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Welcome to Night at the Museum

Staff photo by Connor Cummiskey Brown County Historical Society Museum Director Marni Leist stands next to an early 20-century projector that forms the centerpiece of the museum’s “theater” in the annex.

NEW ULM — Travel back to the early 20th century Saturday at the Brown County Historical Society (BCHS) Museum.

The second annual Night at the Museum Gala begins at 5:30 p.m. at the museum. Dinner will be at Lola’s- An American Bistro, served at 7 p.m. Tickets are $75 and must be purchased in advance.

This year’s fundraiser has a cast of historical figures from between WWI and WWII including former Governor John Lind (Dan Beranek).

“It is actually very cool because the descendants are playing their relatives,” Museum Director Marni Leist said.

All three floors of the museum will be open for guests to explore and chat during the social hour.

The annex has been decked out with pictures of old movie theaters from around that time. In the center sits an old film projector and seats, for guests to examine.

Guests will be served snacks and drinks during the social hour but the real food comes at Lola’s.

There will also be activities such as a silent auction, wine pull and more. The silent auction will include repurposed slate tiles from the museum’s old roof.

“Some artists have actually painted on some of the old slate tiles and we will be doing a silent auction for those,” Leist said.

Last year the event raised over $18,000 to help pay for replacing the historic building’s slate roof.

This year the fundraiser is primarily to raise money for BCHS’ share of matching grants to perform upkeep on the museum’s masonry and windows, Leist said.

“This is a totally volunteer-driven event,” Leist said. “Everyone who organized the event, pretty much, is a volunteer.”

Tickets are available at the museum. The phone number is (507) 233-2616. The museum is open Tuesday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and until 3 p.m. Saturdays.

Connor Cummiskey can be emailed at ccummiskey@nujournal.com.

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