FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:  Dec. 10, 2004

CONTACT:  Jeff Mammenga, (605) 773-6000

Cultural Heritage Center hosting Sioux Falls model trains

PIERRE, S.D. – Bill Kading and the Sioux Falls Lionel Train Club will display their collection this weekend at the South Dakota Cultural Heritage Center.

The Cultural Heritage Center will be open extended hours to accommodate the train display. The hours are 9 a.m.-7 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 1, and 1-5 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 12. There is no cost to see the trains, which will be in the education room.

“We are pleased to be able to host the Sioux Falls model train group,” said Jay D. Vogt, director of the South Dakota State Historical Society, headquartered in the Cultural Heritage Center. “Last weekend we had more than 750 visitors come see a similar group from Milbank.”

 These model trains are another way for the State Historical Society to expand visitors’ knowledge of South Dakota, which is part of the 2010 Initiative, Vogt added.

There is one more weekend of displays at the Cultural Heritage Center before Christmas:

Saturday, Dec. 18, will feature Ann Rohlf of Pierre demonstrating holiday basket weaving and Valerie LaBreche of Mitchell with her dollhouse display from 9 a.m.-7 p.m.

The final displays are Amy Hertel of Pierre with “Scrap Booking Family Memories” and Leah Kirley of Pierre’s “Scale Miniatures of Rooms” on Sunday, Dec. 19, from 1-5 p.m.

The museum is open the same hours as the displays. Regular admission fees apply to the museum, which features an original Jefferson Peace Medal as its newest attraction. Call (605) 773-3458 for more information.

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The South Dakota State Historical Society, an office of the Department of Tourism and State Development, is headquartered at the South Dakota Cultural Heritage Center in Pierre. The center houses the society’s world-class museum, the State Archives, and the historic preservation, publishing and administrative offices. Call (605) 773-3458 or visit www.sdhistory.org for more information. The society also has an archaeology office in Rapid City; call (605) 394-1936 for more information.