Waseca Historical Society holds open house

The annual Holiday Open House at the Waseca County Historical Museum was held Saturday, December 3, 2022, with entertainment provided by students of Waseca High School.

The Holiday Open House is an event which Historical Society Staff look forward to each year. It features a special exhibit which centers around a theme: this year, inspired by the high school drama department’s production, the theme is a “bookish, Little Women-centric” one. The exhibit, which will remain on display through the winter,  includes not only items from the Historical Society’s collection in storage, but also some donated specifically for the holiday exhibit. This year visitors are able to see a ceremonial robe used by the Odd Fellows in the early 1900s;  the Santa costume worn by Allen Wolf, owner of Wolf & Habein’s Department Store from circa 1948; old letters written to Santa Claus by children in Waseca County, and a photo of the cast of Little Women, once performed at the New Richland High School which includes Historical Society staff member Pauline Fenelon.

At noon, members of the Select and State Street choirs, directed by Tim Delnay, performed a program of winter and Christmas songs. Selections included “Somewhere in my Memory” and “Exultate Justi” by John Williams, “White Christmas” by The Drifters featuring soloists Lindsey Kopetzki and Lucas Vasquez, and a number of other songs and traditional carols. All the songs featured will be performed by the full choirs at their Winter Concert, to be held December 19 at 7 p.m. The concert will also include the traditional “Hallelujah Chorus” during which alumni are invited to share the stage with current students.

Following the choral performance, the cast of the Waseca Drama Department’s recently closed production of Little Women staged a vignette. Director Anna Pollock introduced the performance and thanked the Historical Society for its support. During the rehearsal period for the play, the cast visited the Historical Society to learn about the costumes, and about Waseca County during the 1860s when the play is set. The cast performed the Christmas scene, and even in a single scene the actors brought emotional depth and range to the stage.

The exhibit created for the Holiday Open House remains on display throughout the winter months, to allow as many people as possible to see this unique display of Waseca County history. The Waseca County Historical Museum’s regular hours are from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Tuesday through Friday.