The Barton County Historical Society Museum and Village will host an orientation meeting, at 1 p.m. Thursday, April 2, for volunteer training and information for anyone interested in learning more about the museum.
The village, a display of historic buildings filled with artifacts and displays, tells the story of this area from the Paleo Period through the Indian Wars to World War II and beyond. It is located south of the Arkansas River bridge in Great Bend on U.S. 281.
Extended spring/summer hours will be from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays, and 1-5 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays, beginning Tuesday, April 7. Winter hours of 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Friday are now in effect and will resume in November.
The April 2 program will feature a short orientation and information about past and current happenings at the museum, said Karen Naylor, volunteer coordinator. Refreshments will be served.
For more information call the museum office, 793-5125, or Naylor, 793-6394.

Sneak peak
Museum staff are busy this week in anticipation of the spring visitors. New displays include the Polka Lovers of America Kansas Chapter’s Polka Days exhibit (see the Great Bend Tribune, March 13, 2015), a Cheyenne Bottoms exhibit and an exhibit for the 100th anniversary of the Nov. 10, 1915, tornado in Great Bend.
The tornado destroyed Eastside School, which was also known as Roosevelt School and other names, said Karen Neuforth, research coordinator for the museum. Photos of the front of the brick building taken after the storm seem to show it intact, but photos from other angles show it was beyond repair. The school was located on the southeast corner of Lakin and Frey. Next to the school, at the Moses and Clayton Ranch, 1,000 sheep died in the storm.
Beverly Komarek, executive director of the historical society, said the museum is currently showing its collection of antique Easter Cards, preparing for the annual Watching Young Artists Grow exhibit in April, and looking ahead to the June Jaunt on the first weekend of June.
This year’s June Jaunt, celebrated by cities along K-96 from Tribune to Ellinwood, has a heritage theme with barn quilts featured along the way (Great Bend Tribune, March 20, 2015). “We’ll be showing some of our own quilt collection,” Komarek said.