|
The
Grange Donates Thousands to the Oliver H. Kelley Farm in 2003 Washington,
November 25, 2003 - Members of the Grange have helped the Oliver H. Kelley Farm
get closer to their goal of raising $130,000 to remain open until June 2004 by
donating more than $13,000 to the Minnesota Historical Society and the Friends
of the Kelley Farm since May 2003. The donations have ranged from 50 cents to
$5,000. At
the National Grange's 137th Annual Convention in Burlington, Vermont, the organization
donated more than $7,000 to the Kelley Farm. The donation was part of a fundraising
effort orchestrated by Clyde Berry, National Grange Program Resource Director,
and Sherry Harriman, National Grange Junior Grange Director. Berry and the National
Grange Kelley Farm Historical Society presented a $5,000 check to the Farm, while
Harriman and the Junior Grange department presented a $2,104.89 check. Junior
Granges across the nation undertook a two-year effort to raise the money to keep
the Grange founder's farm open for the pleasure and education of the public. Other
donations came from local and state Granges, as well as individual Grange members.
After cleaning his room, a 6-year-old Junior Granger donated 50 cents, which he
found under his bed, to keep the Farm open. The biggest individual Grange donation
came from a Grange member who donated $2,200.
"Grange members have been donating to the Kelley Farm since 1935, and we appreciate
their continued support," Bob Quist, executive director of the Kelley Farm, said.
"Oliver Kelley was very instrumental in creating the Grange. It was his legacy,
and one of the Granges legacies will be keeping the Kelley Farm open for business."
Despite
these generous donations, the Kelley Farm still needs to raise more than $6,000
to remain open in 2004, and $130,000 to remain open in 2005. Grange members can
continue to send their donations to the Friends of the Kelley Farm, 15788 Kelley
Farm Road, Elk River, Minnesota 55330. The
Oliver H. Kelley Farm is an individual's gateway into a working 1860s farm. It
is an interactive, living history farm where visitors can pick heirloom vegetables
from the garden and churn butter in the farmhouse, visit the farmhands and animals
at the barn, plow the fields with oxen in the spring, make hay in the summer or
tend to the horse-powered thresher at harvest time, or see what's cooking inside
the Kelley farmhouse, while visiting the farm's shop and viewing costumed guides
work the fields with oxen and horses. People can also hike the 2.5-mile nature
trail through the woods, across the prairie and along the Mississippi River. "The
Oliver Kelley Farm provides knowledge about the basic thing that ties us all together
- agriculture," Quist said. "Everyone depends on food for their survival, and
here at the farm, we teach people how food gets to the table from the farm. It
is an invaluable education."
To learn more about the Kelley Farm, please call 1-888-727-8386 or visit www.mnhs.org.
Click Here to view more press releases. In the "press
room" section, you will not only find the most recent press releases, but you
will also find media kits, leadership bios and news coverage collected from news
sources across the United States. If you would like your e-mail address included
on the press release distribution list, please e-mail your request to sespie@nationalgrange.org.
|
