January 08, 2010	Contact:	Patricia Cosgrove, Director White River Valley Museum
For Immediate Release		253-288-7437 pcosgrove@auburnwa.gov

White River Valley Museum, Mary Olson Farm Receive Grants

Auburn’s Historical Museum nets $7,000 in funding for education programs, exhibits

AUBURN, Wash. – The White River Valley Museum and Mary Olson Farm recently received grants totaling $7,000 that will be applied toward museum exhibits and educational field trips to Mary Olson Farm.

The grants include:

·       $2,000 from Puget Sound Energy to help fund school field trips to Mary Olson Farm for nearly 1,000 sixth graders from the Auburn School District. The field trips focus on environmental education. The sixth graders learn about stream ecology, salmon life cycles and native plants.

·       $2,000 from Burlington Northern Santa Fe Foundation to help fund the traveling exhibit "On Track: The Railroad Photographs of Warren McGee." White River Valley Museum is a host museum of the exhibit Jan. 13 through April 18.

·       $2,000 from International Old Lacers, Inc. to sponsor the upcoming exhibit "Household Lace Adds Charm to Your Place: Historic Bed, Bath, Table and Kitchen Lace." Lace has been used for centuries throughout the world as trim on household linens, to decorate furniture and to adorn church altars. Once considered a secret trade of nuns, lace-making evolved in women's history when it became a way for maidens to make an acceptable living. "Household Lace" will be on display in May.

·       $1,000 from the Rotary Club of Kent to fund two bronze building identification signs at Mary Olson Farm.

About Mary Olson Farm

The White River Valley Museum is working with the City of Auburn to restore Mary Olson Farm, the most intact 1880s family farm in King County. It opens in late 2009 as a living history and environmental learning site. The farm is a King County Landmark and on the National Register of Historic Places. Significant features include an 1897 barn, a 1902 farmhouse and two salmon runs in Olson Creek.

About the White River Valley Museum

The White River Valley Museum is a partnership with the City of Auburn and combines history and culture to create an exciting and educational experience for visitors. Museum collections focus on local Puget Sound history, Northwest Indian culture, Japanese immigration and the Northern Pacific Railroad.

The museum is open Wednesday through Sunday and is located at 918 H St. SE in Auburn. Regular hours are noon to 4 p.m. Admission is $2 for adults, $1 for seniors and children, and free on Wednesdays. Call 253-288-7433 or visit www.wrvmuseum.org for event information.