Driftless Historium Groundbreaking

press release: The Mount Horeb Area Historical Society will hold a community celebration on Saturday, June 4 to commemorate the official groundbreaking of the Driftless Historium, their new downtown history campus. 

The 3-part facility in the heart of downtown Mount Horeb will boast a welcoming visitor center, two exhibit galleries, a multipurpose programming room with kitchenette, environmentally sound artifact and archival storage, a comfortable research and reading room and more. The $1.7 million Driftless Historium benefitted from the generosity of a recent challenge grant, issued by an anonymous benefactor and met by $345,000 in donations from hundreds of individuals and local businesses.

At 12:30 p.m., MHAHS invites all to Grundahl Park (600 S Blue Mounds St, Mt Horeb) to enjoy a spectacular celebration of community and culture, featuring the Wisconsin Dells Singers. This accomplished Ho-Chunk group will perform a variety of traditional drum and dance combinations in customary colorful and intricate regalia, with historical and cultural commentary provided for each specific performance by Elliot Funmaker, the experienced leader of this acclaimed ensemble.  At the close of the approximately one-hour long event, the audience will be encouraged to join in on a final intertribal dance.

The Wisconsin Dells singers have traveled the country sharing their ceremonies and songs with natives and non-natives alike.  Their talented efforts proudly carry on a centuries-old tradition. Singing is an essential part of Native American life. For millenia, Woodland Indians, including the Ho-Chunk, have used songs to celebrate the harvest, heal the sick, prepare for war, and bury the dead. “They say every time you hear that drum, when somebody hits it and starts singing, the medicine of the drum reaches everybody,” Funmaker explains.

Admission to free, due to the generosity of the Mount Horeb Community Foundation. Guests are encouraged to bring their own blankets or chairs for this outdoor event. In the event of rain, the performance will be moved downhill to the Grundahl Park open picnic shelter. Donations are encouraged for the benefit of MHAHS educational programming and general operations.

Please plan to attend and help the Mount Horeb Area Historical Society honor the accomplishments of the past and celebrate a bright future. To learn more, call 608-437-6486, visit mthorebhistory.org or email mthorebhistory@mhtc.net.