Serving Whitman County since 1877
Serving Whitman County since 1877
SJM farm wall
SJM new exhibit
SJM Hanoi hilton
Above: The St. John Heritage Museum’s Farming Through the Years wall sponsored by Alex McGregor shows scenes of early farming on the Palouse. Right: Lydia Smith shows a new display to be put up in the museum soon. Left: A box of items from the “Hanoi Hilton” POW camp on display at the veteran’s wall.
“Every hand’s a winner and every hand’s a loser,” the gambler advises, but on Feb. 10 the St. John Heritage Museum will be the biggest winner with every deal, roll and spin.
The museum will host its third annual Casino Night Feb. 10 at the St. John Community Building. Proceeds from the night go to maintain and better the locally-owned museum.
“It’s fun,” said Lydia Smith with the St. John Historical Society.
There is a $10 cover charge which covers the hors d’oeuvres and drinks. The food is supplied by society members.
Casino night is the museum’s main event of the year. The museum is owned by St. John and operated by the historical society. Happy hour will begin at 6 p.m. with gambling from 7 p.m. to 1 a.m. Games include blackjack, poker, roulette, bingo and chuck-a-luck. The museum receives 10 percent, so when a patron buys 10 chips for $10, $1 goes to the museum.
“A lot of displays need money,” Smith said.
Two of the top needs are for a new front door which meets code and better lighting for the original Nona Hengen paintings.
“A lot of it is a photo display,” Smith said. “It’s not the typical same-old stuff.” One wall shows scenes of early farming practices. That wall was sponsored by Alex McGregor. The museum’s big focus is the warrior wall which is dedicated to stories and displays of veterans who grew up or lived in the St. John area.
“There’s just so much history,” Smith noted.
While the casino night is the museum’s main event, it also receives support from memorials and donations.
Anyone interested in supporting the museum can donate to St. John Heritage Museum, P.O. Box 315, St. John, WA 99171.
Jana Mathia is a reporter at the Whitman County Gazette.
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