Variety will reign in July at the Edwardsburg Area Historical Museum with metal detecting, Sauk Trail history, and music on the museum’s back deck.

A badge from the 1894 Columbian Exposition (The Chicago World’s Fair), a 1925 dance card from the University of Illinois Military Ball, a running board from a 1909 Model T, printing plates from the Edwardsburg Argus, and a 1935 half dime. Neil Hassinger will address all of these, discovered while metal detecting.

Hassinger, a Niles native who, with his wife, Kathleen, has lived in Edwardsburg for 38 years, will speak on “What’s Underfoot in Edwardsburg” at 7 p.m., Thurs., July 17.

It is just one of the things Hassinger has done after retiring from a business he owned. A 1977 graduate of Niles High School, he attended Southwestern Michigan College. In addition to metal detecting, he is involved with the archaeological digs conducted each summer by Western Michigan University at the Fort St. Joseph site along the St. Joseph River in Niles. He also serves as a museum volunteer and actively participates in reenactments.

On July 22, the display, “Sauk Trail: Echoes of Our Past,” will open. The exhibit will feature artifacts on loan from the Pokagon Band of the Potawatomi, which will curate the showcase. Also included are grinding wheels, stones, woodworking tools, and old axes that were used when Edwardsburg was settled. The display will be featured during the Sauk Trail Festival on September 27.

The Relics band will perform at the museum at 7 p.m., Sat., July 26, on the museum’s back deck. Classic rock and pop music will be selections from the group’s repertoire.

Admission to all three events is free.

“EDWARDSBURG, MICHIGAN, JUNE 15, 2025 — The America250MI Committee has awarded the Edwardsburg Area Historical Museum $2,975 as part of the first round of the America250MI History Grant Program. The grant is for the museum’s deck renovation.

The renovation of the 20-year-old deck will ensure its continued safety for handicap access. The work will include replacing deck boards, railings, and support posts. New wooden beams will be installed as needed on the 12-foot by 36-foot structure. The deck ramp will feature new metal handrails on both sides. Work will be completed this summer for the museum’s Sauk Trail Event,  “Echoes of Our Past, “set for Sat., Sept. 27. Reenactors will use the deck for special presentations.

The America250MI History Grant Program is funding projects that will help preserve Michigan’s history for future generations. The grant program represents a key element of the state’s commemoration of the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. The Edwardsburg museum is participating locally in this project.

In 2020, Governor Whitmer directed the Historical Society of Michigan and the Michigan History Center to coordinate the state’s commemoration of the anniversary of the founding of the United States of America. The two organizations created the America250MI Committee to aid and advise this effort.

America250MI is Michigan’s statewide committee tasked with commemorating the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States of America, the American Revolution’s role in Michigan’s history and the impact that these, and various historical events, have had on the people of Michigan’s past, present and future.

Established in 1828, the Historical Society of Michigan is Michigan’s oldest cultural organization and helps connect Michigan’s past to its residents and organizations through programs and events, publications, awards, workshops, networking opportunities and support for local history organizations. The society is a member-supported educational 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and receives zero state-appropriated funding. 

The Michigan History Center fosters curiosity, enjoyment and inspiration rooted in Michigan’s stories through museums, historic sites, Michigan Historical Markers, heritage trails, archaeology and programming. The center, a part of the Department of Natural Resources, manages 11 museums statewide, museum and archaeology artifact collections and various educational programs.”

EDWARDSBURG–For those who enjoy tasting wild plants–whether in a pizza, frittata, or as a digestion-stimulating drink–opportunities will be available when Jim Meuninck presents the “Forager’s Dozen” at the Edwardsburg Area Historical Museum at 7 p.m., Thurs., May 22.

There is no admission charge.

Meuninck, who lives at Eagle Lake with his wife, Jill, is an author, biologist, counselor, and mycologist (who studies fungi), will entertain guests with his knowledge of twelve wild plants that, he notes, ‘provide superior nutrition, are easy to identify, and make tasty substitutes for conventional ingredients.’ He has spent at least 60 years foraging and makes annual trips out west to collect information for his guides on wild plants. His guides and films have received high ratings from several organizations and publications.

His video presentation will highlight his work, along with demonstrations, tastings, and ideas for life-changing habits, as well as a few ‘health-stimulating laughs.’ Meuninck grew up in Mishawaka and graduated with degrees in biology and counseling from the University of Hawaii. He taught biology and science for eight years for the Department of Defense on military bases in several countries and also taught in South Bend, Indiana.

Peonies, roses, lilies, grasses, and other favorites will be sold when the Edwardsburg Area Historical Museum holds its yearly perennial plant sale fundraiser from May 16 to May 31.

Supported by Dussel’s Farm Market and Greenhouses, Cassopolis, the event will take place on the museum grounds in Edwardsburg and will include more than 1000 plants. A wide selection of potted annual plants, suitable for patios and cemetery placements, will also be available.

Plant prices range from $1 to $30 each and include several contributions from community members. Volunteers will manage the sale; all proceeds go to the museum’s general fund.

The 2025 season at the Edwardsburg Area Historical Museum will get underway on April 15, when the first exhibit, “Everyone Loves a Parade,” opens. The display features a variety of pictures from past Edwardsburg parades, along with parade memorabilia such as commemorative plates and mugs. The Edwardsburg High School band department has loaned several instruments which will be housed in the museum’s glass cases.

The second exhibit, “Sauk Trail: Echoes of the Past,” will be front and center from July 22 to November 1. That display will be highlighted by two glass cases of artifacts that the Pokagon Band of the Potawatomi Indians will loan to the museum and set up. Other museum areas will showcase items that would have been used when the Village of Edwardsburg was first settled in the 1820s, such as grinding wheels and stones, woodworking tools, and old axes.

“Tis the Season,” will end the year. It will highlight all items that revolve around the holidays, with trees, garlands, and many ornaments. That display will run from Nov. 4 through Dec. 13.

The museum opens a month early this year. Hours are 1 to 4 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays, and 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturdays. It also will be open on the second Wednesday of each month from 6 to 8 p.m. It will close Dec. 13 and re-open in mid-spring, 2026.

The theme is vegetable and floral gardening, and the presenter is Mark Dussel of Cassopolis, who will lead a workshop Tues, April 22, at the Ontwa Township Hall, 26225 U.S. 12, Edwardsburg.

The event will be from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Admission is free. The appearance is held in conjunction with the Edwardsburg Area Historical Museum.

Dussel is a veteran farmer who has owned Dussel’s Farm Market and Greenhouses for nearly 28 years. He will cover four topics. The first is general gardening, which focuses on vegetable gardening and landscaping around the home. Details will include plant height and locations. Secondly, weed control will center on identifying and controlling annual and perennial weeds.

Growing cut flowers, the third topic, covers which species work best for long-term cuts. Lastly, container gardening suggestions will highlight the best soil media for growing containers of both flowers and vegetables.

It’s a Christmas Gift. It’s a STOCKING STUFFER. It’s the museum’s new coloring book!!!

It’s $2 and it is on sale until Dec. 14, when the museum closes for the season.

Where else can you get a coloring book with a concise history of the Edwardsburg area, written especially for elementary students?

Thanks to Retired Teachers Leigh Goyings, Judy Singley, and Pat McCain, the coloring book on local heritage is here. The three educators researched and wrote the text and selected the photos. The cover photo was shot by Bonnie Elder and the map on the back cover was drawn by Marilyn Christner. The digital design class at Edwardsburg High School used software to change the photos into coloring pages.

The book’s printing was made possible through a grant from Midwest Energy & Communications so that it can provided without charge to all Edwardsburg fourth graders.  Additional funds for the initial printing were gifted in memory of the late Otis and Mary Montgomery, longtime supporters of the community and instrumental in the museum’s development. The funds for re-printing then were provided in memory of the late Jo-Ann Boepple and her husband, Dick, who worked tirelessly for the museum’s founding.

The museum is open from 1 to 4 p.m., Tuesdays through Fridays, and from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturdays. It will be closed from Wed., Nov. 27, through Sat., Nov. 30, for the Thanksgiving weekend. The books also will be available during the museum’s open house at the Christmas Tree Lighting on Thurs., Dec. 5.