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There is nothing certain....but the uncertain.....
    Wow... no truer words have been spoken! Who would have thought that when March began, that life would be what it is like today? From the social distancing, businesses being closed, our schools being closed and becoming home-schooling parents... to having some of the lowest gas prices we've seen in years and not being able to travel anywhere to enjoy it.. not to mention the fear, concern and devastation surrounding this deadly virus that caused the wheels of change to turn.  There is no doubt about it... this pandemic absolutely has challenged our abilities to adapt!
   It has also been said that every success story is a tale of adaptation, revision and change... and think that is certainly the case here at the Carnegie!  We have been in a constant state of adaptation and revision since mid-March.  With so many unknowns, it has been nearly impossible to make solid plans for our temporary exhibits.  We no longer got our "Stuff" exhibit up and ready and had our Reception and Book Signing planned for March 21st, when we received word  that we were in a state of emergency and all gatherings under 10 were prohibited.  
    As you can imagine, this has left us with so many questions..... When can we reschedule the Stuff Book Signing?  What about the other exhibits we had planned for the rest of the year?  When can we allow visitors and tours again?  What will this look like for our volunteers?  What protocols do we need to have in place when we do decide to open?  These are just a few of the questions questions we as an organization are doing our very best to address.  Like all of you, we are taking things a day at a time and making the best choices we can during this time of uncertainty.  Through the guidance of other museums and affiliated museum associations, we are taking a three-phase approach to re-opening.  We are currently in Phase One.  Phase two will begin on July 1st.  As of now, we anticipate remaining in Phase Two indefinitely until it is safe to move to Phase Three - which would be when things are "back to normal" so to speak, and we no longer need to adhere to the strict guidelines listed.
We are currently in PHASE ONE.  We will move to PHASE TWO starting July 1st.  
PHASE ONE - Office Hours and Tours by Appointment for family groups of 6 or less.  

Summer Office Hours
Monday - Thursday
9 am - Noon 
1 - 3 pm
Friday
9 am - 1 pm

PHASE TWO - Same Office Hours and Tours by Appointment as above.  PLUS Walk - In Tours:  Sundays and Thursdays 1 - 4 pm. 
Social Distancing and Guidelines will be observed for both Phases One and Two.  Calling ahead still encouraged for walk - in tours, but not required.  For appointments - please call or email at least 24 hours in advance. 
Any changes in Phases, Guidelines or Office Hours will be posted
on our website, facebook and on our front door. 
My name is Michelle Adams, known to many since grade school as Shellie.  You may have seen me around the Carnegie as I have served as the assistant for the past year and half.  For those who don’t know me, I am the daughter of Mike and (the late) LaVonne (Davis) Kobliska.  I am a proud New Hampton native – graduating in 1998.  I spent the majority of my adult years after graduation in the Cedar Rapids area – but have been home now for approximately 5 years.  My involvement with the Carnegie began shortly after moving back when then Director, Jill Eike approached me about becoming the “webmaster” for our website.  This turned in to becoming a board member, which I thoroughly enjoyed!  It was then my journey of learning what the Carnegie was all about, and its importance to our community began. I stayed on as a board member until becoming the assistant in 2018.  I would love for you to stop in and say hello!
 
As our previous director, Jill did a remarkable job!  With her own pizazz, she navigated through uncharted waters as Juanita stepped down to prepare for her move.  These truly are big shoes to fill, but I have been blessed to have had two strong and outstanding women to learn from.  I am excited for this new chapter – and I am grateful for the opportunity to continue working with our board and staff of extraordinary volunteers!  Together we shall carry on the mission of this vital organization in Chickasaw County.This brings us to today!  I am happy to report that, as we as a community are emerging from quarantine, so is the Carnegie! With the help of recent grant awards, we are ready to rock and roll! We are thrilled to have Deb Rosonke back on staff as our custodian, and the transition from being the Assistant to the Director has been going smoothly, even with all of the ‘unknowns’ this pandemic has thrown at us! 
 
One of these transitional items that I will be tackling next is the hiring of a new office assistant.  If you are interested or know someone who might be a good fit – please let me know! For more information or to apply, give me a call or shoot me an email!     
OK…so, where are we? I’m all but drawing a blank. I can’t tell if time is passing quickly or slowly lately. It feels like it’s been forever since I’ve inhabited the Carnegie. The last time I was there an exhibit of local ephemera was in place, we were readying for an exhibitor open house and “STUFF” book signing event, and then everything just kinda stopped. I can picture the Cultural Center in my mind with everything still just sitting there and I can hear the deep voice of Rod Serling of The Twilight Zone fame, standing in a semi dark corner describing the scene of abandonment before him.  He invites us to ponder: “Why did everyone so suddenly disappear?...Where did they go?...And will they return?”
 
While that which we are currently living may, at times, seem surreal, we certainly appreciate that it is far from science fiction. For many of us, whether we are physically affected or not, this coronavirus pandemic will become one of those milestone events that not only contorts us presently, it will color our memories of the year 2020 for a very long time. As the Carnegie Cultural Center Volunteer Archivist who often “dwells in the past”, this current experience begets in me a better appreciation for how Chickasaw County experienced past milestone events such as WWII and the polio pandemic of the 1950s. Obviously, those may not be the only local milestone events, but they come most quickly to my mind due to the many stories that I have been told.
 
In both cases, these events were experienced both privately and publicly. The “more mature” among us can tell stories of the widespread fear of polio, the resulting quarantines, the businesses and municipal services that ceased operation for periods of time. These same folks can relate, often with a palpable sense of patriotism, tales of rationing, shortages, buying war bonds, banding together to fill in for individuals called to active duty during WWII. These events brought heartbreaking tragedies for certain families and I can state unequivocally that their pain was felt and responded to by the wider community. I do not pretend that every last person was a model of nobility, but from what I know of local history, there was no mocking of anyone for practicing “social distancing”( a decidedly 21st century term) and no storming of the courthouse in protest of one’s inability to purchase “essential” goods.
 
I started out here not knowing where I was at or where I was going, but I have come round to this…grandparents and other “gray hairs”, you have stories to tell…valuable stories…stories that shed light on what it is to be a human (maybe even a noble one)…stories that tell what it is like to really be part of a community. It is for these same reasons that we who volunteer our time for the Carnegie Cultural Center Archives strive to conserve the materials and memorabilia that you have entrusted to us. But something YOU can do NOW is to share the stories of your and our milestone events with younger people. The time to do it is now, because NOW is the time that the fair-skinned set might best be able to relate to and understand the story you are sharing…and in remembering this current, milestone event in their life, they will recall your stories as well. 
 
Juanita Andersen, CCC Volunteer Archivist
Mailing Address: 
PO Box 243
New Hampton, Iowa 50659
Phone:  641.394.2354
Website: www.carnegieculturalcenter.org
Email: info@carnegieculturalcenter.org
Facebook: CarnegieCulturalCenter
Board of Directors:
Danice Larson, Beth Eiler, Maggie Johnson, Roger Johnson, Norah Kennedy, 
Keith Kreun, Dee Larkin, Wally Murphy, Bill Riley and Steve Samec.

Michelle Adams, Director
Juanita Andersen, Volunteer Archivist, 
Deb Rosonke, Custodial
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