Spring/Summer 2015 • Vol. 2, Issue 8 25 years of Saturday in the Park featured n honor of the 25th year of Sioux City’s premier summer music festi- Ival, the Sioux City Public Museum will showcase a new exhibit, Saturday in the Park: Rockin’ for 25 Years. Among the exhibit highlights are a full run of event posters (many of them autographed by the performers), two original paintings by Sioux City artist Mark Kochen (one of which was the basis for the 2010 poster), a 20th An- niversary quilt made out of Saturday in the Park T-Shirts, dozens of photo- graphs of the performers and a wide range of memorabilia. Video/audio Examples of the wide range of memorabilia to be showcased in the Saturday in clips of several performances will also the Park: Rockin’ for 25 Years exhibit opening on June 13. be featured. Restoration of Peirce Mansion celebrated our years of restoration efforts While the Peirce Man- Before sion served as the site were celebrated at an open for the Sioux City Public house on April 12 at the Peirce Museum, the walls of the F ballroom were covered Mansion. Volunteers have painstak- with panels that shielded ingly transformed the Victorian-era the original fireplace and windows. Today, the mansion to a period home after the ballroom is available for Sioux City Public Museum moved to a dances and parties. new facility in downtown Sioux City in April 2011. The servants’ quarters was the final area to be restored. After The Peirce Mansion hosts open house events on a near quarterly basis to showcase the progress of restoration efforts to the public. The next opportunity for the public to tour the Mansion will be Saturday, July 18 from 1 to 4 p.m. as part of Sioux City’s RAGBRAI (Register’s Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa) festivities. See page 4 for more about the Peirce Mansion. Photographs by Deanna Daniels The Sioux City Public Museum collects, preserves, and interprets cultural and social history with an emphasis on Sioux City and the region. GRAND OPENING Experience the history of Sioux City like never before! You are invited to celebrate the grand opening of the new Sioux City Public Museum. Explore state-of-the-art interactive displays, engaging permanent exhibits, rare Sioux City artifacts and so much more. Please join us on this history-making day as we present ÒOur New MuseumÓ to the community. WHO: Sioux City Public Museum WHAT: Grand Opening Ceremony & Ribbon Cutting WHEN: Saturday, April 23, 2011 at 10:00 a.m. WHERE: 607 4th Street Director’s Report by Steve Hansen pring Greetings and in mind at all of our sites. Speaking of our collections, what a great spring Summer will see the Annual part of our mission is the col- we are having at the Bill Diamond Classic and lection and preservation of sites of the Sioux City Antique Car Show and the Sioux City and regional his- SPublic Museum. We have Lewis and Clark Encamp- tory and we are always on more tour groups than ever, ment on the riverfront at the the hunt for treasures that will a wider range of program of- complement our collections ferings and an exciting sum- Keep us in mind because and exhibits. It is very possible mer full of events planned for what you think is “stuff” you or someone you know all ages! As you read through we may think of as have Sioux City history in the our recent news I am sure valuable history! house or garage and it is just you will find something of one step from going to the interest and hopefully it will Sgt. Floyd Welcome Center. dump or elsewhere. Keep us spark your desire to visit us The Peirce Mansion already in mind because what you this summer. has dozens of events booked think is “stuff” we may think of and we will offer education as valuable history! As we prepare for our 5th programs there also. Look for year at the new downtown new additions to our perma- Thank you for your support as site, I look forward to the nent gallery and announce- we continue to make history great ideas for activities that ments of stunning additions every day! our staff and volunteers have to our collection! Volunteer Spotlight Joan Johnson hen asked what she expedition. Joan was one of likes about volunteer- 44 participants in 2003 who Wing at the Sergeant received extensive training Floyd River Museum & Wel- about the local events that come Center, Joan Johnson were an integral part of the said, “It’s so amazing to know Lewis and Clark expedition. that people from all over the They also learned about the world stop here; they are so general history of the area interesting to visit with.” and the Loess Hills as well as information about other local After retirement, Joan participated in the A native western Iowan, tourist sites. After the initial Siouxland Discovery Corps program and became a Welcome Center volunteer Joan worked for Cloverleaf year-long training, members in 2003. She later earned her Iowa Travel Cold Storage then the Iowa of the Siouxland Discovery Counselor Certification. Department of Transporta- Corps received ongoing “Joan works extra shifts, she tion until 2002. After her re- training with periodic meet- shares her wonderful food for tirement, Joan joined the ings and educational pro- events, and she is just a joy to Siouxland Discovery Corps. grams through the end of the be around.” Created by the Sioux City commemoration in 2006. Public Museum and the Ju- In her free time, Joan enjoys nior League of Sioux City, the The training paid off. “Her ser- the different activities the program trained a group of vice has been priceless,” said community has to offer in- potential volunteers to lead Kathy Meisner, Welcome cluding the Sioux City Explor- activities in commemora- Center Supervisor. As Meisner ers, Orpheum Theatre, and tion of the Lewis and Clark enthusiastically explained, Tyson Event Center concerts. Museum meets endowment challenge grant goal hanks to the support of The Museum’s Education/ more than 100 donors, Exhibit Endowment Fund was Tthe Sioux City Public established within the Sioux- Museum met the Gilchrist land Community Founda- Endowment Challenge in tion to give donors a simple December. The grant was a and efficient way to support dollar-for-dollar match of up the Museum and provide a to $40,000. Gifts ranged in source of lasting revenue. size from $10 to $20,000. Now that the Museum’s capi- Although the challenge grant is over, Iowa tal campaign is nearly com- residents may still receive tax credits for “Endowment dollars are of- plete, efforts have turned to Museum endowment donations given via the Siouxland Community Foundation. Visit ten the most difficult to raise” building a healthy endow- www.siouxcitymuseum.org/get-involved for said Steve Hansen, Museum ment for the future. details. Director. “Our donors appre- ciate that one hundred per- Already the Museum’s en- being used for summer edu- cent of the proceeds from dowment dollars are being cational programming and our endowment fund go to put to work. Each year, a exhibit costs. (For a complete educational and exhibit ac- portion of the interest is avail- listing of summer camps and tivities.” able. This year, funds are classes, see page 6.) Building on the success of “Tourist in Your Own Town” program isit Sioux City’s local “Many residents are surprised Library, Tyson Events Center/ cultural and entertain- at how much our commu- Gateway Arena, Long Lines Vment attractions this nity has to offer ‘right in our Family Rec Center, Sioux City summer as part of the “Tourist own backyard’ – especially Convention Center, Dorothy in Your Own Town” program attractions that are free,” Pecaut Nature Center, Lewis to win an array of prizes. said Steve Hansen, Museum & Clark Interpretive Center/ Once again, the Sioux City Director. “We were pleased Betty Strong Encounter Cen- Public Museum and Sergeant with the changes made to ter, The Railroad Museum Floyd River Museum & Wel- the program last year.” – Sioux City, Mid America come Center are participat- Museum of Aviation & Trans- ing in the program. In the past, the program was portation, and Trinity Heights/ limited to just a couple weeks Queen of Peace. in May. For the first time last year, residents had the entire Information on each loca- months of June and July to tion and special activities to complete the passport book- get the most out of the visit lets. The booklets showcas- is featured in the booklet. ing Sioux City’s tourist des- A drawing for prizes will be tinations proved to be very held among those families popular. In addition to being who visit eight of the places available at the Public Mu- showcased in the booklet. “Tourist seum and Welcome Center, That means fewer stamps in Your the booklets will be available are needed to be eligible for Own Town” at these locations: Palmer’s the Sioux City “Stay-cation” passport Old Tyme Candy Shoppe, grand prize than last year. A booklets are now Sioux City Art Center, IBP list of winners/prizes will be available. Ice Center, Sioux City Public posted on VisitSiouxCity.org. Peirce Mansion provides elegant setting Photograph by Stuart Li (www.facebook.com/StuArtandPhotography) he first event after resto- ration work began was Ta small wedding on the staircase in spring 2011. To- day, the Mansion is available to rent for birthday parties, graduation receptions, wed- dings, and company events. Built in 1893 by local devel- oper John Peirce, the home was purchased by the Ju- nior League of Sioux City for $10,000 in 1958.