History: A Celebration of Who We Are," Friday March 9, 2012, Minnesota State University, Mankato Centennial Studenet Union Ballroom. Tickets: $50/person. Call JoLynn, 507-345-5566 to purchase.

Flour Power
Join Rockford Area Historical Society, Rockford MN, for "Wrangling the River: Rockford's Flour Power," Saturday March 10, 2012, 10 a.m. to noon or noon to 2 p.m. Call 763-477-5383 for more information.

Tea Party
Scott County Historical Society, Shakopee MN, hosts their annual Girl's Tea: A Mother-Daughter Event, Saturday March 10, 2012. Girls can bring their American Dolls, make jewelry for themselves and their dolls, tour the historic Stans House, and enjoy tea and treats. Register through Shakopee Community Education, 952-496-5029. Contact Allison, 952-445-0378, for more information.

Maple Sugaring
Join Pond Dakota Heritage Society at the Historic Pond House, Bloomington MN, Sunday March 11, 2012, 2-4 p.m. for a drop-in program on maple sugaring. House tours 1:30-4 p.m. Call 952-563-8693 for more information.

Chocolate March
Bed & Breakfast Inns of the Scenic St. Croix Valley present their 10th Annual Chocolate March, March 4, 11, 18, and 25, 2012, 1-5 p.m. Included is a stop at a different historic site each Sunday. Tickets: $26; advance sales only. Call Dan, 651-436-8883, for more information.

Civil War Talk
Jeff Williamson presents the life of Union soldier Andrew Woods Williamson at Pond Dakota Heritage Society, Historic Pond House, Bloomington MN, Sunday March 18, 2012, 2 p.m. Call 952-563-8693 for more information.

Museum Mysteries
Carlton County Historical Society, Cloquet MN, has a new Museum Mystery! Who is the distinguished-looking gentleman in the framed photograph? Contact the museum, 218-879-1938, or stop by for some sleuthing.

Continuing Education

Family History Workshops
Stevens County Historical Society, Morris MN, hosts several family history workshops this spring:

• "Getting Ready for the 1940 Federal Census Release," Saturday March 3, 2012
• "Dating Photographs," Saturday April 14, 2012
• "Riding the Orphan Train," Saturday May 5, 2012

All workshops are held 10 a.m. to noon and are free to the public. Call 320-589-1719 for more information.

Window Restoration Boot Camp
The Belvedere School for Hands-On Preservation holds a three-day, hands-on Window Restoration & Weatherization Boot Camp with Bob Yapp, March 16-18, 2012, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Central Park National Historic District, Hannibal MO. Cost: $375; space is limited to 8 students. For more information or to register contact Bob Yapp, 217-474-6052.

Disaster Preparation Workshop
African American Museum of Iowa, Cedar Rapids IA, will host a two-day disaster preparation and response training, April 19-20, 2012. Registration deadline: April 10, 2012.

ATALM Conference
Association of Tribal Archives, Libraries, and Museums (ATALM) will hold the International Conference of Indigenous Archives, Libraries, and Museums June 4-7, 2012, at the Cherokee-owned Hard Rock Casino and Resort, Tulsa OK. Early bird registration due before April 30, 2012.

Fund Your Mission

News

Volunteerism
Minneapolis Star Tribune reports on the changing face of volunteers in the nonprofit sector.

Survey
If you work in a small historical organization (paid or volunteer), the Visitors' Voices and Small Museums Committees of American Association for State and Local History request your feedback on how to encourage more small local history organizations to use evaluation and visitor research. Take the short survey now through February 29, 2012.

MDL Annual Meeting
Minnesota Digital Library will hold its 10th Annual Meeting, Monday June 18, 2012, Continuing Education and Conference Center, St. Paul Campus, University of Minnesota.

Field Note

StEPs Program
Standards and Excellence Program for History Organizations from American Association for State and Local History is a voluntary assessment program for small- and mid-sized history organizations. Organizations enrolling in this self-paced, self-study program use assessment questions and performance indicators to rate their policies and procedures in six standards sections. Learn to identify your organization's strengths and areas needing improvements.

Concerned about relevance? StEPs was piloted in Minnesota at six organizations: Bois Forte Heritage Center, HCMC Museum, Kittson County Historical Society, Mower County Historical Society, Sacred Heart Area Historical Society, and White Bear Lake Area Historical Society. Ask your colleagues.

Concerned about the cost? Apply for a Historical Organization Self-Assessment Using StEPs Structured Grant through the Minnesota Historical and Cultural Grants program to cover the enrollment fee plus one-year AASLH membership! Proposals are due on March 23, 2012. Questions? Contact the Grants Office.