Mark your calendars now.  September 29th….3:00 pm until ???.  The Lutheran Heritage Center & Museum will be hosting a party.  It’s an Autumn Museum Driveway Party.

Let me set the stage.  Two years ago, we decided to have an outside party on the day before the total eclipse that occurred in 2017.  It was a great success, and as a result, it was decided that we should do something like it again.  We decided that we were going to try to have such a party every other year.  We hope gatherings like this will take place during the years when we do not have our Immigration Conference.  This is such a year, and we plan to celebrate.  Yes, we admit that we hope to raise some funds for the museum.  However, even more importantly, we want to have an event where the folks in our community can have some fun and fellowship.

First, let’s review.  In August of 2017, we celebrated two events:  The Total Eclipse of 2017 and the 500th Anniversary of the Lutheran Reformation.  We distributed official eclipse-viewing glasses.

We even had Martin Luther show up (with corrective lenses).

Most of the day was spent outside where we had plenty of food from regional vendors, ice cold beverages, and great local musicians.  Here is a gallery of photos which should give you an idea what kind of enjoyment was experienced during that event.  The thumbnails can be clicked to enlarge.

 

That event took place in the extreme heat of August.  It had to be.  The total solar eclipse would take place on the day after this occasion.  There was also an opportunity to visit our museum to cool off.   Some viewed our exhibits and visited our gift shop, some listened to our docents tell stories, and some even took advantage of our library to do some family research.

 

Now the time has come for us to have another party.  The planning committee thought we should have a reason for celebrating, other than the fact that it is two years since the last party.  It’s not that the folks around here need to have a reason to get together and enjoy some food, drink, and fellowship.  We came up with a reason anyway.  We decided it was time to celebrate the dedication of the first permanent church in Altenburg.  That church was completed in 1845 and was dedicated on Pentecost Sunday of that year.  It now serves as one of the galleries for our museum.  It still is called the Old Church or the Big School.  So our party this year will be somewhat of a preliminary birthday party for this building which will be 175 years old next spring.

Now, you may ask, what will be happening at this year’s party?  I guess you could say that we are repeating the same basic formula for success.  We will have some booths set up for some of our local vendors to sell their wares.  We are blessed with several folks in our community who are skillful at making all kinds of tasty delights.  A party in Altenburg almost always offers beer, and our party will be no different.  Some other beverage offerings will also be available.  In addition, we will have music.  Several local musicians are scheduled to form a circle and entertain the crowd with whatever musical rendition they choose to share.  I know these folks are incredibly talented and should be able to entertain the audience that chooses to listen.

There will also be a book signing table set up at this event, and I will be signing copies of my books, Mama Buenger: Mother of a Synod and my latest, Wittenberg ’03: The Coming of a Church.  Not only that, but there will be a “One Day Only” sale on these books.  Instead of the the normal cost of $15.00 per book, on that day, they will only be $14.00.  You can save a dollar per book.

We chose September 29th for a variety of reasons:

• The chances of having more pleasant weather should be better.
• It is a week after the big fair we have in Altenburg…The East Perry Community Fair.  Many local folks are quite involved in that fair, and should be ready to enjoy an event that someone else is planning, not them.
• This year, it is a 5th Sunday of the month.  That means there will be no church dinners or other annual events that occur on a usual week of a given month.

As is always the case, there is no admission cost to visit our museum or attend our parties.  We do encourage you to come and spend your money at some of our vendors.  We do advise you to bring your own lawn chairs if you have any intention to sit down somewhere.  Our booths will be located on the parking lot behind the museum.

 We hope to host a multitude of visitors.  Food, drink, music, and fellowship have always been part of our local culture.  Come and help us Party Like It’s 1845!  The fun starts at three o’clock in the afternoon, Sunday, September 29th.

A quick sneak peek into the future:  The 2021 party will take place during the year when the state of Missouri will be celebrating their Bicentennial, so it looks like we already have a theme for our museum party for that year.