Museum foundation keeps play with annual meeting

At the monthly meeting of Hill County's H. Earl Clack Memorial Museum Board Monday, the director of the museum's funding foundation said the foundation's annual meeting again is set to include a locally written, directed and performed play telling a local story.

Foundation Board Chair Elaine Morse said Martin Holt again will perform a play he has written, this time about the bank robbery and shootout at the First National Bank of Harlem in 1911.

"It should be very, very good, " she added.

She said the board is inviting anyone who attends the meeting — which includes no-host cocktails and a dinner, as well as the annual board meeting and the play — to dress in costume.

The theme is "Saints and Sinners, " relating to the Old West, law and order, and robbers.

The meeting will be held at the Duck Inn Sunday, Oct. 23. Tickets cost $50 and include an annual membership in Friends of the Museum and Wahkpa Chu'gn Buffalo Jump. Morse said the foundation board expects to hold it in the Vineyard at the Duck Inn, although if it is a sell-out crowd it will be moved upstairs to the Olympic Room.

The meeting has been moved to the afternoon, starting at 3 p. m., rather than its normal evening time.

"We're going to try it a little bit different, " Morse said.

She said the foundation also has drafted an agreement with Boot Hill Properties owner Bill Dritshulas for the Wahkpa Chu'gn mural and park area which is near the businesses at the property that includes Murphy's Pub, and where Dritshulas is building a hotel.

The lease is for 49 years, "at the outrageous sum of a dollar a year, so that is leased to the foundation, " she said.

Morse said the foundation board will be meeting with the Havre City Council about the mural and park next Monday, and with the Havre Area Chamber of Commerce Tourism Committee the following week.

Anna Brumley, manager of the Wahkpa Chu'gn bison kill archeological site behind the Holiday Village Mall, said 300 students from seven schools toured the site in September.

She said, due to fire restrictions, the traditional stone-boiling done to cook bison meat at the tours was done with charcoal.

"We couldn't have an open fire, so either we didn't do stone-boiling or we tried another way, " she said.

Brumley said 23 bags of charcoal were used in the tours, which made a good profit for the site.

She said work is ongoing to upgrade the exhibit houses at the site, and to precisely locate an interpretive center. The YouthBuild program housed at Montana State University-Northern is constructing the house that will be used.

Brumley also said the group will be offering tours through the off-season by appointment. The tours would be available at 1 p. m. each day, she said.