After a three-year gap, we’ve finally hosted another Open House – this time at our new location on River Road in Essex Junction. Our goals on September 9th were to show off our new home, sell some of our new and our duplicate books, and gain a few new members. We were successful on all counts.
The event ran during our normal Saturday hours (10 AM – 4 PM). Thanks to work this summer inventoring recent donations and to the efforts of a dozen volunteers on Friday, our refreshments and book sale were laid out, two venues for short demos were organized, and the library looked great. Decorations and a few balloons added to the festive air.
Our book sale was the draw for a lot of people. Thanks to recent donations, including many from the Vermont Historical Society, we offered hundreds of histories, genealogies, and how-to books for sale. We were happy to find new homes for almost 300 books.
Those attendees who were seeing the library for the first time were offered tours of our resources, how the books were cataloged, and layout of the rooms. Other volunteers explained how to access the seven subscription databases on our computers (AmericanAncestors, MyHeritage, Ancestry, FindMyPast, PRdH, GenealogieQuebec and America’s Civil War Database).
Throughout the day we had multiple presenters giving 30-minute demos on a varietly of topics (FamilyTreeMaker, 19th Century Photos, Tips for French-Canadian Research, RootsTech, FindMyPast and AncestryDNA).
Our demos included a project by our youngest member who impressed visitors and staff with his grasp of family research. Elliott’s exhibit is shown below, with Peter Crosby picking up some tips.
Both volunteers and visitors could take breaks to grab a bite from vegetable & fruit platters, as well as a big selection of pastries. Coffee, tea, water, and apple cider rounded out the selections. With tables and chairs available it reminded us of the events we’d had annually at our previous home in Fort Ethan Allen.
At the end of a busy and exciting day we’d seen a lot of old friends, made a few new ones, and proudly showcased our home at Pinewood Plaza. In the process, we gained six new members, had 11 renewals, and earned just over $1300 in memberships, sales and donations. All of this was made possible by the work of the almost two-dozen volunteers who planned, advertised, cooked, and facilitated the event.
For more on the Open House, check out the coverage by Jean MacBride titled Curious about your family history? in the Essex Reporter.
