The Switzerland County Historical Society has created a new 2013 calendar that not only gives residents some great information about the county and its history, but also help raise awareness and funds for Vevay’s Bicentennial Celebration, which will be held in October of next year.
Soh Fong Ung, a resident of Versailles who is married to Switzerland County native Asher Cleeter, started a website called “Midwest Stories”, which highlights the many unique people and places who live in the Midwest area of the United States.
Martha Bladen said that Fong has come to be very fond of Vevay, and when she heard people talking about the upcoming bicentennial, she wanted to be a part of it. Martha Bladen said that she and Fong went through all sorts of things found in the museum’s collection: photographs, post cards, and other things; and also called on Jeni Scudder, who has a collection of historic post cards of Switzerland County.
The historical society then decided to produce the calendars as a limited edition, only creating 500 of them to be offered for sale. The profits from the calendars will be used to a special bicentennial project.
“The history committee of the Bicentennial is planning to do an old fashioned tent Chautauqua, which will be held in the museum yard,” Martha Bladen said. “We’re focusing on a 1917 Chautauqua that was held in Vevay and where William Jennings Bryan was the speaker here.”
In order to recreate the 1917 event, the History Committee will have to rent a large tent and chairs as well as hire performers – and the sale of the calendar will go towards those expenses.
Gracing the cover of the calendar is the steamboat, the “City of Vevay”, so everything from front to back centers on Switzerland County history.
The calendars are available at the Switzerland County Historical Museum gift shop and are $14.95. Switzerland County Historical Society members get a 10-percent discount. Word of the calendars is out, and Martha Bladen said that she’s already mailed calendars to people in other states who want the calendar.
The museum gift shop is open daily from noon until 4 p.m.