August 17, 2024 saw a busy day at the Owen-Withee Area History Center (the former Owen City Hall building located at 219 N. Pine Street in Owen, Wisconsin). The building is the home of the Owen-Withee Area Historical Society, and the site of the Society’s large museum of Owen-Withee area historical artifacts, clothing, books and memorabilia.

The event at the History Center on August 17 included a special outdoor fundraiser during which the Historical Society teamed up with Owen Mayor Scott Jalling’s 2025 Owen Centennial Committee. The fundraiser was in the form of selling Mauel’s Dairy ice cream. Monies raised are to be used to promote and celebrate the City of Owen’s upcoming 100th birthday as a city in 2025.

In conjunction with the fundraiser, the History Center held a free admission “Open House” to the museum. Indoor displays featured a large range of themed exhibits. Themed exhibits included authentic actual military uniforms of local veterans such as Arthur Awe (WW1 France), Bill Benzschawel (Korean War), Jim Laski (vintage 1954), and a display of my grandma Lena’s actual 1914 wedding dress.

Featured exhibits also included a special memorial tribute display in honor of the Longwood Emmanuel Lutheran Church. The church was tragically destroyed by fire in July 2024. The history of the Longwood Lutheran Church dates back to 1884, and the building that burned dates back to 1911. Church members graciously loaned church archived items to the O-W Area Historical Society to share with the public in memory of the church.

Also featured was a video showing of the Historical Society’s “Jalling Family Movies”. A collection of old Jalling family home movies from the 1950s into the 1970s that have been converted from 8mm home movies to digital movies. This popular video history was donated by the Jalling family. It was first unveiled at the 2024 Annual Owen-Withee Business Expo, held in April.

Some very significant new donations of local history were received during the Open House. Those items will be researched, cataloged and added to future displays at the museum. Some of those exciting new treasures included a box of old Owen-Withee area advertising items (matchbooks, ice scrapers, pins, pens, clipboards) from former Owen alderman Mel Lorence, a box of treasures from Greg Kallberg (old yardsticks, calendars, and thermometers), a basketball donated by Betsy Kovala Wacker to be used to collect autographs from members of Owen-Withee’s 1983–1984 championship girls basketball team, two giant sized 3 foot x 4 foot orange United Farm Agency realty signs from Rod Misfeldt and donated by Jerry Wells, Denny Henke’s 1977 VFW Post #9007 commander’s garrison hat, and a vintage Community Real Estate For Sale sign donated by Denny Henke.

Crowd size at the History Center was the largest seen to date at any event at the History Center. It was a diverse crowd. Seventy percent of the visitors were from out of town. And thirty percent of the visitors traveled to the event from outside Clark County.