LATEST NEWS!
November 18,
2009
3rd Annual Toy Tractor and Car Show
November 21, 9am-4pm
November 22, 10am-3pm
Buffalo Community Middle School Gym
(1300 Highway 25 N, Buffalo, MN)
Adults $3; children 8 and under
FREE!
Get a jump on your holiday shopping! Join us on November 21
& 22 for our 3rd Annual Toy Tractor and Car Show. We have expanded to a NEW LOCATION—the Buffalo Community
Middle School (1300 Hwy 25 N), located across from the Buffalo WalMart. More than 80 vendor tables have been sold
this year, promising a jam-packed offering of everything from mint collectables to stocking stuffers for kids of all ages.
This year WCHS has expanded the show to include several outstanding extras. A supervised play area, which
will allow parents to shop at their leisure, is being provided free of charge by the Early Childhood and Elementary Careers
program from Wright Technical Center in Buffalo. The Roaming Buffalo 4-H group will once again provide fantastic concessions
food at a very reasonable price. Displays of personal toy tractor, train and car collections will also be onsite, providing
something for everyone to enjoy.
Proceeds from this event will be used to provide historical programming
for our community, including Wright County history theme-based trunks provided free for teacher use. For more information
please contact Sally Stevens at 763-682-8945.

2nd Photo Contest: WINTER theme chosen
New contest is due to overwhelming
requests
Thanks to numerous requests for another photo contest, the Wright County Historical
Society has decided to host another! This photo contest’s theme will be WINTER IN WRIGHT COUNTY. Photos
must be taken between November 12-December 9th, 2009. All photos must be received by WCHS by Monday, December 14, 2009.
Photos will be displayed in conjunction with the Festival of Trees. Public voting will take place between December
16-December 31, 2009. First place ribbons and a one year WCHS membership will be awarded in each of four categories
in both adult and youth divisions. Happy snapping!
Winter 2009 Photo Contest Information
Entry Form
Release Form

WCHS Announces Annual Photo Contest Winners!
The Wright County Historical Society is proud to announce the winners of their 1st Semi-Annual Photo Contest! Our
first theme was 'Summer in Wright County' and all entries were absolutely beautiful. This contest was designed to highlight
our beautiful county and increase archival photos for future generations. Rules required photos to be taken within Wright
County between June 25-August 7, 2009 and to include detailed location information. Four categories were offered with
two entries allowed in each. Photos were displayed at the 2009 Wright County Fair between August 14-16 in the Welker
Schoolhouse, with public judging choosing all winners through written ballot. First place ribbons, as well as inclusion
in our upcoming publications and website (www.wrighthistory.org), were awarded in two categories, Adult and Youth (14 and
under). All photos will be briefly displayed at the Wright County Heritage Center, 2001 Hwy 25 N, Buffalo, MN.
Hours are Monday-Friday, 8:00am-4:30pm.
Recreation & Events
'Never Letting Go'
by Marie Hedtke, South Haven (Adult)
'I Caught One This Big' by Madison Dircks, Maple Lake (Youth)
Places
& Nature
'The Start of a New Life' by Layla Koehler, Montrose (Adult)
'Pure In Heart' by Lily Hedtke,
South Haven (Youth)
Structures & Objects
'Howard Lake Grain Elevator' by Rick Wozniak,
Dassel (Adult)
'Airport View from Maple Lake' by Madison Dircks, Maple Lake (Youth)
Everything Else
'Horses Delight' by Marie Hedtke, South Haven (Adult)
'Wright County Cornfield' by Madison Dircks, Maple Lake
Voter's Choice
'Never Letting Go' by Marie Hedtke, South Haven
Thank you to all entrants
and participants at the Wright County Fair for casting their ballots to determine our winners. The second photo contest
is already being planned for this winter! The theme for this contest will be Winter in Wright County with photo display
and public judging to occur in conjunction with the Wright County Historical Society's Festival of Trees.
Click here to view all entries in the Recreation & Events category
NOTE: All photo submissions will be on display at WCHS for a short time, so hurry in!

Our Newsletter is Out!
Our
new style, informative newsletter is now out! This format gives us an opportunity to keep all our members up to date
with WCHS activities at an economical price. We'll send it out, along with other important information, every two months.
Look for a fuller newsletter at least once a year with complete member lists, financials, and year-end updates.
We'd
love to hear from you! Click on our NEWSLETTER page to the left, download our latest newsletter, then let us know
what you think of our new format by filling out the quick survey. We'll share the responses online as they are submitted.

WCHS Awarded the Smithsonian Exhibit JOURNEY STORIES
The Wright County Historical Society was recently awarded JOURNEY STORIES, a travelling exhibit
specifically designed for rural historical societies and museums. Thanks to a grant written by our curator, Erin Storc,
WCHS was chosen as a finalist to receive this exhibit. After a site visit and extensive interview process, WCHS was
informed of the success of their application and work has already begun! JOURNEY STORIES will come to Wright County
late January 2011 and move on early March 2011. Thanks to the Minnesota Humanities Center for bringing this great exhibit
to Minnesota and to Wright County!
Here's a description of the exhibit:
Journey stories – tales of how we and our ancestors came to America – are a central element
of our personal heritage. From Native Americans to new American citizens and regardless of
our ethnic or racial background,
everyone has a story to tell. Our history is filled with stories of
people leaving behind everything – families
and possessions – to reach a new life in another
state, across the continent, or even across an ocean. The reasons
behind those decisions are
myriad. Many chose to move, searching for something better in a new land. Others had no
choice, like enslaved Africans captured and relocated to a strange land and bravely asserting
their own cultures,
or like Native Americans already here, who were often pushed aside by
newcomers.
Our transportation
history is more than boats, buses, cars, wagons, and trucks. The
development of transportation technology was largely
inspired by the human drive for freedom.
The Museum on Main Street exhibition Journey Stories will examine the intersection
between
modes of travel and Americans’ desire to feel free to move. The story is diverse and focused on
immigration,
migration, innovation, and freedom. It is accounts of immigrants coming in search
of promise in a new country; stories
of individuals and families relocating in search of fortune,
their own homestead, or employment; the harrowing journeys
of Africans and Native Americans
forced to move; and, of course, fun and frolic on the open road.
The
story of the intersection between transportation and American society is complicated, but it
tells us much about who
we are – people who see our societal mobility as a means for asserting
our individual freedom. Journey Stories
will use engaging images with audio and artifacts to
tell the individual stories that illustrate the critical roles
travel and movement have played in
building our diverse American society.

WCHS now a FamilySearchR Affiliate Library
of the
Genealogical Society of Utah!
Thousands
more family research microfilms are now available to our library patrons! The Wright County Historical Society prides itself
on providing the most up-to-date and thorough environment for your family research needs. Call or drop in for more information
on this very exciting partnership with the Genealogical Society of Utah's Research and Library System.