Rich Egger's guest is Western Illinois Museum Curator Sue Scott. They talk about the museum's new exhibit Legacy of Learning: A History of Our Schools.
An opening reception will be held Saturday, June 23, 2012, 1:00 pm - 4:00 pm at the museum. Scott promises there will not be a test! The exhibit remains on display until September 22, 2012.
The exhibit follows a timeline. Scott said that will help visitors follow some of the nuances of information such as changes in ordinances and laws and the types of schools.
“It also allows us to have a lot of photographs put around, and it's kind of a great way to see influxes. If you look around the room you'll see certain years or decades that have a lot going on,” Scott said.
The exhibit states that the story of schools in McDonough County begins with the adoption of the Land Ordinance of 1785, which was decades before the city of Macomb was founded. The timeline continues to the present day.
Scott said the late 1800s and early 1900s were key times for education in the region. Macomb won the battle for the final state normal school, which eventually became Western Illinois University.
“It sets the tone because it sets up a training school. So now students can go to this sort of laboratory school and be taught by teachers that are being trained, which is a new idea. It really gives our community a very excellent educational system even to this day. It's the roots of our system today,” Scott said.
Numerous yearbooks have been loaned for the exhibit. Scott said those will be on shelves and visitors can thumb through them.
Scott also said the museum will hold its annual Ice Cream Tasting Festival on Saturday, June 30, 2:00 pm - 4:00 pm at The Old Dairy, which is across the street from the museum. Tickets are $6.00. They money raised will benefit the museum's education and exhibition programs.
Around one-dozen flavors of ice cream will be available for tasting.
