Museum of North Idaho offers free admission Saturday
COEUR d'ALENE - The Museum of North Idaho will offer free admission 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday as part of the Smithsonian magazine's 10th annual Museum Day Live!
Visitors are encouraged to download the free ticket at www.smithsonian.com/museumdaylive.
Museums in all states are participating in the celebration.
The program - in which the local museum will emulate the free admission policy of the Smithsonian Institution's Washington, D.C. facilities - encourages learning and the spread of knowledge nationwide.
"We are pleased to be chosen as a participant in the Smithsonian magazine's Museum Day," said museum director Dorothy Dahlgren. "History provides our community with a sense of place and identity and Museum Day draws attention to the efforts of local museums."
The Museum of North Idaho's feature exhibit, "Power to the Farm," explores how Kootenai Electric Cooperative (KEC) brought electricity to North Idaho's rural areas beginning in 1939 and the impact it had on residents' everyday lives.
The exhibit, made possible by a grant from the Idaho Humanities Council, will run through Oct. 31.
The new exhibit, "McEuen Park," explores the transformation of the area located at the base of Tubbs Hill from a highly industrialized area to recreational uses.
Permanent exhibits at the museum include:
* "The Mullan Road," commemorating Idaho's first road over the Fourth of July Pass
* "Scandinavians Settled Here," which looks at the Nordic influences in the region
* "Schitsu'umsh, The People Who Were Discovered Here," gives a glimpse into the life of the Coeur d'Alene Indians through beadwork, tools, maps, stories and life lessons
* "When the Mountains Roared," which features stories and graphics about the 1910 fire that destroyed millions of acres in Idaho and Montana.
The original signal bells and steering wheel from the steamboat "Flyer" are exhibited with photos and artifacts from steamboats which cruised Lake Coeur d'Alene. In the theatre room, watch the 20-minute presentation, "Portraits of Coeur d'Alene." Discover the people and history that make our area what it is today.
In conjunction with the event, the museum is offering its living history walking tours of old Fort Sherman and historic downtown Coeur d'Alene for $10 each, which is $5 off regular price.
At the 11 a.m. Fort Sherman tour, local historian Robert Singletary brings to life Gen. William Carlin, a commander at Fort Sherman. At 1:30 p.m., he takes on the persona of Peter Sorensen, steamboat captain, boat-builder and community leader during the early years of Coeur d'Alene.
Tickets are available at the Museum of North Idaho. Tours leave from the museum.
The Museum of North Idaho is located in front of Coeur d'Alene City Park at 115 Northwest Blvd. and is open 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday, through Oct. 31.
Call 664-3448 for more information or visit www.museumni.org. A free parking pass is available at the museum desk.
Admission is generally $3 for adults, $1 for children 6-16 and under 6 are free. There is a family rate of $7 for two adults and children younger than 16. Members are admitted free.