September is a quiet program month at the Chippewa Valley Museums as we welcome back school groups and prepare for the fall season. But get your calendar ready for October is set to deliver lots of activities. 

It's a Wrap (sort of)

AmeriCorps Member Tim Hirsch Completes 2022-23 Service Year at Chippewa Valley Museums

Tim's specific highlights from this year include:

• Connecting with more than 250 volunteers 

• Organizing a joint volunteer session for Wisconsin Logging Museum and Chippewa Valley Museum prior to merger

• Coordinating the annual Volunteer Recognition Dinner

• Recruiting, coordinating, and supporting volunteers helping with the June blood drive and US Open Chainsaw Sculpture Championship

• Coordinating the Wintermission snowshoe check-out program at the  museum

I'm happy to report Tim has signed on for a second AmeriCorps year and MCHS agreed to assign him to Chippewa Valley Museums. Below is Tim's reflection on his 2022-23 year:

I look forward to returning for a second year at the museum as an AmeriCorps member. I have accomplished and learned much in the past year. I helped connect staff and volunteers, organized the volunteer dinner in April, and topped it all off with the US Open Chainsaw Sculpture Championship in August. I appreciate how curious and helpful this museum community is, and have enjoyed seeing it grow with the merger of our museums. -- Tim

We're looking forward to another year of growth and development in the volunteer program.

Escape Room Fundraiser

September 30 - October 29

Tactical Escape 101 takes over the Schlegelmilch House basement for another creepy holiday escape room fundraiser. This year, game players will have to deal with Krampus, the demon of Christmas. 

Location: Historic Schlegelmilch House, 517 S. Farwell Street

Cost: $140, 2-4 players, $35 each additional player up to 12 max.

Minimum age: 12
Reservations required. Bookings available Wednesday, Friday-Sunday, Sept. 30 - Oct. 29.

For questions contact Tactical Escape 101, 715-418-0012. For information about admission, reservations, and hours, visit tacticalescape101.com and select "Schlegelmilch CVM-Fundraiser"

A Different Halloween Event

Creepy escape rooms not your thing? How about outdoor exercise? Challenge your body, not your mind, by participating in the Indianhead Track Club's 55th annual Carson Park 5 & 10 on Saturday, October 28. Costumed running is encouraged. Proceeds benefit the museums and Indianhead Track Club.

Opening October 6th

Have You Heard?

The long-awaited re-opening of the Farm House Theater is just about here. Have You Heard?, a multimedia experience about music in the Chippewa Valley, opens October 6th. Members and contributors have been invited to special private screenings to celebrate this milestone. Starting October 6th, viewings of Have You Heard? will be included with regular museum admission.

If you're a member or contributor and didn't receive an invitation, please contact Dustyn Dubuque, d.dubuque@cvmuseum.com

Vintage Skills

All About Vintage Base Balls

Saturday, October 14

Corky Gaskell, board member of the National Vintage Base Ball Association, will be at the museum on October 14 to share some of base ball's early history as it emerges as an organized sport in the19th Century.

Program: Vintage Base Ball History, 2:30 - 3:30, included with museum admission. 30 seats available. Pre-registration is encouraged with walk-up registration available as space allows.

Workshop: Build Your Own Base Ball, 3:30 - 6:30. Limited to 8 participants. $30 members/ $40 non-members. Fee includes base ball history program at 2:30, materials, and instruction.

Contact Karen at k.jacobson@cvmuseum.com or 715-834-7871 with questions.

Members --

 to receive discounts, log in prior to registering for lecture or workshop. For log in assistance contact Jill York

American Red Cross Blood Drive

October 23, 10:00 am - 4:00 pm

If you're able to give blood, take the time to add this blood drive to your schedule. Make a blood donation appointment today by selecting the button below. Use Chippewa Valley Museum as the sponsor code. For registration assistance, contact Carrie Ronnander (until 9/15) or Tim Hirsch (after 9/15)

Enjoy the transition from summer to autumn, and as one of my new favorite (but not new) songs says, "May all your favorite bands stay together."

Carrie Ronnander
Chippewa Valley Museum Executive Director

P.S. A "very old" gravestone in the Chippewa Valley dates to the 1860s. You might find one with an earlier date, but it will likely be a replacement gravestone. Most gravestones are marble or granite, with some exceptions, and you'll see symbols which emphasize life, not death.

None of this is true for the 17th and 18th century burial grounds I visited in Boston. These graveyards were populated with soapstone monuments decorated with death's heads and "you are mortal" messaging, like this epitaph for a 26-year-old:

Stop here my Friends & Cast an Eye as you are now so Once was I as I am now so you must be - Prepare for Death & Follow me.

Joseph Tapping, d. 1678, Kings Chapel Burying Ground, Boston

Seeing the pre-19th century graveyards helped me better understand that burial grounds are as much a product of their time and local culture as any other built environment. Bob Gough and Greg Kocken really drive this point home in their book Rest in Nature: A Guide to Eau Claire's Forest Hill Cemetery. I've looked at my own copy of Rest in Nature so often that it already has a dog-eared corner. (It hasn't helped that I've dragged the booklet to Forest Hill for my own self-guided on more than one occasion).It's because of this book that I know why I see cherubs and not winged skulls on children's gravestones found in Forest Hill Cemetery. 

You can find Rest in Nature in-person at Chippewa Valley Museums gift shops, online at cvmuseum.com, and at The Local Store. It's a good read and a great resource.