Lost City Museum Celebrates Holidays With Open House Event

By VERNON ROBISON

Moapa Valley Progress

A steady flow of visitors came through the Lost City Museum on Saturday, Dec. 9 to enjoy a fee-free day at the museum. It was the Holiday Open House put on each year by the museum’s Docent Council.
“This is just a way that we can say thank you to the community,” said Lost City Museum docent Kathryne Olsen who was selling raffle tickets in the entry to the museum’s great hall. “It is also a big fundraiser for the year.”

The docents had gathered more than 40 prize baskets and gift cards, donated by local business owners, to be raffled as prizes. Visitors could purchase tickets to enter into the raffle drawing to win the prizes.
“Local businesses are always very generous to us,” said museum staffer Jesse Davie. “We appreciate all of their support.”

Attendees at the Open House event were able to enjoy the museum’s unique exhibits including the displays of artifacts from the ancient Puebloan inhabitants of the Moapa Valley, remnants of historic pioneer settlement of the area and more. All of this was free of admission on Saturday for the event.
To top off the experience, a table filled with cookies, coffee and other refreshments was offered free to museum visitors to enjoy.

The photography and artwork of local artist Barbara Young was on display in the museum’s great hall, and will continue to be throughout the month of December. Young, also a volunteer at the museum, was in attendance at Saturday’s event.

Young has resided in Moapa Valley for the past four years. She said that she enjoys taking solitary horseback rides through the desert landscape surrounding the local community. Most of the photographs on display came from those rides, she said.

“This community is so rich in its heritage – from the Native American culture to the pioneer settlers to the southwest cowboy culture – there is just so much here,” Young said. “So I just started putting things together, my impressions of the valley, that are tied together in this exhibit in a creative way.”

For the entertainment of visitors, a group of local performers played a set of holiday music at the Open House. Moapa resident Zila Johnson played guitar and sang. She was joined by Braden Johnson on electric guitar and Angela Crouch who also sang.

The docent council was pleased with the turnout to the event and with the fundraising component. Olsen explained that all funds raised go to programs that take place throughout the year at the museum. These include special museum events like Native American Day, Kids Day and more.
“The state, of course, funds salaries and facilities at the museum; but any additional programs or community outreach items we have to raise funds for,” Olsen said.

Olsen also encouraged community members interested in volunteering at the museum to sign up as docents. The docents fill a variety of functions from guest relations to cataloguing artifacts, she said.
“We are always looking for more people to help,” Olsen said.