What a fun day we had when the Kearny County Museum hosted Lakin’s 5th and 6th graders for Pioneer Day on April 14. There were nine stations ranging from branding to making butter, and each station was both fun and educational. This event has a long history at Kearny County Museum going back to the 1980s when former Museum director Lucile Dienst invited Carol Panzer’s and Barbara Broderick’s 5th graders for scavenger hunts to encourage students to learn about Kearny County’s history. The Museum was still located on Main Street at that time. When our current complex was opened, the students dressed up in pioneer fashion for the day, walking and touring our facility. In 1988, Sandy Wanklyn replaced Mrs. Broderick, and work began to make Pioneer Day a living history day with stations. The event continued to evolve through the years, often including mountain man presentations, dancing on the lawn while the local Fiddlers and Pickers played, and various demonstrations. Mrs. Wanklyn retired in 2016, and Wendy Anderson now has the monumental task of planning this activity and recruiting community, parent and student volunteers.
