October’s program meeting at the Barton County Historical Society Museum & Village will feature "Great Bend Past," a presentation by Karen Neuforth. The public is welcome to attend the meeting, which will begin at 7:30 p.m. Monday at the Museum & Village, just across the bridge, south of Great Bend on U.S. 281.

Neuforth, executive director of the Barton County Arts Council, also serves as research coordinator for the Historical Society. She has a great interest in the history of Barton County and has devoted a considerable amount of time to research on various topics, from Ft. Zarah to local family histories to her current project, Great Bend Army Air Field and its effects on the area.

For this program, she will give a virtual tour of the history and development of downtown Great Bend, centering on the courthouse and the business blocks surrounding the square. From its formation in 1872, through the rough and tumble cowtown days, from wood framed shops to substantial brick buildings with ornate Victorian fronts, from tragedy to comedy, Great Bend’s downtown has seen it all.