Hobson Museum Officially Opens Its Doors

 The fourth of July, always a holiday filled with red, white and blue, will long be remembered as a true red-ribbon day in Hobson since the highlight of Centennial Celebration and All-Class Reunion was the Grand Opening of the Hobson Museum.

After a year of hard-work to the interior and exterior of the building, in addition to the neighboring grounds, the museum was ready for use during the Centennial Celebration.  The building served as the focal point for the entire celebration, hosting the registration desk, acting as the lost and found department, providing space for memorabilia sales, displaying the creative art projects that were later auctioned off at the “Boots, Brews, and Barbecue” event, and offering visitors a dazzling display of Hobson’s distinctive past with a show of dozens of historical photographs.

 Registration began Thursday, July 3 and lasted throughout the weekend.  Nearly 1,500 people officially registered for the events, but many more people were on hand for such activities as the parade, the street dance, and the soap box derby races.

 On Friday, July 4, after the hour-long parade, the American flag was proudly raised in the beautiful new courtyard in front of the museum.  The Hobson sixth grade class, led by Karen Hickey, raised monies for the concrete benches, and was also responsible for obtaining the flag.  With the help of Senator Max Baucus, the students were able to get two American flags which had previously flown over the U.S. Capital Building in Washington, D.C.

 After the flag raising ceremony, Friends of the Hobson Library President Marian Stevenson made some thoughtful remarks and thanked the community and all the dedicated citizens for their hard work which made the museum possible. The Friends (also known affectionately as “The Crazies”) Cynthia Denton, Marilyn Derks, Marian Stevenson, Connie Metcalfe, and Liesl Holtz then proceeded to cut the red, white, and blue ribbon stretching across the veranda of the museum and announced the Grand Opening of the building.

 The grounds surrounding the museum was also a focal point of the celebration.  The 5,000 square feet of sod that had been placed in late May made the perfect setting for four large tents that accommodated nearly 1,000 people and served as home to the official reunion dinner on Friday night when 900 people were served a fabulous dinner of barbecued beef and pig on Friday night.  On Saturday evening the museum grounds also hosted nearly 450 people who dined on gourmet food and tasted a wide variety of wines and specialty beers during the eagerly-awaited 2^nd annual “Boots, Brews, and Barbecue” event.

 The “Boots, Brews, & BBQ” spectacular more than lived up to its billing and publicity. Featuring “Larry Denton Uncorked” and “Don Derks Unleashed” this lively duo put on a laugh-filled, one hour skit and baked a Centennial Birthday Cake.  Attendees ate pieces of the cake and proudly sang Happy Birthday to celebrate Hobson’s 100^th birthday. 

Also highlighting the evening was an auction of donated art works and the #1 Centennial Commemorative plate donated by Nancy and Roger Epkes—which brought in $1,000 for the museum coffers. 

The evening event concluded with a “Nailcutta”—a Calcutta-type auction of five teams of five women “nail pounders.”  This event was in commemoration of a similar event that was held during Hobson’s fourth anniversary in 1912.   

The captain of each team was a board member of the Friends of the Hobson Library/Museum who then chose four additional team mates from spectators in the audience.  They were then given the chance to display their physical strength and carpentry skills by driving a nail into a piece of wood attached to a sawhorse.  The first team to successfully drive all five nails was declared the winner.  Auctioneer Jayson Shobe sold the teams for high dollar—the total funds equaling $4,195.  Fifty percent went the museum while the remaining half was split amongst the winning bidders. 

Liesl Holtz captained the winning team and was joined by Deidra Murray, Traci Mikkelson, Amy Hughes, and Karla Synkelma.  Rick and Sarah Stevenson, “owners” of the winning team, took home a prize of nearly $1,200. 

Co-chairpersons of the Centennial event Gerri Campbell and Valerie Carr are to be commended for the dedication, perseverance, organization, and hard work in making the celebration a wonderful experience for all who attended.  As the official slogan said, “A grand celebration 100 years in the making!”

 Click on a photo below to enlarge

 

Click here for a History of the Museum

Mission
The Mission of the Hobson Historical Museum is to actively preserve the heritage and history of the Judith Basin and create a connection between the past, present and future of the area through collections, stewardship, exhibits and programs that educate and enrich.

Thanks to the support of our wonderful donors, The Friends of the Hobson Library - Museum Project serves as a center of developing and presenting the heritage and history of the Judith Basin with an emphasis on the communities of Hobson, Moccasin, Kolin, Buffalo, Straw, Utica, and Benchland.  The Museum relies on the support of individuals and welcomes gifts at all levels. Please print out a Contribution Form and mail it to us at:

Friends of the Hobson Library/Museum Project
Marilyn Derks, Treasurer
PO Box 325
Hobson, MT 59452

If you have questions, please contact: Marian Stevenson at 406.423.5603 or marian@hobsonmuseum.org, or Marilyn Derks at 406.423.5476 or email marilyn@hobsonmuseum.org.

Visit the Hobson Library Site to see all the improvements and happenings at the library. http://www.hobsonlibrary.org