Celebrating our 50th Year, this Oktoberfest promises a day of fun for the entire family! The museum will be open to explore, and the grounds will be full of crafters and artists selling hand thrown pottery, candles, wreaths, holiday décor, pumpkins, woodcrafts, scented oils, bath bombs, handcrafted soaps made with natural and organic oils, handmade quilts, jewelry, and lots more! There will be games for the children and decorated pumpkins to buy!  
 
Returning is Schmidt’s Restaurant from German Village, Columbus. They will offer Bahama Mammas, knockwurst, German bologna, German potato salad, kraut, sweet red cabbage, pork or chicken brats, and their famous jumbo cream puffs! If you have not had one, you do not know what you are missing! Heavenly!
  
Returning, also, is Poppy’s Smokehouse Food Truck with their bbq ribs and pulled pork and pulled chicken. Layla’s Sweet Treats will once again offer premium hand-dipped ice cream in cups, waffle cones, milkshakes, and sundaes!! 
  
Joining us this year is The Fat Straw Co., offering Tiger, Taro, Peach, Dragon Fruit and Tropical milk teas, chai, lemonade, and strawberry matcha.
 
Joining us, also, is Carter’s Chimney Cakes Food truck. A chimney cake is a traditional Hungarian dessert or Eastern European Street food. It is simply a sweet dough wrapped around a spit cooked over a rotisserie grill, crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. Delicious toppings are then added such as Oreos, cinnamon sugar, coconut, and sprinkles. When stood up straight, the hot steam comes out from the top of the cake looking like a chimney. They can be made traditional cake style or as a cone filled with goodness. This is a traditional Oktoberfest food and one we are excited to offer our guests!
   
A local favorite, Farmer’s Daughter will be offering their homemade specials and various vendors will be offering cookies, French macarons, breads, kettle corn, and other delights!
  
No Oktoberfest is complete without beer – and we will have a beer trailer offering a variety of your favorites!
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Delicious food, live entertainment, and an admission price of only $3.00 – what could be better? Mark your calendar and don’t miss this day of fun for the whole family!
 
Oktoberfest is the largest fundraiser for the Historical Society.

Submitted on behalf of the CCHS by Rob Pollock, volunteer
What is it worth?

Find out this Wednesday, May 19th at the Champaign County Historical Museum’s spring fundraiser.

The fundraiser will be held on Wednesday between 6 and 9 p.m. in the museum at 809 East Lawn in Urbana.

The event, which is patterned after the PBS series “Antiques Roadshow,” is sponsored by Freshwater Farms of Ohio and the Historical Society. All proceeds benefit the museum’s operations.

The price of admission is $20 in advance, or $25 at the door. Admission includes one appraisal and a flight of wine & charcuterie plate served “bistro-style” by Freshwater Farms. The organizers hope that folks will socialize during the event and tour the museum rather than simply wait in line.

Four experienced appraisers will be set up throughout the museum. Two appraisers were introduced earlier this month.

Advance tickets may be purchased at the museum, at local banks – Peoples, Perpetual and Urbana’s Park National Bank. In addition to benefiting the museum and preserving its artifacts, this should be a fun event for people of all ages to enjoy and hopefully one that will build from year to year.

By Rob Pollock, Volunteer with the Champaign County Historical Society.
“What is it worth?”

Do you have an old object, an antique or a family heirloom that you want to know more about? We may have a solution for you.

The Champaign County Historical Museum is hosting an Antiques Appraisal Fair between 6 and 9 p.m. on Wednesday, May 19.

The event is one of two fundraisers that help support museum operations. Freshwater Farms of Ohio and the Historical Society are sponsoring this event.

Advance tickets are $20 each and available at local Urbana banks, the Chamber of Commerce and at the museum located at 809 East Lawn Ave., Urbana. Tickets may also be purchased on the evening of the event for $25 each.

For the price of admission guests will receive a verbal appraisal for one item from one of the appraisers. (Current CCHS members may have two objects appraised). In addition, there will be a complementary wine and cheese bistro hosted by Freshwater Farms of Ohio.

The other appraisers will be featured in an upcoming article.

The Historical Museum hopes you will participate in this event and help support our operations.

On Sunday, October 18th at 2:00 pm Bill Albers will present the story of the B-17 heavy bomber under construction at the Champaign Aviation Museum, a project that began on Jan. 6th, 2006.  He will also explain the uniqueness of the Champaign Aviation Museum, its mission as a Warbird showcase, and what the future for the museum may look like.

Masks will be required for those attending the program.

Champaign County native Russell Arnold, Staff Sergeant, who was stationed in Japan at this time, interacted with Gen. Eichelberger on multiple occasions. Arnold still lives in Champaign County and will be on hand during the presentation to elaborate on these interactions with the general as well as answer questions on what it was like to be in Japan during this transformative time in history.

Due to social distancing requirements, capacity for this program will be limited to 30 attendees. Because the event is expected to be well attended, current Champaign County Historical Society members will be given seating priority; specifically, no non-member will be seated until 15 minutes before the start of the program if it appears capacity will be reached by members.

Persons attending together may sit side-by-side while single attendees will be seated six feet apart. A temperature check will be performed at the door. Masks will be required.

The Champaign County Historical Museum, a not-for-profit organization that depends upon donations and dues to preserve, protect, archive and display the artifacts that tell the Champaign County story. The free public museum, 809 East Lawn Ave., Urbana, is open 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Tuesdays-Fridays; and 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturdays.

The boxes arrived by truck on Wednesday and there are over 50 more boxes at UU for Ogden and Virts to explore. Ogden said she hopes that will be completed by the end of next week.

Dear Members,

Over the past few months, we have been faced with many obstacles and trying times due to the COVID-19 Virus and its implications. Rest assured, although we have been closed to the public for well over three months, during that time period we have been taking advantage of that time and continued to improve our internal policies and procedures; repainted and redesigned our War Room; and continued to find new ways to raise funding and community awareness.

Upon Governor DeWine’s June 4, 2020 announcement, it is with great pleasure that the Champaign County Historical Society & Museum will RE-OPEN on Wednesday, June 10, 2020, subject to social distancing requirements and standards. Please note that we are constantly monitoring the public announcements from Governor DeWine’s office and have cleaned and sanitized the Museum for your safety and enjoyment. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to reach out to us at the Museum!

Hope to see you all soon!

Gregory L. Harvey, Esq.
President