The Jacksonville Area Museum is gearing up for its grand opening next month.
The museum is scheduling volunteer training sessions on Thursday, August 26th at 6PM and 10AM Saturday, August 28th for those who wish to apply to be a part of presenting the museum to the public.
Executive Director David Blanchette says that volunteers will be a crucial piece of the museum’s day-to-day operations: “[Potential volunteers] only need to attend one of those two sessions for those who wish to apply to be a part of presenting this exciting, new, local attraction to the public. Volunteers should be willing to greet the public and answer any basic questions that the public might have about the museum. There will be other, assorted light tasks that are associated with it. Basically, since we are an all-volunteer board and an all-volunteer institution, volunteers are going to be an extremely important part of the day-to-day operation of this facility.”
Blanchette says that several local service organizations have pledged volunteers on specific days each month as part of their commitment to keeping the museum open. The museum will be following all CDC and IDPH protocols in place at this time upon opening.
Blanchette says the grand opening and special events leading up to the grand opening are just around the corner: “We will have our grand opening on Saturday, September 25th at 10AM. We are still putting the final touches on what we want to do at that ceremony. We do know that we will have a members-only preview event, which will be offered on Wednesday, September 22nd. The invitations for that will soon be mailed out, so people who are museum members – this is going to be one of the perks that they get.”
The museum will be open thereafter from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday each week. Admission will be free, but since the museum is entirely funded by donations, a free will donation of $5 is suggested to help keep the institution operating.
The Jacksonville Area Museum will use original artifacts, storytelling exhibits, and the building itself to show people the history, past and present, of Jacksonville. For more information, visit jacksonvilleareamuseum.org or connect with them on Facebook.