How have you been spending the warm, lazy afternoons of summer? I ask because the pace of summer visitors coming into our museums has shown little momentum. Both the Rock County History Museum or the Hinkly House are air conditioned, and both have seen major improvements in recent months and years. When the Masonic Temple officials offered us space in their building (at 123 N. Freeman Ave., not the Carnegie 205 N. Freeman), we were able to transfer everything connected to Rock County’s history there. Look for the green banner with white letters, Rock County Historical Museum, over the white doors. Items appropriate to a Victorian home are now displayed to recall how the 113-year-old house looked when the family lived in it. Restoration, one room at a time, began in 1991, with plastering of cracks, steaming off as many as seven layers of wallpaper, to be replaced with carefully researched wall coverings with credits to Diane Jauert. When the wallpaper in the foyer was extended to the upstairs hall, and spaces there opened after 1996, the six rooms came to new life. On first floor the kitchen was remedied, and, lastly, the library was beautified in 2002. Ask yourself if your last visit to the Hinkly House fits into the last five years. It is a disappointment when people don’t come to view the improvements. However, visiting this museum goes beyond its aesthetics. It preserves the artifacts and heritage of life in Rock County, only 20 years after Luverne was founded. Like my grandparents, early families embodied values of hard work, honesty, steadfastness, and optimism. Nothing seemed impossible, when directed by faith, initiative and foresight. I urge you to visit each of our three museums on a rotational basis. The barn, an asset to our agri-business community, will be open during the Rock County Fair.The Rock County Museum holds a concentration of printed information, detailing our city/county history. The makers of the World War II documentary have cited our source material the best of the four cities they have selected. Visitors who go there searching for specific information admit to finding so much of interest, you could spend a week or more there. The summer schedule continues to be from 2 to 4 p.m. Tuesday, Thursday or Saturday afternoons. However, do not hesitate to request other days or hours. Just call me at 283-9849 stating which Tuesday, Thursday or Saturday afternoon you plan to come. Guides on our staffing schedule want to be busy versus experiencing no-show days. Numbers of visitors living in Luverne is unexplainably low. Each year I’m asked to tally statistics on how many visit from Luverne compared with other cities; from Rock County compared with other Minnesota counties; or from Minnesota compared with other states. Totals are in decline, also. In the Newsletter of 1980 nearly 1,100 signed the register, but in the late 1990’s annual averages are 800 to 900. I’m concerned about losing our goal of "Continuing to Remember and Offering Inspiration for Our Future."Sr. Mariella Hinkly,Luverne