North Tama fourth graders listen as museum docent Jean Kruse, right, talks about the Farmers Mercantile Co. exhibit during their field trip to the Traer Historical Museum on Tuesday, May 9. PHOTO BY RUBY F. MCALLISTER

TRAER – Volunteers and board members with the Traer Historical Museum had quite a busy week last week welcoming two different groups of important visitors to the museum including North Tama fourth-grade students on Tuesday morning and state Senator Eric Giddens on Wednesday afternoon.

Fourth-grade students from both Brenda O’Malley’s and Jana Monat’s classes spent about 90 minutes at the museum on Tuesday, May 9, working with volunteers including Joyce Richardson, Carol Boyce and Jean Kruse.

To begin, the students were given a tour of all three floors of the museum including the agriculture exhibit in the basement, the Star-Clipper newspaper exhibit on the main floor (among others), and the visitor-favorite Tama County schools exhibit on the second floor.

Following the tour, students participated in an activity involving an artifact from a family who once lived in the Traer area. The lesson was taken from the Primary Sources Toolkit which was developed by the State Historical Society of Iowa, according to Boyce.

The next day, the museum hosted Sen. Eric Giddens (D-Cedar Falls) along with staff from the Iowa Economic Development Authority (IEDA) and the Iowa Tourism Office as part of their visits to area Heritage Area Sites during National Travel and Tourism Week. The Traer Museum is a Silos and Smokestacks National Heritage Area site.

State Sen. Eric Giddens (D-Cedar Falls), third from left, pictured last week Wednesday during his visit to the Traer Historial Museum. Museum board members Sharon Stoakes (third from right) and Carol Boyce (second from right) are also pictured alongside staff from both the Iowa Economic Development Authority (IEDA) and the Iowa Tourism Office. PHOTO COURTESY OF TRAER HISTORICAL MUSEUM/FACEBOOK

Museum board members Sharon Stoakes and Carol Boyce shared with Giddens and the IEDA/Tourism Office visitors the different ways the museum has been engaging the broader community as of late which include taking on a summer intern (2022), updating various displays, and the new, monthly R&R (Remember & Reminisce) discussions during which the public is invited to enjoy coffee, cheese, crackers, and pastries while reminiscing about ‘days gone by’ in Traer and the surrounding communities.

As one of the ‘best small town museums in the state’ – according to at least one visitor to the museum last week – the Traer Historical Museum is truly a treasure.

The next Traer Historical Museum R&R meeting will be held on Friday, June 2, beginning at 10 a.m. All are welcome to attend, no registration is required. The museum is located in downtown Traer at 514 Second Street.

Editor’s note: This story has been updated to reflect that museum volunteer/docent Joyce Richardson and North Tama fourth grade teacher Brenda O’Malley were also present during the field trip to the museum on Tuesday, May 9. The Telegraph staff deeply regret the omission.

A fourth-grade student from North Tama Elementary, right, scratches his head while his classmate laughs as they work together to ‘analyze an object’ as part of their field trip to the Traer Historical Museum last Tuesday, May 9. PHOTO BY RUBY F. MCALLISTER

Fourth-grade students from North Tama teacher Jana Monat’s class work together to determine how different historical objects were used as part of their field trip to the Traer Historical Museum in downtown Traer last Tuesday morning. PHOTO BY RUBY F. MCALLISTER

North Tama teacher Jana Monat, left, and her fourth-grade students listen as Traer Historical Museum docent Joyce Richardson, back right, talks about a display last Tuesday morning during a field trip to the museum. PHOTO BY RUBY F. MCALLISTER

Traer Historical Museum docent Carol Boyce, left, chats with North Tama fourth-grade students during their field trip to the museum last Tuesday, May 9. PHOTO BY RUBY F. MCALLISTER