| | Published July 17th, 2024
| Council updated on Historical Society year in review
| | | By Sora O'Doherty | | |
Orinda Historical Society (OHS) president Alison Burns presented the annual review of the year from May 2023 to May 2024 to the City Council on July 2. Burns reviewed social and educational events that the Society has hosted or participated in, beginning with the group's first Open Evening held Dec. 1, 2023. Burns noted that the outreach event was a great success, mentioning the non-stop guitar music and songs by Patrick and Luke Burns, her husband and son.
During the reorganization of OHS, school programs were halted, but are now gradually coming back. Schools coordinator Laurie Smith was unavailable for several months, but Burns reported that there was a very successful Sleepy Hollow Kindergarten session last May, and this May Burns and Smith went to Glorietta Elementary to give a presentation to 89 third-graders.
"Laurie also made around 100 cookies, all in the shape of an O for Orinda," Burns added, and "our two student volunteers, Miramonte juniors Ethan and Ryan Lee, produced 90 workbooks which were distributed to all the students."
Downtown walking tours, led by Kay Norman, former OHS President and longtime board member, have also resumed. Burns and Norman took a group of ten people from the P.E.O. Sisterhood philanthropic women's organization on a tour in early June. The tour began at the Community Center, formerly the 1924 2-room school, and ended at the de Laveaga 19th century train station on Bryant Avenue.
Burns also reported on the progress of a historical marker for Orinda Motors. "Two years ago, Bill Waterman, leader of the Orinda Historic Landmarks Committee, asked the OHS to produce a plaque for the exterior of Orinda Motors," she stated in her report. "We managed to get a $1000 grant from the Orinda Community Foundation" Burns stated.
OHS found Orinda resident, Scott Cuyler, Creative Principal and Co-Founder of Square Peg, who was, Burns added, "kind enough to design this for us, pro bono." Burns informed the council that the OHS has recently taken possession of the plaque and will be organizing a small ceremony when it will be installed on the exterior of Orinda Motors in the fall in celebration of the garage's centenary.
Burns was also pleased to say that the OHS has been changing their display window more often than the twice-a-year required. The window has been changed frequently to reflect current seasons and events. OHS plans to celebrate the opening of the Cal Shakes season in September with another window display.
The OHS also received funds from the Orinda Woman's Club, which has enabled them to buy two new signs to put outside the Museum during opening hours, as well as a grant for software and grants from Sacramento-based company, California Revealed, to preserve Orinda's history as part of their Digitization and Preservation Assistance program.
Under the grant, old issues of the Orinda Sun newspaper are being scanned, in addition to 41 historic audio video tapes. Once the digitization is completed, the originals will be returned to the OHS and the materials we be available to the public through California Revealed and links on the OHS website.
During the past year the OHS initiated a project to purchase a suitable museum collection management system to improve record-keeping and tracking of museum objects and research items. "After extensive research we selected CatalogIt and were able to purchase it thanks to a grant received from the Orinda Woman's Club. We are currently in the process of implementing the product, which will also allow us to expand our web presence and make more of our collection easily accessible to the public," Burns concluded. |
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Lamorinda Weekly, Moraga CA