Calendar of Events 2008

May 10th Spring Fling

• Opening the Garden
• Heritage Seed Swap
• Preparing the Fields
• Antique Tractors
• Spring Lambs - Sheep Shearing
• Craft Demonstrations and Sales
• Traditional Music and Dance

July 13th Summer Harvest

• Draft Animals in Action
• Making Hay, building the haystack
• Garden harvests and taste tests
• Workshop debut
• Recipe Swap
• Open Hearth Cooking
• Craft Demonstrations and Sales
• Traditional Music and Dance

September 13th Fall Harvest

• Putting things by: canning, drying and pickling
• Fence mending/white washing, demo of rural building
• Stories of the Stitch Quilt Show
• Craft Demonstrations and Sales
• Traditional Music and Dance

Fund Raising Kick-Off!

This letter represents the first annual membership and fund raising campaign held on behalf of the Matthews Living History Farm Museum. Proceeds will support the further development and operation of the museum.

In 2001, the late Judge Matthews and his wife Claire donated a small homestead and 21 acres near Galax, VA. His wish was to preserve the cultural heritage of this region. Since its inception, the museum has accomplished a great deal. A small group of dedicated volunteers has worked together to restore and improve the property. They have put in gardens and fruit trees, added livestock and livestock pens, and built fences, a spring house, an equipment shed, a work room and a two story barn. The museum has acquired a nearly complete collection of farm tools and equipment. Also, museum volunteers have introduced an annual series of interpreted programs and events, which are held once a month from spring through fall. These programs have incorporated local artists and musicians and have attracted increasing visitation each year. All of this has been achieved at nominal cost. This group has added nearly $60,000 of value, built almost entirely with the voluntary contribution of labor, equipment, materials, and other services.

The museum has now come to an important threshold. Those involved would like to expand the level and quality of programs and to make it more accessible to schools and the general public. At the same time we need to find new ways to financially support this effort. Small museums and other cultural institutions are facing enormous financial, regulatory, and related difficulties. State and federal funding, as well as private financial resources have diminished in recent years.

Specifically, we are seeking to raise funds for the following projects:

• The relocation and restoration of a circa 1850 Log Cabin, that has been donated
• The construction of a visitors' pavilion with public restrooms
• Hiring of a part time staff person to assist in organizing programs and development work

The ultimate goal of the Matthews Farm Museum remains important. Those involved in preserving this cultural heritage are seeking to preserve this legacy because it remains critically important for the future. The cultural values of this region are essential to what made the United States grow and develop into a great country. We are now asking you to invest in this undertaking with your financial support and participation.