LARNED — The Santa Fe Trail Center will celebrate Independence Day on Monday, July 4 with a special preview of the interior renovation of the Frizell Railroad Depot on the Trail Center’s grounds. The Atchison Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad Depot was relocated to the Santa Fe Trail Center from Frizell.
A grand opening will be held later in the year when the work is complete, but because so many have expressed interest in what has been accomplished to date, this preview will be offered as part of the Trail Center’s celebration on July 4. 
Staff members will be inside the depot to explain the renovation and interpretation goals to visitors.  There will be no admission to tour the buildings on the museum’s grounds that day, and admission to the inside galleries will be offered at ½ price. 
Other activities at the Trail Center on July 4 will include a hands-on display of children’s games from the late 1800s. Come play and learn about the origins of some popular settlement era games.  In addition, the Trail Center gift shop will have grab bags available for sale while supplies last.
The Trail Center’s special temporary exhibit “Music from the Pawnee,” features the importance of music to the lives of those living in the Pawnee County area.
The revised and expanded exhibit features musical instruments as well as artifacts related to sound recording and reproduction. Items from the collection are on display, as well as memorabilia from numerous area residents.
Among the exhibits are an 1890s acoustic guitar, “Comrade” Smith’s violin, and one of Larned’s first television sets with built-in radio and phonograph.  Local artists The Fabulous Flippers and Susan Lane Stokes are shown. A selection of children’s musical toys is also showcased. There will be something for every music lover.
The Santa Fe Trail Center is two miles west of Larned on K-156.  The museum is open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.  For information call (620) 285-2054 or visit the museum’s web site at www.santafetrailcenter.org.