Mono Basin Historical Society

Another good history story from Chris Spiller.

The new building for storage and display/cataloging/library work is finished, with electrical fixtures and wiring installed. Will be connected to electrical supply point tomorrow. Insulation and drywalling next week. Tuffshed left us lots of extra white and red paint so spiffed up the little old shed behind museum today too.

Throwback Thursday An account of a 1925 Halloween party at the Mono Lake School House makes us nostalgic for old-time holiday gatherings. The party was organize...d by Mrs. Van Alstyne, Lee Vining’s schoolteacher, reported the Bridgeport Chronicle-Union. One feature of the evening was a performance of Blue Beard’s Seven Wives, followed by a witch delivering candy to the children. After the entertainment, there was dancing until supper time. The dancers found their partner by grabbing streamers, with different colors for ladies and gentlemen, hung over a wire that extended across the center of the room. At the end of each streamer, a numbered card was placed. It was an exciting time while each person found his or her partner with a corresponding number. Some we fear, never did find their partners owning to the children having run off with some of the corresponding numbers. Richie Conway got quite a surprise when he discovered his number corresponded with Harry Anderson’s. It seems Harry plucked a ladies’ ribbon instead of a gents’ in the excitement, according the newspaper’s correspondent. The largest home crowd we have seen for some time was present and it was lively, jolly crowd that kept things moving. Music was provided by Mr. and Mrs. Hazlett, Clarence Wilson and Gus Hess. The party broke up about 1 a.m. Happy Halloween! #ThrowbackThursday

New "annex" building coming along today with Tuffshed crew putting it together. Will be white with red trim and red metal roof, similar to Old Schoolhouse. When they are done, electrical wiring, outlets, some lights will go in, then insulation. And we can have a heated space to work and store artifacts (it's freezing inside the unheated museum today as I write this).