A Message from Our President

After what has essentially been a year of “pause,” we are optimistically looking forward to a “back to normal” season. Even though 2020 turned out to be a “bust” with regard to our regular activities, the Board met regularly and continued to maintain the Depot museum.

The downside was that the Society’s source of funding all but dried up, other than from the generous support of our members. As previously noted, we receive no financial support from either the City or County. However, we were very fortunate to obtain some monetary assistance from our community. This came in the form of a $2,100 Federal COVID relief grant in November, administered by the City of New Brighton. Moreover, just this past February, the good folks at the St. Anthony Culver’s organized a NBAHS promotion, and raised $800. THANK YOU CULVER’S!!

Looking ahead, and as set forth herein, the Society does expect to resume most of its regularly scheduled activities this year, with some exceptions, and fully cognizant that the status of the pandemic may cause a sudden disruption. Accordingly, after a one-year delay, we are looking forward to our Annual Meeting on April 22 at the New Brighton Community Center.

Of extreme importance to us will be the re-opening of the Depot on Saturday, June 5. Although our Annual Rhubarb Festival will not be held, the Board has arranged for a fresh harvest of rhubarb, which will be available for purchase at the Depot on Saturday and Sunday, June 5 & 6, at 1:00 PM. (The stalks are in 3 lb. bundles for $5 each; we also will have some potted plants at $10.) This will be a great opportunity for many of our members to get out and support our first function of the year.

Another positive development is the City’s decision to move ahead with the popular Stockyard Days celebration this year. This is an ideal time to showcase our Depot, which will be open for extended hours on Saturday and Sunday, August 14th and 15th. 

Last but not least is our very popular Harvest Festival dinner scheduled for Sunday, October 10. More information on this will be provided later this year in our Fall Newsletter.

And please remember, all membership fees are due on April 1 of each year. (See notice herein.) Your generous support has enabled the Society to proudly display our very unique Depot museum that is indeed a local treasure. Another way to support our efforts is to purchase one of the history books published by the Society. In fact, we have just re-run another printing of Gene Skiba’s popular “A Centennial History of New Brighton”—a masterpiece of local history, and available at the Depot for $25.

And finally, on behalf of the entire Board, we mourn the recent passing of long-time Society Board member, Jerry Blanski. He was a kind and selfless individual, whose attention to detail kept all of his fellow Board members on their toes. We all miss you, Jerry.

Thanks for your support; we’ll see you at the Depot!