From reports

With the calendar turned to November, volunteers and staff at the Whitley County Historical Museum are excitedly preparing for the annual Merry Museum Christmas celebration. Soon, the halls will be decked with the finery of a Victorian Christmas and lit with the glow of candlelight. 

An evening of joy and good cheer, Merry Museum Christmas will be held on Friday, December 6, 2024, from 3 to 8 p.m. at the Whitley County Historical Museum, with activities planned for the Thomas Riley Marshall Home, Little Turtle Annex and the Education Center facilities on the museum campus. 

“Inside the museum, visitors can walk from room to room to see our Christmas décor,” said Rachael Hartman, curator of the Whitley County Historical Museum. “This year, we’re looking forward to details that are very period appropriate for the turn of the century.”

Activities in the house that evening will include storytelling, hors d’ oeuvres and music. Limited edition museum Christmas card sets will be available for purchase that evening, with proceeds benefiting the museum’s education fund.

A vintage car, owned by Gary and JoAnn Bird of Columbia City, will be on site as a backdrop for Christmas photos. 

The museum, in partnership with the Columbia City Arts Commission, will host an Arts Marketplace in the Little Turtle Annex and Education Center that evening as well, offering space for children to create handmade Christmas crafts and opportunities for everyone to get a head start on Christmas shopping.

“We are very excited to partner with our local arts community in this way and give them a space to share their work,” said museum curator Jennifer Zartman Romano. “We’re really looking forward to the children’s craft area as well. The most special gifts are those that are handmade and this will give visitors an opportunity to create a memory and a gift with their own hands.”

Children may also write a letter to Santa in person during the museum’s Merry Museum Christmas event and put it in the special mailbox on the front porch of the museum. All letters received prior to December 17, 2024, with a return address, will receive a personalized response and small surprises inside. 

“Our annual Merry Museum Christmas is a very special part of the Christmas season in our community,” said museum director Aaron Mathieu. “The feeling of warmth and community felt that evening is something we look forward to all year.”

For more information about the Whitley County Historical Museum, visit us online at www.whitleymuseum.com or visit us in person weekdays from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.