The newly refurbished sign for the Oneida Pioneer Museum was mounted on the Museum building on Tuesday, April 28, by members of the Malad City Crew.  The sign was taken down a year ago because it was deteriorating and looked like it could fall in a high wind. The size and weight of the sign meant that if it fell, it would be permanently damaged as well as damaging Museum windows and anything that it fell into.  Plus the sign’s loud squeak when the wind blew was annoying to Museum visitors and Hotel Malad customers.

Members of the Museum Board’s Subcommittee for Facilities and Maintenance – Bill Lewis and David Gilgen – took on the bigger-than-anticipated task of taking the sign apart, sanding and varnishing the several sections, putting it back together, and painting the letters and border. Figuring out a way to re-attach the sign to the poles on the Museum while stopping the squeak and ensuring it was secure was the task of Museum Board member Marvin Hess, whose engineering background came in handy.

Tyler Webster, the City Superintendent of Public Works, arranged for both the removal of the sign and the remounting of it.  Clint Price drove the front-end loader that lifted three City Crew members plus the very heavy sign up so it could be reattached to the building. Patrick Werk, Ike Dredge, and Preston Bird managed to securely attach the sign while Marvin Hess and Bill Lewis supervised the process.

Having the sign back in place may attract more visitors to the Museum. Last year cars were seen slowing down but then driving off, perhaps thinking the Museum had moved or was not open. Visitation at the Museum was down last summer, possibly because of the lack of signage.

In addition to the sign being in place, new displays in the Museum are being planned to attract local and out-of-town visitors.  The Museum will open with its traditional bake sale on Saturday, May 23, and will be open on Memorial Day. Regular hours of operation will be Tuesdays-Saturdays from 1-5 p.m.

Of special interest this year will be the newly organized and digitized archives, a huge project undertaken by Brent Bowen.  Now when someone wants to find out about a Malad Valley ancestor, information will easily be available on the computer that will direct patrons to books and other documents related to that ancestor.  Watch for additional information about the archives and other new Museum exhibits in upcoming editions of The Idaho Enterprise.