Comfort Food

We have not shared any recipes lately and with fall 'in the air', it seems like a good time for comfort food.

Meat Loaf is a favorite comfort food.

Martha's Meatloaf

Also in Martha's box was a recipe, "Stuffing for Duck".

Martha Dirksen's Recipe Box

If anyone tries it, let us know if it is as good as Martha thought it sounded.

 Finally, if unexpected guest stopped by, Martha had a solution.

Martha Dirksen's Recipe Box

What are some of your favorite comfort foods?

An Excellent Adventure

When you work in a museum, it can be hard to find time to 'be a visitor' at other museums. So, when the opportunity came to go on a field trip to Lyons, we took it!   

On Wednesday (Sept 19) the HCHM staff  toured the Smithsonian traveling exhibit at our Partner Site, Coronado-Quivira Museum in Lyons, Ks.

Lana Myers, Deb Hiebert, Jane Jones
in front of the Coronado Quivira Museum

First things first though. Before traveling to Lyons, we stopped for lunch at the Courtyard on Main, 203 S. Main in McPherson.  Delicious!

Courtyard on  Main Interior

The Way We Worked Title Panel

First, we went through the companion exhibit, By the Sweat of Their Brows: The Men, Mechanics & Science of Salt, which focused on the salt industry in Rice County.  The exhibit is quite interesting and there were some similarities between working in the salt mines (Lyons) and working on the railroad (Newton) as both relied on immigrants from Mexico for labor.  I was interested to note that the exhibit labels were in both Spanish and English. We also had the opportunity to visit with  museum director/curator, Maggie Carlson.  It is always good to touch base with other museum professionals!

Case for "By the Sweat of Their Brows

The Way We Worked is the newest traveling exhibit from the Smithsonian Institution's Museums on Main Street program. Some themes of the exhibit include work & American identity, the workplace and the impact of technology on work.

The exhibit is bright and colorful with lots of images reflecting all the different ways Americans have worked and continue to work.

Deb found the missing curator, Kris Schmucker

The Way We Worked will be at the Coronado Quivira Museum through October 21, 2012.  From Lyons, the exhibit will travel to Hugoton, Kansas. 

For a complete schedule of host sites visit:

•  http://kansashumanities.org/programs/the-way-we-worked/tour-schedule/

 and information on the Partner Site activities (including HCHM)

• http://kansashumanities.org/programs/the-way-we-worked/partner-sites/

Although we went to see the local exhibit related to work and the Smithsonian exhibit, the other exhibits were also interesting. 

The exhibits were well worth the drive and we enjoyed our time spent at the Coronado Quivira Museum in Lyons!

Mystery Solved

The exhibit, The Way We Worked: Serving Harvey County, is complete; but the exhibit was only one part of the project.  Throughout the next year we will host programs and events related to the exhibit, and some of the events will provide an opportunity for you to contribute to the exhibit both at the museum and at off-site locations. See our most recent newsletter (Fall 2012) for more details or click  on link  to download the newsletter - http://hchm.org/WhatsHappening.html.  We will also be posting on Facebook.

In several of the news releases about the exhibit, we used one of our favorite photographs.

Like many of our photographs, this one had limited information associated with it.  The waitress was not identified and the only note on the back was "Cedar Village Cafe".  Photo tech, Linda Koppes, had tried to identify the location, but when she compared the counter and other features in the photograph with photographs clearly identified as Cedar Village Cafe in the Cedar Village Shopping Center at 11th & Washington Road in Newton, there were little discrepancies.  It was enough different that she could not say with absolute certainty that it was the same cafe.

Shortly after the photo appeared in the Newton Kansan, we received several calls.  One caller said, "I think that is my sister."  Helen Partridge came in to visit with Linda, and she brought more photos.

She identified her sister, Marilyn Havens Brickell as the waitress in the photograph and shared the above photo that gave a wider view of the counter and our next clue.  The "Wolfs Ice Cream" sign is clearly visible and that reminded Linda of another photograph from a newspaper.

Mr.& Mrs. Geer, Village Cafe
Newton Kansan, April 1, 1954

When the Cedar Village Shopping Center opened in the spring of 1954, the Newton Kansan printed a special edition featuring all the businesses.  Now we had a name, a confirmation of the place and a date for the photograph.  Linda also noted that based on the photographs in our collection, the lunch counter at the Village Cafe (now Curtis C's) has been changed at least three times. 

Village Cafe, Bob Zook, owner

One mystery solved.

The Way We Worked

After nearly a year of research and planning it is almost time for the new exhibit in the Schroeder Gallery to open!

 The Way We Worked:  Serving Harvey County was developed in connection with the Smithsonian traveling exhibit, The Way We Worked, which will be on exhibit in Kansas this coming year.  Underwritten by the Kansas Humanities Council, the exhibit at HCHM is one of sixteen Partner Site Projects developed locally in connection with the nationally touring Smithsonian exhibit.

Visit the KHC web site for complete details of statewide activities www.kansashumanities.org
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The exhibit will open Saturday, Sept 8.  On Sunday, Sept 16 at 2:00, Linda Koppes will present a program at the museum, The Way We Worked: The Work Continues.  For more details about this and other activities throughout the coming year visit our web page http://hchm.org/.