September 25th THE SIGNATURE

I wanted the opportunity to thank the 15 folks, representing seven Huerfano County nonprofits, that came to the nonprofit giving forum, on Sept. 3^rd. We enjoyed helpful information by our speaker, good networking with one another, and the shared conclusion that we MUST do this again. For those wondering, though the museum itself is not a nonprofit, because it is a town entity used solely for community purposes, it shares most benefits and characteristics of a traditional 501 c3. Additionally, it coordinates regularly with two involved nonprofits - Friends of the Francisco Fort Museum, and the Huerfano County Historical Society. There is a lot of research, current and emerging, to suggest that museums are and can be a powerful catalyst for social change, and I am excited as the Director to see our museum working towards that, by coordinating efforts with other county organizations, aimed at improving our community.

Let me share a few key points with you from a handout our speaker was gracious enough to have prepared. This is wonderful information for anyone considering a contribution to the Town of La Veta, for the museum. If you would like a copy of the complete presentation, let me know.

What I Need to Know About Museum Donations (always consult first with your CPA or attorney)

• Cash, property, and in-kind donations to the Francisco Fort Museum are tax-deductible.

•The fair market value of your donated materials is generally tax deductible. To take advantage of your deduction, you must file tax form 1040 and, depending on the value of your donation, tax form 8283.

•To ensure that you receive the maximum tax benefit, it is recommended that you consult with your own accountant, attorney, and/or the Internal Revenue Service. You may also consult Internal Revenue Service Publication No. 526, Charitable Contributions, and Publication No. 561, Determining the Value of Donated Property.

•Museums provide donors with a written record of their donation.

•The most useful donation you can make is an unrestricted donation.

• Once donated, the Museum assumes responsibility for the care and display of collection items.

September 8th THE SIGNATURE

Summer is Over?

Bummer! It has been years since an approaching fall season meant going back to school, but I STILL get a little teary-eyed when I think about putting away my swimsuits and flip-flops, and trading them for jeans and sweaters. Fall is fast approaching, and here at the museum, that means our busy season has closed. What I want to let all of you know is that while tourism might be nearing an end, there are still LOTS of opportunities for locals to be involved at Francisco Fort Museum.

During September, please note that while we do not have our regular weekday hours, the museum is still open on weekends (F&S 10-4 SUN 1-4). Additionally, my office will still be open W, TR, F, from 10-4. Please come by, as the museum’s slow season is the Director’s busy season, and I will be working on new ideas and projects for 2012! To give you a preview, on tap for 2012 is a revamped reading room, which we hope will be open one afternoon a week for your research needs! I will also be working on setting up a brand new inventory system, as well as computerizing many of the museum’s files, and reviewing 2011 numbers to adjust for next year.

Besides stopping by during the week to say, “hi”, or touring on the weekend, September will also host special activities for National Hispanic Heritage Month (Sept. 15^th-Oct. 15^th). Be prepared for special presentations, exhibits, celebrations, and … DRUMROLL PLEASE … the unveiling of the 2012 Francisco Fort Museum theme, with information about what to expect for 2012 exhibits and activities.

In October, plan on attending our GHOST TOUR, to be held Oct. 15^th, from 7-8:30pm. Ghost stories by Dick Anderson, a haunted house, and hot cocoa – all for $3 a person! We hope this will be a “sell-out” event, and will draw folks from around the region for a good time!

I am also available through November for school presentations, and hope to see your kiddos soon! It’s going to be an exciting fall season, and I can’t wait to share it with you all.

August 25th THE SIGNATURE

A 15 year pageant-veteran, I know pomp and circumstance. I’ve prepped, I’ve postured, and Lord knows, I’ve held a smile through more than most could bear. And what’s worse, I have a background in politics, too. My goodness, the times I’d whisper quickly in a senator’s ear, “That’s Mrs. So and So and she donated $10,000 to your campaign, sir”. Ah, and then the dance of handshakes, niceties, and obligatory loyalty. I get what ceremony is all about.

This past Saturday, I began preparing for the staging of a dedication ceremony for the Claudia Capps memorial plaque. Newspaper invite, check. Coffee and pastries, check. Chairs set up, check. Plaque nicely displayed, check. Doors open, check. Table arrangements, check. Then, a funny thing happened, I shared a little from my heart, Eugene Vories shared a little bit from his heart, and then all those gathered began to chime in.  Some had their own stories to add, and others wanted to know a little bit more about this tale or that. Eugene’s 94 year-old sister was even there to correct Gene when she needed to!

Folks, you can decorate any gathering to your heart’s desire, but true connection with other human beings cannot be reproduced. You either got it, or you don’t. I am so happy to be living in a community that has “it”. What a good reminder as I look at changes and adjustments for the museum in 2012. There is certainly room for updates and fresh perspectives, but in the end what we really have at Francisco Fort Museum is community, and no display or fancy brochure will ever replicate our genuine relationships. Thanks again to all those who attended on Saturday; you made a difference.

August 18th THE SIGNATURE

Exciting Events Coming Up

As we look towards the end of the 2011 season, I am excited to announce two important events worth marking on your calendar. This Saturday, the 20^th, the museum will host a dedication ceremony. Claudia Capps, an icon of La Veta, will be remembered as we gather at 9am for a ceremony in her honor. The event will take place at Ritter Schoolhouse, on the plaza grounds. Eugene Vories, cousin of Claudia (and sure evidence that Claudia must have been a spitfire, too), will be sharing a few words, and then we will celebrate with coffee and some Ryus Avenue Bakery goodies. All attendees are welcome into the museum for a free tour. Please make an effort to make it; a community that honors legacies is a healthy one. 

Then, on Saturday, September 3^rd, the museum will be hosting a Nonprofit Giving Forum, open to the public. This is a great time for anyone who volunteers for, gives to, or has an interest in the nonprofit community to brush up on information, while networking with other community-minded individuals. While there will be some museum-specific information (how the town interacts with the nonprofits connected to the Fort, etc.), I want to stress that this event will provide a broad base of information and will benefit anyone who attends. Special guest David Dye, Chief Operating Officer of Colorado Uplift, will be joining us. The event is from 3-5pm.

Hope you’re enjoying those last moments of summer, and that the museum will be part of it one way or another! As always, you are appreciated as a community member and I hope to see you soon.

August 11th THE SIGNATURE

Top Ten Ways to Support Your Museum

10. Take a tour.

9. Remember us when you have visitors in town.

8. Post our website on your facebook or twitter account: www.franciscofortmuseum.com

9. Cut out a museum article you think friends might enjoy; mail it to them.

7. Write your town board trustees to thank them for their support of the museum.

6. VOLUNTEER.

5. Make a purchase in the museum gift shop.

4. Decide that if you can’t say anything nice, maybe you shouldn’t say anything at all.

3. Submit an idea for an exhibit to Jen@franciscofortmuseum.com

2. Write a check for $10 to Francisco Fort Museum and send it to: PO Box 263; it won’t hurt you, and it will help us.

1. Forward this link to your email list, so that your friends and family around the globe can see the museum’s recent appearance on television: http://denver.cbslocal.com/colorado-getaways-july-16-2011/

August 4th THE SIGNATURE

While recently visiting with Nancy Joroff, I was struck by a story she told, of a presenter asking the question, “What is history?”, and a wise child recognizing that the very presentation they were partaking in was, in fact, history as of the next moment. Ah, from the mouths of babes!

This idea can be stretched in a number of directions, leading us to several conclusions and causing us to ask a number of questions. As I personally considered the implications, I thought about how advanced and sophisticated we get to feeling, with our technology and new information. We walk through Francisco Fort Museum, look at what seem to be archaic agricultural methods and old-fashioned medical methods (Lord, have mercy!) and with a scoff say, “Can you imagine?” And yet, as pointed out by a child, we will soon be pushed into the same category, “the past” – and in a matter of time 2011 will be clustered into a university course titled “1880s-2020s”, and folks will hardly flinch in assuming we knew little more than those 150 years before us. We will be nothing more, to some, than “Answer B” on a mid-term.

This changes things. Yes, it humbles us. Yes, it causes us to question how we will be remembered. Yes, it makes us value things of before. What is also does, I hope, is push us to realize that we cannot be separated from our history; we are simply the continuation of another man’s story. And, as such, we should recognize a grave responsibility.

Take for a moment the labor disputes depicted so clearly (and, often, violently) in our mining exhibits. We have two choices as observers: to exhale in relief that we are no longer gunned down for picketing unfair corporations and establishments, or to ask if we have finished the job. Surely, we still face unfair employee treatment, and live in a global society still fighting the basics. Tomorrow, my story will have melded with those of the men whose bullets, now displayed in our museum, were pulled from their dedicated dead bodies. Will my efforts flow in our common chapter?

If you’re looking for a reason to visit or revisit our community’s museum, you don’t have to do it to support the new director. You don’t have to do it to cherish your lineage’s preservation, and you don’t even have to view it as fiscal support. Realize that a visit to our museum is an opportunity to read your own prologue, and to think contemplatively about how you will complete your chapter in La Veta’s rich story.

July 28th THE SIGNATURE

I remember after my interview, Peggy Hoobler and Gary Bailey gave me a tour of the museum, and explained the collection was owned by the Huerfano County Historical Society, but that the buildings and operations were owned by the town … oh, and the Town Board appointed them … the museum board. But, most of the fundraising is handled by the Friends of the Francisco Fort Museum. Ah-hem, “So … wait, who’s on first?” I wanted to say. I “get it” now, and think the conclusion of a fabulous Francisco Day, put on by Friends of the Francisco Fort Museum, is a great time to assist in clarifying exactly, “What’s on third” ….

There are three main entities involved with the museum: the Town of La Veta, Friends of the Francisco Fort Museum, and the Huerfano County Historical Society. Within three organizations lie four boards, because the Town appointed the Francisco Fort Museum Board to act as a liaison, responsible for handling museum issues. Ultimately, museum decisions are left to the discretion of the Town Board Trustees, but with the advisement of the Museum Board. The Town cooperates with the Huerfano County Historical Society on matters regarding the collections, and fundraising matters are the concern of the Friends Board, which exists as an independent of the Town.

Our governance structure has significant impact on a number of matters, one of which I will do my best to cover in this article: how does this affect donor relations?

First, fiscal donations may be taken by any of the bodies involved. If you would like to make a general-purpose donation of, say, $50 – that check can be written to the Francisco Fort Museum, at which point the Town of La Veta will earmark the funds, and the $50 will be worked into the following year’s operation budget; the donation is tax deductible under the IRS code 170. If you’d rather, you can make the check to Friends, and the money will be placed into their account – which is used to support special events for the museum (such as Museum Music or Francisco Fort Day), and is available to the museum through proposal. Friends is legally bound to support the museum with their assets, and has a little more freedom is taking out funds for immediate use. Donations to Friends are tax deductible under IRS code 501. Finally, you can write a check to the Historical Society, with notation of your desire for it to be used for the museum, and they will set it aside to assist as they see fit. They are also a 501 organization, and donations to them are tax deductible.

On to donation of artifacts … If you want to donate an item, you must first make an appointment with me – and I will work with a team to consider whether or not the museum is in need or want of the item. Then, you can choose whether you’d like the item to be assigned to the Town of La Veta, or to the Historical Society. Either is tax deductible.

And, finally – I’d like to address the reality that there is very real frustration and mistrust that exists because of the way our system is currently set up. There have, indeed, been unfortunate power-struggles and various squabbles as we’ve maneuvered out way through a complex governance system. What I want to make very clear is this: there are good people on all these boards, and they are all working towards a common goal. Dissent is inevitable, but we are doing this together and I am proud to say things are coming together. As always, please contact me with any questions or concerns.

July 21st THE SIGNATURE

This weekend is going to be an exciting one for the community of La Veta. Many towns gather together in summer months to celebrate through parades, festivals, and fairs. We are unique however, in that we gather not for a holiday shared with the rest of the world, not in honor one of person, and not even to share wares; we have the opportunity to gather this Saturday in celebration of our common heritage, and it is a true privilege.

Come on out this Saturday for a pancake breakfast, music, a parade, and free tours of the museum, a kid’s booth – and more. But more importantly, feel proud of La Veta this Francisco Fort Day, as we gather to recognize that our shared history can represent a shared future.