MONDAY MORNING MUSEUM UPDATE – August 5, 2024 – Lindsborg Old Mill & Swedish Heritage Museum

In this week’s update: Last week of Sunflower Summer, halfway on tax credits grant, new executive director, and more!

In our weekly update, keep up to date on what staff and volunteers at the Lindsborg Old Mill & Swedish Heritage Museum are working on to lift up the history of Lindsborg and the surrounding region. This weekly update both looks back at what happened last week and looks ahead at what’s coming.

For July 29 – August 4, 2024:

- This is the LAST WEEK for families with Kansas students to visit the museum for FREE with the Sunflower Summer app! The program runs through August 11, but the last eligible day the museum will be open is August 10. Make sure to take this week and take full advantage of attending more than 220 events and attractions in Kansas!
- With a new $20,000 commitment, we have effectively reached the halfway point (49%) on fundraising under the Community Service Program (CSP) Tax Credits through the Kansas Department of Commerce. Read about all the latest here: www.oldmillmillmuseum.org/save-the-pavilion!
  We’ve had 28 individuals, families, and businesses contribute to this progress to the tune of $117,300. We need about another $50,000 before the funding for the essential structural repair is secured.
  Have we heard from you yet?
  Any Kansas resident can qualify to receive back a 70% fully refundable tax credit on their Kansas return with a donation of $250 or more to the project! The available tax credits will be used to enhance fundraising efforts for the Pavilion Restoration & Improvement Project. The credits are expected to raise $238,000 in donations, which will fully cover critical stabilization repairs to prevent collapse of the historic structure and will partially cover installation of a new, more historically accurate roof.
  This will be a successful initiative only if individuals, families, and organizations step forward to give under the program’s tax credit opportunity. Please carefully consider your own ability to give to this project, and to share this opportunity with your own friends and family!
- The first session in the Historical Speaker Series about Albertha Sundstrom is this Saturday, August 10. The Historic Speaker Series is a set of online talks in partnership with the Smoky Valley Historical Association featuring great historical figures in Lindsborg and Smoky Valley History. Registration is completely FREE to the first 100 to sign up and is made possible with a grant from Humanities Kansas. You can read more about the entire speaker series and register your attendance at www.oldmillmuseum.org/historical-speaker-series!
- We want to welcome our new Executive Director – Aubrey Wheeler – who had her first day on the job on August 1! The previous director – Lenora Lynam – is staying on board as Mission Director to help create a smooth transition. We’ll be sharing more about Aubrey, her background, and her plans for the Lindsborg Museum this week. Watch for more details at www.oldmillmuseum.org/news on Friday!
- We will be holding a special “Museum Media Day” from 9 a.m. – noon on this Thursday, August 8, at the Lindsborg Museum. During this special opportunity, journalists will have the very first public interview opportunity with our new Executive Director, learn details about the tax credits opportunity that will save the 120-year-old historic Swedish Pavilion, get a guided tour of the recent repairs and renovations to our many historic buildings, and even get a taste of our signature ice cream flavor – Old Mill Mint – created by local creamery Indigo Moo’d! If you or someone you know is a journalist who would like to come, please drop an email to Adam Pracht at adam.pracht@oldmillmuseum.org so we can plan on your attendance!
- Last Thursday morning, we appeared as special guests on the Chamber Chat segment on Ad Astra Radio! Our thanks to the station and the McPherson Chamber of Commerce for helping to bring attention to museum news and the need for giving under the Community Service Program tax credits to save the Swedish Pavilion! Missed it? Listen to the segment HERE.

NOW OPEN: “Skeleton-Of-Dog… Selected Geology & Natural History Artifacts from the Bethany College Collection Archives” is a temporary mini-exhibit at the museum featuring some unique artifacts not seen in public for decades!
Our Endowment Campaign 2025 is ongoing to add $1 million to our endowment in supporting our annual operational budget to make sure that not only do we preserve these historical treasures, but we can also “keep the lights on.” Read more on the flyer and giving form below, or visit to www.oldmillmuseum.org/donations to learn more!