Open Houses 2011
(in conjunction with the Museum's Special Exhibits)

May 22, 2011 – 3 – 5 p.m. (Changed to avoid Memorial Day Weekend)
Hibriten High School Southern Culture Class Projects.  (On display April – May)

   
(Photos by Karin Borei.)

Kate Crisp Bodeen, Author of Pat Crisp: Like a Moth to a Flame
 About the author's grandfather’s political career (1889-1906) in Watauga and Caldwell counties. (More)
Refreshments

July 31. 2011  Collettsville Historical Society  (On display June –August)

October 30, 2011 Overmountain Victory Trail  (On display September – October)

December 2, 2011 Christmas Open House  (In conjunction with the Caldwell Arts Council)                                             (Christmas display – November – December)

Special Museum events in 2011

National Volunteer Week: April 10-16, 2011

        Caldwell Heritage Museum Volunteer Recognition: April 12, 2011 – Noon

Bethel Colony Open House: July 23, 2011, 4 p.m.

Museum Volunteer Christmas Party: December 21, 2011, Noon

Special events dates subject to change.

Why doesn’t the Museum do certain things? Why doesn’t the Museum Director do things immediately when they need to be done? These are questions that go through our minds from time to time. Sometimes it is hard to understand why things plod along like the tortoise when we would rather they moved along at the speed of the hare.

Sometimes the speed at which we can move is determined by the hoops that we have to jump through. And there are several hoops. The first hoop that we think of is always the financial one. The Finance Committee prepares a budget that the Board of Directors approves at the beginning of each year. The committee has to project what they think our donations will be. The first priorities are always the necessities – utilities, administrative expense—the things that are necessary for the day-by-day operation. Non-essential things have to take second place. It would be easy to overextend. Sometimes funds are designated for a particular project that cannot be used for anything else. Jumping through the correct financial hoop is an essential and sometimes a precarious move.

A second hoop is the people hoop. I am sure that you are aware that we have one paid part-time employee (Charles Triplett). Everyone else is a volunteer. Regular volunteers are interviewed and screened prior to coming to work. The employee has a job description, and the volunteers have guidelines that are suggestions for doing their jobs in an effective manner. Both the employee and the volunteers are responsible to the Museum Director for what they do. Some volunteers have special talents while others have limitations. We have to budget the time they can give us and balance it with their skills. Sometimes lack of people-power keeps up from getting things done as timely as we would like.

A third hoop is the Board of Directors. As the Museum Director, I am responsible to the Board, and I have
to stay within the parameters that the Board members set for me. When I do, they support me in the decisions I make. If I don’t--well, I’ve never put them to that test and I don’t plan to test them anytime soon. They are a pleasant
and an agreeable group of men and women who are dedicated to the Museum and its mission. They approach
their obligations in a serious manner. They are usually on the same page, but they are not “Yes men” to either
me or to the Chairperson. When we disagree, we disagree in an agreeable manner. This is a hoop that I am glad
to jump through because it keeps me focused and accountable.

The fourth hoop is the Board’s bylaws. Our non-profit status is granted by the state. There are advantages to being non-profit. It means that donations to the Museum, both financial and in-kind, are tax-deductible. It also means that we are not taxed for the things the Museum owns. But it also means that we have to be accountable. We create our own bylaws, but we are expected to follow those bylaws. I’m a firm believer that if we have a book to go by, we need to go by that book—even if there are times we would rather not. Robert’s Rules of Order is our final authority. The bylaws give me the freedom to do my job and the guidelines to help me do it. It’s an important hoop and it’s a necessary and helpful hoop.

The fifth hoop is transparency. Our books are audited each year and that audit is open for inspection any time during our regular hours. The minutes of our meetings are a matter of public record as well. Our Board meetings are open to anyone who wishes to attend. We cannot turn anyone away. The only time that we can go into Executive session is when we are discussing issues involving our paid personnel. To date no one has ever asked to attend our Board meetings as an observer. If anyone ever does, that person will be welcomed as long as he/she does not act in a disruptive manner. We have nothing to hide. The transparency hoop is an easy one.

So when it seems that things are moving at the tortoise’s pace, just remember the many hoops that have
to be maneuvered. The hare was fast, but he lost at the end. The tortoise went along at a steady pace and you
know the results. Remember the moral to the story: “Slow and steady wins the race.”