The Yellowstone Gateway Museum’s first holiday event is participation at the annual Holiday Farmers’ Market on Saturday, December 7, at the Civic Center, 229 River Drive, from 8 AM to 4 PM. The Friends of the Yellowstone Gateway Museum will have a table where a variety of local history books, including some new titles, will be for sale. You can show your support for the museum by purchasing a membership for friends and family; they are available this year in the form of historic photo-wrapped stocking-stuffer boxes with a handmade ornament inside.

Among the books offered at the Farmers’ Market are two new books published by Wan-I-Gan Press of the Friends of the Yellowstone Gateway Museum. The 512-page History of Park County, Montana, 1984 is now offered as a soft cover, spiral-bound reprint. A committee of several individuals, led by Doris Whithorn, gathered and edited the History’s family stories and photographs. The museum gets many requests each year for a copy of this book; the reprint now makes it more affordable. This year, Richard Dysart completed an Index to the History of Park County, Montana, 1984 that makes the book much more user-friendly. The Index and the History make perfect gifts for the history aficionado.

This year the museum is offering an opportunity to Farmers’ Market goers: an ornament-making table. Kids of all ages are invited to decorate a wooden cut-out ornament (or two) with paint pens. The ornaments have a Park County theme: horses, bears, fish, eagles, trains, and stars, and will be used to decorate the museum’s Christmas tree. Artists and their families can view their creations the following Thursday evening at a special holiday program (see below). 

Our program, Cookies and Stories: A Holiday Swap, is designed for all ages and guarantees an evening of fun at the museum. Slated for Thursday, December 12, from 6:30 to 8:00 PM, program-goers are asked to bring a dozen cookies (and copies of the recipe to share if desired) and a story or two about how they’ve spent time during the holidays or wintertime in Park County or in Yellowstone National Park. The cookie swap gives everyone a chance to take an assortment of cookies home (or eat them during the program). The museum provides hot beverages. The program, in addition to storytelling, features musicians Jimmy and Nan Conley of Conley’s Books & Music. They enjoy sharing their holiday tunes.

The museum doors open at 6:00 so there’s time for you to enjoy the exhibits and the museum as it’s decorated for the holidays before the program begins. The program is on the museum’s upper floor and is unfortunately not accessible to people who have trouble navigating stairs.

If you are looking for something special to do during the holidays when you have family and friends at home, bring them to the Yellowstone Gateway Museum. The museum is open Thursday-Saturday during the winter. Children and members are always free.