O’Fallon Museum Board – Meeting Minutes May 2024

O’Fallon Museum Board

Minutes

May 8, 2024

Present Absent

Toni Reetz, Trustee

Linda Rost, Secretary

Melissa Rost, Curator

Curt Williams, Chairman

Cheyanne Dame, Trustee

Ken Griffith, Trustee

Convene: 

The meeting was called to order by Curt at 4:55 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 and Curt seconded. Minutes approved.

Accessions (Motion to accept made by Curt and seconded by Cheyanne):

• Rifle loan from Jake Wagner – Land and Read 52 caliber rifle from Oglala Sioux – Could use case in the middle with padlocks. Diane with Ft. Peck tribe said it was fine to display. – YES
• Matches – Crawford – YES

Discussion of Curator’s Report

• MAM conference – It cost $1000 for both Traci and Melissa to go. Melissa is on the board and did some presentations. Traci was able to go to sessions in the meantime.
  • Met with Glen from Terry Museum and Allan Charles from Range Riders to learn more about museums. They saw Melissa’s presentation at MAM.
  • Jean Nudell from Bowman had a poster tree and will give it to Glen from Terry.
  • Jean is interested in doing a regional meeting for eastern Montana and western ND. – like a roundtable to bounce ideas off of each other.
  • Legos! – Take historical photos and use those as inspiration for Lego competitions
    • Lego events – low investment/ high impact
    • Midrivers grant for education stuff – Display case, containers, starter set
    • People can donate their old legos
    • Can make it relate to community history
    • Could do it on Fridays with 4-day week
    • Maybe for 4H?
    • Design challenges – complete a task
  • One of the members is a rep for Mountain Plains Museum Association
    (MPMA) – Regional conference is in Bismarck – Melissa got a membership
• Preschool programming – on week 5 of 6
  • Last week had a guy come in with his grandson. Had lived here 55 years and had never been in the museum.
• SMART board passed a Community Foundation. Might help raise money for organizations.
• Dinosaur Trail criteria – must have the ability to coordinate digs.
• Preliminary architecture report – Will have everything by August.
  • Brandon sent link to Community Block Grant – people use it for projects like these.
• Cheyanne – art-based grant; Strategic Investment Grant – every 15th of the month for art.
• Talking Trails – Ekalaka has worked with them.
  • Pick historic points. They put together a sign that links to their website to listen or read.
  • Outdoor points.
  • Vaughn had $1000 for Reimagining Rural grant – he thought they could do that on the website. Will try that for free and will talk to Talking Trails if not.
• Mary Bradbury – Presentation on Calamity Jane had 20 in attendance.
  • Had Deadwood Stagecoach display out.
• MOMSI – Measurement of Museum Social Impact
  • There are 20 people are signed up. Need at least 50 or 60.
  • QR code on buttons at Heritage Fest
  • Must visit the museum three times – will have to check in each time – then will have link for final survey.
  • Must be 18 and older; one per household
• Sabre Moore received the Eastern Montana Educator’s grant
  • Teacher and museum partnership – there are three museums each year who will be working on it.
  • Teachers pick out standards to do lessons with. Then write lessons and compile curriculum. Ekalaka is doing a traveling exhibit.
  • Val Johnson invited Melissa to a Prairie View Curriculum Consortium in Glendive on History Digs – April Wills who is the museum volunteer for Bainville.
• Budget
  • Heat in the block building – $8000 in capital expense.
  • Needs ceiling insulation – spray or blow in insulation?
• Andrew McCree – radio interview about Steer Montana – American Countryside Radio
• Zoom interview on tourism
• Ken Bogner – Congressional candidate – Bit on Steer MT
• Rosemarie Dahlman – Husband was the last sheriff in the jail; Memorials will be sent to museum.
• Next week – CSI party; Golva school is coming for a field trip (K-8); Plevna kindergarten coming; Baker 1st graders dinosaur lessons; 5th for scavenger hunt; Senior Center
• Traci should have 60 available per month for the summer; Jaeda Paul will get 30 hours per week.
  • Rotate weekends between Traci, Melissa and Jaeda so they work fewer hours.
• Public meeting with SDI –
  • Didn’t know boundary line – need to ask Brandon. Whose job is it?
• Heritage Fest
  • Map with locations
    • Milking simulations – lifesize cow that you can milk
  • Root beer – 1919 big keg of root beer – 2/$100 = 56 servings
  • Will also have water and lemonade 
  • Beaver Hastig – knows a guy named Gerard who lives in Custer
    • Really good speaker – might come for Heritage Fest
  • Mike Madler has given good talks on past events
  • Alternate speakers with band – could do different talks
  • Western Heritage might have a display – Evelyn Cameron
  • Have Deadwood Display back

Next Meeting: 

Adjournment:  Curt at 6:30 pm

_______________________________ __________________________________

s\ Curt Williams, Chairman     s\ Recording Secretary, Linda Rost, Trustee