O’Fallon Museum Board – Meeting Minutes May 12th 2025

O’Fallon Museum Board

Minutes

May 12, 2025

Present Absent

Toni Reetz, Trustee

Linda Rost, Secretary

Vaughn Zenko, Curator Kenny Griffith, Trustee

Curt Williams, Chairman

Convene: 

The meeting was called to order by Curt at 4:08 pm at the O’Fallon Museum metal building.

Public Comment:  Time limit 10 minutes per subject.

Minutes: Read by trustees. 

Toni made a motion to approve minutes as amended and Linda seconded. Minutes approved.

Accessions 

• Obituaries – Brenda Stoddard donated a big binder of obituaries and newspapers.
  • Curt made a motion to accept them and Toni seconded it. Motion passed. 
• Play scripts – Randy Hanson brought a box of play scripts from the Willard Hall.
  • May use exhibits for the Theater in Baker project.
  • Linda makes a motion to accept them and Toni seconded it. Motion passed.

Deaccessions

• None

Discussion of Curator’s Report

• April was a busy month – 155 visitors – 14 out of town with 11 tours
• Social media outreach up 240% from last year
  • Story on Sleeth’s Bar – Used AI to create a song
  • Randash Babies
• Already surpassed 155 visits in May by May 12
  • High Tea – 68 people – Ace Hardware was doing grand opening
    • Plan to keep doing High Tea first weekend of May
  • Gunfight at Stoneville – 32 people versus nine people in Miles City
  • May 6 – a bunch of homeschoolers from Glendive (20/24 from out of town)
  • May 12 – 44 people today for CSI Mock Trial
  • Preschool play time – only five kids in each session.
  • Lego days – averaging 30 kids every Friday (no school days)
• Poetry Contest – only four submissions – but good social media reach
  • Gave framed copies of the poems; got donations from businesses for prizes.
• Meetings held here in the future
  • Next theater meetings
  • Montana non-profit association meeting
  • Childcare workshop
• Classes
  • Amanda Tunby – dinosaurs
  • Kallie Benter – Scavenger hunt
• Camps in July – still a go
• Waterworks Traveling Exhibit here July 3-31
  • Will probably do cookies and lemonade on Sundays
• Lininger book about Bowen – almost done – maybe do a book signing
• Douglas Stream is writing a book – focuses on Deadwood to Miles City cattle trail
  • Got traveling exhibit on stage trail back from Mike Madler
  • Hasn’t been to Wibaux, Glendive, and Terry
• Assisted city of Baker with grant research
  • Used to be a tour stop on Highway 12 – were recognized nationally as having the best tour stop in area.
    • Want to redo bathroom by McClain park by hospital park
• Bohle with schoolhouse research
• New event website setup – Event Groove site – to promote events
  • Can sell tickets
  • Can do merchandise 
  • Museum.myeventscenter.com
• Vaughn Zenko was a keynote speaker at rural summit in Glendive through Extension and Montana Community Foundation!!!
  • Rural tourism pilot grant – $2.76 million over five years for just Fallon County through Department of Commerce
  • Need a group to form a steering committee to work on this grant.
• Vaughn was nominated for a service award and was recognized by Greg Gianforte.
• Finished preliminary paperwork to make a Community Foundation
  • Could give out grants

Old Business

• Heritage Fest – June 14
  • Have 7 vendors – still looking for more
  • Band – Darcy already got the contract back – signed and done
  • Jake Wagner – Ordered $200 worth of hamburger
    • Need a cook
    • Last year – used 160 patties so 40 lbs of meat
  • Same day as Bump’n’Run (at 1 pm)
  • Kids’ games, vendors, music, trail rides, train (need insurance), teepee
• Willard School
  • No updates

New Business 

• Fiscal year 2026 pre-budget discussion
  • Will start working on it.
• Pilot Community Tourism Grant
  • Already discussed
• Other

Next Meeting: Tuesday, June 3, 2025 at 4:00 pm.

Adjournment: Curt adjourned the meeting at 5:11 pm.

_______________________________ __________________________________

Curt Williams, Chairman     Recording Secretary, Linda Rost, Trustee