Sherburne County Heritage Center Interpretive Plan Final Report 2005

Home Browse Search

Special Events Various special events may be presented. Special events are designed to achieve several goals: 1. Focus on themes or interpretive methodologies not presented during the regular program; 2. Provide opportunities to serve underserved audiences; 3. Provide opportunities to collaborate with organizations having similar goals; 4. Provide opportunities to gain publicity for SCHS work, because special events are newsworthy, while everyday programs may not receive similar news coverage. General Circulation Pattern for Visitors Visitors will enter the area and park in the visitor center parking lot. They will pass the Bailey Station on their right as they drive into the lot. As they park and leave their cars, visitors will have several choices: 1. The outdoor Ox Cart and Orientation Exhibit may draw them to the left of the main entry. This exhibit will provide an orientation to the main themes of the Heritage Center and focus on the Red River Ox Cart Trails. 2. On a warm spring, summer, or fall day, they may be drawn to walk to the Clitty Lake Overlook to sit and look over the lake and enjoy the day, and read the interpretive panels on the deck. 3. Visitors may also visit the Bailey Station exhibit at the edge of the parking lot. There they may view the exterior of the building and gas pump and view the panels. Many special events will take place in the activity area behind the Bailey Station, and in this case, the Bailey Station will likely be their first contact with Heritage Center interpretive material. 4. If visitors intend to park and walk the trails, they may view the Ox Cart exhibit to the left of the main entry, then bypass the Heritage Center and walk along the left side of the building to the trailhead, which will contain a map of the trails and an introductory panel on the natural history of Sherburne County. 5. The most common circulation pattern, though, may be to park the car and enter the visitor center to view the main exhibit. 6. Visitors may also enter the visitor center, view the main exhibit, then exit the visitor center lobby in the rear of the building and enter the outdoor trail system. At the end of the lobby walkway, they will exit toward a forked trail. One fork leads to the outdoor amphitheatre and the other to the trails. 7. As visitors walk the outdoor trail, they will encounter the Abandoned Farmstead Outdoor Exhibit. 8. Further along in the outdoor trail, visitors will encounter the Fox House Exhibit. Outdoor Exhibit Panels I recommend digitally designed outdoor exhibits fabricated from phenolic -fused exterior grade graphic panels mounted with vandal -proof screws on pedestals without framing for a cleaner look and easier maintenance. These panels are currently slightly more expensive than embedded fiberglass, but have much better durability and UV resistance. They are fully warranted for 10 years, but will probably last much longer. They should be mounted about Sherburne County Historical Society Heritage Center Interpretive Plan, April 21, 2005, page 7