"Night for the Museum" with a member of "The Greatest Generation" Mr. George Turner

The June 9th, 2008 “Night for the Museum” will be a night to remember. Dorcheat Museum’s director; Schelley Brown, announces another special historic venue event. Monday, June 9th, 2008, Mr. George Turner another one of Minden’s longtime citizen’s will be the guest speaker at The Dorcheat Historical Association’s “Night for the Museum”. Don’t miss this exciting and entertaining evening of hearing our parish history as told by a 4th generation Minden resident. This informative night dealing with one of Webster parish’s pioneering families is sure to be well received by all those attending. It has been said about Mr. Turner, “He is a quite hero”. Ms. Brown exclaimed, “I am so excited about this event because these men and women that fought in World War II overcame incredible obstacles in battle, to return home to their families. Their stories need to be recorded and remembered for future generations. I think everyone will enjoy hearing the wonderful stories that Mr. Turner; (a Bronze Star with Oak Leaf Cluster recipient) has to tell; not only about World War II but also his stories about his life in Minden and his knowledge of the forgotten community of Long Springs!”
Mark you calendars now and keep the second Monday of every month open for “Night for the Museum Historic Events”. These type events will eventually be held in the museum, when the area to be known as the “Children’s Learning Center” is completed. Museum coordinators are again expecting a large turnout, so you may want to bring your lawn chairs again just in case of a shortage of seating! The last three months performances by Mr. Frank Griffith, Marcus Wren and Webster Nation were both held to packed houses. These types of events are something the museum wants to offer on a regular basis as entertainment and a living history lesson. July’s event will feature Dr. Steve Kirkikis and an informative night dealing with the immigrant families that had such a huge and important influence on Webster Parish.
Mr. Turner will be speaking at Christopher’s located at 615 Main Street in Minden, Louisiana. Refreshments will be provided by Charlotte Martin and sponsored by Ty Pendergrass of Argent Financial. Refreshments will be served at 6:00 P.M. and an opening welcome from Mr. Thad Andress; President of the Dorcheat Historical Association & Museum, Inc. and introduction by Webster Parish historian; John Agan. Program will begin at 6:30 with a special gift basket to be given away to a lucky attendee at the end of the evening!
Museum director Schelley Brown stated, “With the help of Phil Demaline, these speaking engagements are being recorded so that we will have a digital record for the museum of all our local history. Our last three DVD’s featuring Mr. Griffith, Mr. Wren and Mr. Nation are still available for $10. Sound system will again be provided by Durwood Blake allowing everyone the opportunity to not miss a single word. A tour of the museum will be available to everyone following the program. This will give everyone the chance to see the museum just one day before its official opening on June 10th at 10 a.m. “Even though the museum is a long way from completion we are going to open so that people can appreciate what we are doing and where we are going with this project. It is always going to be a work in progress. A museum changes daily as people bring in artifacts and documents. For anyone that has taken a tour they know that this museum is so far beyond what people expect. It is going to be a huge asset to Webster Parish”, stated Ms. Brown.
Don’t miss your chance at hearing some exciting stories of Minden’s past from someone that remembers many important events and people that changed our community and are forever markers in time for Minden. Admission is free of charge and everyone is welcome. For more information on “A Night for the Museum with Mr. George Turner” please contact Schelley Brown at 318-423-0192 or visit http://www.museuminminden.blogspot.com/ . Reservations not required first come first serve seating.

“A Wonderful Night of History”
“Night for the Museum with Mr. George Turner” was the 4th in the now monthly events for the new Dorcheat Historical Association Museum. “I think this was our biggest turnout yet! These nights of history have turned into something the people of Minden are supporting in a big way. I think everyone is really enjoying their selves, it gives everyone an opportunity to not only learn history or reminisce but it gives the people in Minden a place to come and socialize once a month with old friends that they may not see often. It really has become the place to be and that is exactly what I hoped for.”, stated museum director; Schelley Brown.
These events are held at 6 P.M. every second Monday night at Christopher’s located at 615 Main Street in Minden. Last night’s speaker, Mr. George Turner told of the forgotten resort of Long Springs, his early childhood memories as well as his time spent in Europe and his experiences in WWII. The crowd set in complete silence as they were pulled into Mr. Turner’s narration of his life. Mr. Turner’s memory of dates was amazing. “It was like it happened just yesterday when you listened to his story.”, remarked a member of the crowd.
This quite man gives all the glory to God and said he is so thankful for the life he has led here in Minden. Being from one of Minden’s oldest pioneer families, his story of the wagon train that brought his great grandparents to the area was a time travel experience for everyone. As a child he grew up doing his homework by lantern and taking baths behind the stove in a #3 washtub. Some of the others in the crowd remembered these days too; but for those of us that have grown up with electricity and running water it made you think how far the world has come in just a short period of time.
The night ended with Father Wayne Carter of St. John’s Episcopal Church winning the 1940’s themed gift basket followed by a tour by everyone to the now open Dorcheat Historical Museum. Another advantage of these events is the items that people are coming forward and donating. “Last night’s donations were a treasure trove of Webster parish artifacts. Items dug from the site of Long Spring’s resort, a political card from 1920’s Minden mayor; Connell Fort and old tools with an advertising paper from Webb Hardware Company were given by different individuals. All of these types’ of items that people may have are so important to make this museum something that we can all be proud of.”, stated Ms. Brown.
Don’t forget that the Dorcheat Museum opens today with admission fee waived for the month of June. Hours are as follows; closed on Monday, open Tuesday-Friday 10 a.m.-1 p.m. closed from 1- 2 for lunch and open again from 2 - 4 p.m. If you would like to volunteer time at the new museum or donated items please contact Schelley Brown at 423-0192. Remember this is everyone’s museum so take part!