For Immediate Release: 05 November 2018
Release No.: 19-04
Lake Shelbyville to host Smithsonian Exhibit
Lake Shelbyville – The Museum on Main Street exhibition from the Smithsonian Institution and Illinois Humanities will be on display at the Lake Shelbyville Visitor Center from December 15, 2018 – January 26, 2019.
Since 1900, the percentage of Americans living in rural areas dropped from 60 to 17 percent, according to experts with The Smithsonian’s Museum on Main Street Exhibit. However, Americans still rely on rural communities for the food and other resources that power the nation. The Crossroads exhibit takes a look at the characteristics of rural America. It explores how rural communities change and how rural Americans are changing for the future. The exhibit covers many themes, including: Rural Identity, Rural Land, Rural Communities, Persistence in Rural Communities, and Managing Change in Rural Communities.
The Smithsonian’s traveling exhibit "Crossroads: Change in Rural America," will visit six rural Illinois locations and help salute Illinois’ bicentennial celebration. Lake Shelbyville is the third location for the exhibit.
A local companion exhibit, "Change through a Local Lens," was created by the Shelby County Bicentennial Group. This local exhibit will cover several themes, including: changes in Shelby County industry, innovation, technology, transportation, land-use, agriculture, social changes, and recreation. The exhibit will feature a video highlighting changes in farming from the perspective of a local multi-generation family farm. Special activities will be offered for children and students of all ages including school group tours and scavenger hunts.
Besides the Smithsonian displays and the local companion exhibits, various speakers and musician will be performing on weekends.
Dec. 15 | 3:00 pm | Local Author Kevin Corley | Sixteen Tons: A Novel and the Historical Coal Mining Industry of Central IL
Dec. 15 | 4:00 pm | The Coles County Barbershop Chorus Dec. 22 | 3:00 pm | The Hood Family | Bluegrass Music
Dec. 22 | 5:00 pm | Cynthia Clampitt (Road Scholar Speaker) | How Corn Changed Itself and Then Changed Everything Else
Dec. 29 | 2:00 pm and 5:00 pm | Valerie Gaddis and Celia Hicks | The Spinning Wheel Then and Now Dec. 29 | 4:00 pm | Joyful Noise | Gospel Music
Jan. 05 | 1:00 pm | Ed Boedecker | The Life and Paintings of Robert Root Jan. 05 | 3:00 pm | Joe Rednauer | Bagpipes and Historical Music
Jan. 12 | 4:00 pm | The Old Time Fiddlers | Bluegrass and Vintage Country Jan. 12 | 5:00 pm | Glen Wright | French and Indians Effects on the Community Jan. 19 | 1:00 pm | EagleWings | Gospel Quartet
Jan. 19 | 2:30 pm | Professor Dan Guillory | Lincoln, Shelbyville and the Prairie
U.S. ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS – ST LOUIS DISTRICT – LAKE SHELBYVILLE 1989 State Hwy. 16, Shelbyville, IL 62565 http://www.mvs.usace.army.mil/Missions/Recreation/Lake-Shelbyville/
Jan. 19 | 4:00 pm | Shelbyville High School Band, Chorus, and Ukulele Band Show Jan. 26 | 4:00 pm | The Eclectic | A Diverse Range of Music
"We are excited to have the exhibit come to Lake Shelbyville. The Shelby County Bicentennial Group has worked extremely hard putting this all together for the community. We hope people will make time in their busy schedules to come check it out and reflect on the importance of small communities, farms, farm families, and the future of our agricultural heritage," stated Lake Shelbyville’s Natural Resources Specialist Ashley Florey.
Exhibit Hours:
December 15th – December 23rd
Monday – Thursday 8:00 am – 4:30 pm Friday 8:00 am – 9:00 pm
Saturday Noon – 9:00 pm
Sunday Noon – 6:00 pm
December 26th – January 26th
Monday – Friday 8:00 am – 4:30 pm
Saturday – Sunday Noon – 6:00 pm
Exhibit will be closed on Christmas Eve (Dec. 24th), Christmas Day (Dec. 25th) , New Year’s Eve (Dec. 31st), New Year’s Day (Jan.1st) and Martin Luther King Jr. Birthday (Jan. 21st)
For more information about the Museum on Main Street schedule visit: lakeshelbyville.com/calendar.htm or to schedule a group tour or a school group, call the Lake Shelbyville Project Office at (217) 774-3951, Ext 2
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