BCHS has two lectures slated

The Barnes County Historical Society Lecture Series Season 15 is presenting two lectures in September.

The first lecture features Dr. Diana Skroch from Valley City State University and is titled “Travels in Vietnam and Cambodia.” It will be at 7 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 20, at the Barnes County Museum.

An avid foreign traveler, Skroch will show slides of her recent trip to Vietnam and Cambodia.

Skroch holds bachelor’s degrees in music, art and Spanish from Valley City State University; a master’s degree in piano from the University of North Dakota; and a Ph.D. in music education and piano pedagogy from the University of Oklahoma. She is currently chair of the Division of Fine Arts at VCSU.

The second lecture will feature Claudia Berg of the State Historical Society of North Dakota on “The Expansion Project and Future of SHSND.” It will be at 7 p.m. Monday, Sept. 24, at the Barnes County Museum.

The North Dakota Heritage Center is doubling in size. Although the state museum is located on the state Capitol grounds in Bismarck, this expansion benefits every cultural and heritage organization across the state and could benefit Main Street businesses too, Berg said.

Creating a destination for North Dakota, the Heritage Center provides an overview of North Dakota history, geology and geography. Through the interpretation in the exhibits and the Hub of History it has been a goal, from the beginning of the project, to send visitors out across the state to see where history happened, visit area attractions, meet North Dakotans and stay for lunch and taste the specialties at local cafés.

Heritage tourism is a growing industry and North Dakota has a history that is as deep and rich as any other state, Berg said. There are attractions and numerous opportunities to create new venues through local partnerships building on resources not yet discovered, she said.

The construction of the Heritage Center will be completed by early spring 2013. The exhibits are in development and each of the four galleries will open over a period of 16 months culminating on Nov. 2, 2014, as part of the 125th anniversary of North Dakota statehood.

Berg, expansion and new initiatives coordinator for the SHSND, has been enfranchising partners and stakeholders, and acting as a conduit between architects, staff, boards, foundations and the public for the past four years. Additional responsibilities include creating statewide partnerships for heritage tourism initiatives.

A native of Minot and graduate of UND, Berg has been with the SHSND since 1981.

All lectures are at the Barnes County Historical Society Museum, 315 Central Ave N, and held in conjunction with Valley City State University. They are free and open to the public.

Sourced: jamestownsun