We've Got The County Covered
We've Got The County Covered
To the left of this photo, are many of the animals that will be used to complete the Foothills Exhibit. Plans call for Alcorn Exhibits, who have done all the major exhibits in the Blaine County Wildlife Museum, to begin work on the project this coming fall.
The vacated Blaine Theatre, donated to the Wildlife Museum by Blaine Bank of Montana (now Wells Fargo) allowed the idea of a destination wildlife museum for Blaine County to take shape.
The Blaine County Wildlife Museum, in Chinook, will host the monthly Business After Hours on Thursday, August 11. Sponsored by the Chinook Area Chamber of Commerce, the program gives chamber members an opportunity to showcase their organization in a relaxed atmosphere outside of normal operating hours. The Business After Hours program started in April, 2014.
Short history of the Wildlife Museum
The idea of creating a wildlife museum was first proposed by Bill Harbolt and Scott Mackenzie. Mackenzie said, "Our Blaine County Museum focuses on the history of the area. Bill and I wanted a facility to showcase the natural history of our region that would provide an additional destination to attract visitors to our area." When the Blaine Bank of Montana, now Wells Fargo Bank, donated the vacant Blaine Theatre (a movie house) for use as a wildlife facility, the reality of the museum began to take shape. A museum closed in Livingston, in 1997,and the Chinook facility bought much of the animal collection for the developing museum.
The first major exhibit, The Buffalo Jump, was completed in 2001. Museum developers decided, early on, they would "do it right or not do it at all." They did fundraising with their annual banquet and auction and applied for various private and state grants. Kurt Wohnson and Elizabeth Marshall, of Alcorn Exhibits, created all the exhibits and dioramas in the museum. Over the years the museum supporters postponed beginning work on each major exhibit until most of the funding needed to complete a project was secured.
Work will begin on the Foothills Exhibit this fall when the Alcorn Exhibit designers return to Chinook. That will be the last project to complete the major exhibits originally envisioned for the museum. An additional "spring baby" exhibit is under consideration as a future project.
Planned activities for
August 11 at the museum
Tammy Edwards, current manager of the museum, said there will be a number of activities going on during the Business After Hours. She said, "Several board members are planning to be on hand to welcome guests, answer questions and show guests around the museum. There will be free tours during the event." Edwards said there will also be light refreshments and door prizes. She added, "The museum's gift shop will be open and we plan some specials in the shop during the evening."
Business After Hours events are open to the public, not just chamber members. The event will run from 6-8 pm. For folks who have not visited the Blaine County Wildlife Museum, Business After Hours will be an opportunity to tour the facility and get information from the folks involved in developing and maintaining the museum.
