We call it home

Recently the quilters at the Historical Village got some press. There was a wonderful article in Montana Arts Council’s State of the Arts quarterly newspaper. Locals who saw the articles were thrilled. And even some folks from out of the area read about these hard-working women. There were various follow-up conversations about the quilters and what they do, which got us thinking more seriously about why we are excited for the press, what exactly is our story?

There have been women quilting at the Historical Village since the mid 1970s. It would be hard to imagine how many stitches have been done in that amount of time. Let’s just say countless. Of course, the women enjoy getting together on Fridays to quilt, share ideas and laughter, but they also realize their goal is to preserve the Historical Village. They do this with the money they raise through their quilting, with the information about the valley they share with each other and the visitors who stop by, and with maintenance of all the archives under the care of the Tobacco Valley Board of History.

And this is what they have been guardians of for nearly fifty years. So if you stop by the Historical Village today, you see buildings that have been well maintained. You can ask for photos and we will go through our files to find one that shows Fortine in the early 1900s or the first saw mill in the valley. You can bring your children to the museum in the summer to see examples of things you or your parents or your grandparents used. And recently we updated our collection of over two hundred oral histories (taped interviews and some written transcripts). You can think of us as the Keepers of the Hearth.

But is that our story? Or is that just who we are? The story for us at this moment in time seems to be a mystery – who will continue to keep this hearth burning bright in the future? There is lots of support for our membership drive and we are very appreciative of the money people donate to help the Historical Village with expenses. But there needs to be a treasurer to handle that money, and a secretary to deal with paperwork. Who can arrange for ground maintenance in the summer, shovel snow in the winter or find volunteers for trash pick-up? Are there individuals who want to sit around on Fridays listening to stories so they will be able to pass them on thirty years from now?

If you read our story, it involves searching for clues, talking with a stranger in some dark cafe, tracking down information to solve the mystery of who will be the keepers in the future of this place we call home. Do we follow bread crumbs? Take hints from Lois Lowry’s young adult novel, The Giver? Perhaps find clues in Robert Putnam’s lament about the decline of social capital? Any help to solve this mystery will be greatly appreciated.

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Change of seasons

The volunteers were out to do a Spring cleaning at the Historical Village in mid April.  Now we are finishing up our last quilt so the old school house can be prepared for summer visitors.  Of course first there will be our annual rummage sale on May 18th.  And then the second graders from the Eureka elementary school will visit the Village in mid May to learn about their heritage in the Tobacco Valley.  But then we will be poised to throw wide the doors for the summer season.  Volunteer docents will have the buildings open and be available to answer questions every single day of the summer starting on May 25th.  Yes, it might surprise you that there are enough volunteers in this small town to have the Historical Village museum open everyday of summer from 1:00 – 5:00pm.  But it is true.  This is a remarkable community where people care enough to put in volunteer time as needed.

Of course this isn’t meant to dissuade you if you were thinking to offer help.  Needless to say there are always things to be done at the Historical Village from trimming shrubbery to painting walls, litter patrol to helping with our events.  And we hope to expand the roster of events at the Historical Village this summer to bring in speakers for demonstrations and talks.

Oh! Just in case you have your calendar handy, you might want to mark July 30 when Shakespeare in the Park performs “Merry Wives of Windsor” in the Village.  And the following weekend is the Eureka Montana Quilt Show on August 3rd.  The Historical Village looks absolutely lovely draped with all those beautifully colored quilts. You won’t want to miss it.

Thank you

Are there enough hours in the day to thank everyone who helps in this community? We held our annual fundraiser for the Historical Village last Saturday.  A lovely five course dinner with a Spanish theme served at a private residence on Dickey Lake.  A cellist played during the evening, some volunteers prepared the food while others served it.  As part of the event, a small speech was made later during the meal to thank those who bought tickets, to those who provided the wine, prepared the meal, those who set out tables and chairs for forty people.  At an earlier point in the evening, before the first guests appeared, I took a photo of those wonderful women who served the dinner and helped sell tickets prior to the event.

If I count everyone including the couple who helped move the tables, the man who cleaned the terrace, the woman who brought over forty chairs, the next door neighbor who lent us use of  her oven, the owners of the house where the dinner was held, the friend who gave us green beans from her garden for the paella, it would be over seventy people who participated in some way to make this event successful.  And really this is a fraction of all those who help maintain the Historical Village throughout the year.

We might take it for granted that people help out in a small town.  How else can we maintain the museum and the park, run the Scout troop and Little League, do storytime at the local library and walk dogs at the animal shelter? So much that makes this valley great depends on volunteers. And we realize not all small towns have this wealth.  We are fortunate to have people in this valley who truly care.

Recently there was a wild fire near Eureka.  Some people were required to evacuate their homes.  Neighbors offered housing, storage, and pasture for animals for those who had to evacuate. Others donated water and food for the fire fighters.  There was so much donated that the surplus was given to the local food bank.  For all of this, the generosity offered during the fire as well as the generosity shown towards the fundraising dinner – we offer thanks.

Teetering on Summer

The current quilt is nearly done.  Last week four women sewed on it while others prepared for the rummage sale that happens on May 19th.  The week following that we convert the space we quilted in all winter back into the museum that it will be during the summer.  From Memorial Day until Labor Day, people can tour the buildings at the Historical Village – the old church, the school house, the first cabin and the various other ones.  The lawn’s rich greenness will beckon children to roll around and young people to sit and talk about life.  Families will gather at the picnic tables and the cyclists camping in Riverside Park will come over to walk around the grounds.

Yes, this time of year is a clear reminder of why we quilt. To raise funds to keep these buildings and the grounds in good condition so they can be enjoyed and so that locals as well as tourists can learn about the history of our valley.  During the winter it sometimes feels we quilt for our own pleasure as its such a treat to sit around the quilting frame talking quietly with the other women, laughing over Bev’s jokes or smiling when Bonnie arrives with her banana bread.  We are there together on Fridays because it is the ideal place to be for those of us who show up.  But now in late spring when we transition the place we quilt in back into the museum space, its a reminder.  We are quilting to maintain the buildings and the history.  The fact that we enjoy the quilting so much, is really just a perk.

Its finding a balance some of us look for in life.  Giving to make our community (however we define that) the best possible place and at the same time taking pleasure in what we do.  I see Scout leaders in our community give time to do projects and go camping with the boys.  Or the group of people who organize the weekly community soup night, finish up Tuesdays at 7:30pm exhausted.  But these individuals as well as the women quilting, also enjoy aspects of what they give.  The women savor Fridays’ quilting.  The Scout leaders appreciate their time in the forests hiking with the young people.  I watch the soup night volunteers smile at the families and older folks who come through to eat on Tuesdays.  It is giving in a way that also brings pleasure to those who give.  It isn’t drudgery although of course there might be touches.  The Scout leader finding enough other adults to go on camping trips; the soup night volunteers getting enough donations to cover the cost of ingredients.  And for the quilters, there are also harder moments.  How much will it cost to get the old library building painted this year?  Who will chink the first cabin? But in general, these individuals nurture our community and themselves at the same time.

Leaves falling

Yes, we are working on the quilt with the beautiful star.  It is taking time but last week we finally made the first turn.  Meanwhile, Cathryn tied a lovely quilt made of so many different flannel squares. Its a beauty and will certainly find a good home this winter.  Then next Friday we put a second quilt on a frame to sew.  There is a good crew coming on Fridays at this point.  Sally is joining us before she gets too busy with making Christmas wreaths. No one is traveling so all four sides of the first frame were full of women quilting.  More room is needed so the second quilting frame will allow us to spread out a bit.

I know I mentioned this before but it is true enough and good enough that it deserves to be mentioned again. The individuals who quilt in this group are wonderful individuals.  I listen to them tell stories about grandchildren and great-grandchildren.  Joan laments about one of her cats.  Lynda sorts out the business aspects of managing the Historical Village. We ask each other who heard from Cathy who is living overseas this year and who has been in touch with Bonnie.  Is she is Idaho visiting family?  And there is also talk about growing old and who might help Karla who is having a tough time.

Thankfully no one mentions the upcoming election. I know all these women will vote although we don’t talk about it while quilting.  I don’t know who they will vote for but they will each in her own way study the list of candidates and the various ballot measures and issues. They take citizenship seriously.  They won’t listen to a spouse or grown son tell them whom to vote for.  They won’t show up at the polling place unprepared.  These women to the fullest extent take citizenship seriously.   There isn’t a one who doesn’t contribute to the community in numerous ways: volunteering with the library or a church group, making donations to the food bank,  dropping off a casserole to an ailing neighbor, attending local events.  This particular group of women set the bar high.  If everyone contributed as much as these women, sincerely caring about their community and neighbors we would be better off. If everyone seriously studied issues and candidates before voting and did not engage in empty political feuds, we could discuss what matters.

There are Fridays when I feel that these women are maintaining the fabric of our town as they sit around the frames quilting.  Thank goodness they are here.

Thanks

It is official. We have stopped quilting for the summer as a group. Some of the women will work on quilts at home though. The other day I visited Cathryn and she nearly has the lovely orange one finished. Bev worked on the binding with Bonnie to compete the other one we had at the old school house. But now the schoolhouse has been decked out for summer visitors, looking like an old school inside rather than a place filled with quilting frames. Enjoying each other’s company though, we aren’t quite ready to stop meeting at least occasionally in the summer. Later in June all the quilters will gather for lunch and then a field trip to see the studio of a local sculptor.

The reality is that even when these women aren’t quilting on Fridays, they are actively giving to their community in other ways. Mary Louise and Bev volunteer as docents at the Historical Village. Lynda commandeers repairs in the Village during the summer –  the general store roof needs to be patched and the old caboose could use some fixing up.  Cathryn was out planting flowers in the town’s park Saturday with the  Weedettes. Judy is busy helping to arrange this year’s Quilt Show (August 6). Joan will help at the library’s book sale in August. It is understandable that not everyone has the time or energy to contribute to their community. But the amount these women give even in their eighties and nineties continually astounds me.  And humbles me.  They certainly set the bar high for what one can do to make a community a better place to live. Thanks. They really are terrific women.

Shakespeare in the Historical Village

I lost the recipes that Cathy had sent me from the dinner. I promised Sally I would post them last week. Today I finally admitted to the loss and asked Cathy to send them again. I hope no one has bought the ingredients already and is waiting impatiently for the recipes to appear on the blog. Remember who you are dealing with here.

Summer in Eureka. Some people drive through and think we are some sort of dusty, boring town. There is so much going on in the summer though that it is hard to get enough sleep. Since the delicious dinner on Dickey Lake, there was Shakespeare in the Parks. If you haven’t seen this troupe perform- you are definitely missing out. Professional and extremely energetic actors that spend an entire summer touring Montana, setting up and tearing down a

a stage every night and putting on wonderful plays for communities like Eureka. Ten actors in this year’s show – we had selected “Henry V” from the two options. The play happens in the Historical Village and the Sunburst Community Service Foundation sponsors it which means finding the money to pay for it to happen as the public gets to watch the play for free.

This year as the troupe was setting up the stage, a PBS film crew was interviewing me in the Historical Village. They asked questions about Eureka and the valley, the Village and Sunburst and such.  As I tried to explain what makes the Tobacco Valley so special, I realized it is the people who give.  There were those who donated to help bring Shakespeare in the Park to Eureka, the women who quilt to help maintain the Historical Village, the volunteers who made box dinners to sell before the show, the young people who offered to pick up trash and this is just the beginning. I knew the film maker wasn’t interested in my litany of volunteers so I tried explaining the idea of social capital and why our abundance despite high unemployment and low wages makes our town such a good place to live.