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DANVILLE — The Vermilion County Battle Museum will quickly have some technological and show upgrades due to the Vermilion County Board, and its allocation of ARPA (American Rescue Plan Act) funding from the federal authorities.
District Seven Board Member Jerry Hawker stated, “I wished to assist direct a few of these funds to organizations and teams in my district that work exhausting to serve the group however function on restricted budgets. So, I talked with Rhea and Larry Weatherford and discovered that the Vermilion County Battle Museum might use some assist. The museum is the closest neighbor to the county’s Administration Constructing, and I knew how exhausting they work to honor our veterans. As a substitute of telling them what I assumed we’d wish to donate for, I requested for a listing of plans and areas that we might assist with for the museum.”
Hawker stated that his curiosity within the museum had been piqued about 4 years in the past when he and his granddaughter, Suzanne, attended an open home there.
“Suzanne was actually drawn into the tales and the individuals behind the artifacts as Larry gave us a tour. I knew then how necessary this museum is to the group,” Hawker stated.
Hawker and County Board Chairman Larry Baughn visited the museum and talked with the Weatherfords who gave them a tour and identified what they felt may very well be accomplished to assist the museum transfer forward.
The 2 additionally talked with Museum Board President James Kouzmanoff, Treasurer Colletta Johnson, different board members and volunteers.
The primary merchandise on the Weatherfords’ want listing impressed each Hawker and Baughn. That’s a pc system that will include a Vermilion County Veteran Database, itemizing everybody from the world who had served within the American Armed Forces, courting again to Revolutionary Battle Veterans who had moved to Vermilion County within the late 1700’s and early 1800’s. That itemizing would proceed throughout these serving immediately. Along with the names which might crawl throughout a large LED display screen on the wall, entry to “scanned-in” photos, tales and authentic paperwork can be obtainable.
“We plan to digitize lots of the collections now we have or have entry to for particular person service personnel and regiments. For instance, we’ll have scans of a number of hundred pages of paperwork, photos, speeches and tales about John Charles and William Black, each of whom have been awarded the Medal of Honor for his or her Civil Battle service,” Larry Weatherford stated.
Whereas the museum options tens of hundreds of artifacts courting again to the 1700’s, Weatherford says, “The entrance room on the southwest aspect of the constructing will turn out to be our know-how room, with pc workstations, large screens, and a touchscreen video kiosk put in for guests.”
Weatherford already has growth plans in thoughts for the system.
“I’d wish to see us produce movies in a small studio in the identical room. These will concentrate on completely different eras of American historical past and on sure subjects such because the Medal of Honor recipients from this space,” he stated.
Board member Tara Auter added, “We additionally plan to document movies of veterans and their descendants to maintain their tales alive for generations to return. A number of of our volunteers and board members have broadcast, video manufacturing and public talking expertise which can assist make this occur.”
Finally, Weatherford envisions including extra video kiosks in different elements of the constructing and a mini-theater.
Baughn stated, “The museum and all the various volunteers work so exhausting to maintain updated with all of the historical past for the whole county. I’m glad we might assist future generations study extra of the influence their ancestors had in our native historical past. The battle museum tells such an necessary story to our youth immediately, now we have to verify the sacrifices made by our native service women and men are at all times right here for future generations to study from.”
“We see the video system as our first step in serving to the battle museum,” Hawker stated. “There are different areas which were identified to us the place I believe the county can assist make the museum much more of a showplace to honor our veterans.”
Weatherford agreed, “The county’s curiosity in serving to the museum is tremendously appreciated and can permit us to make strides forward technologically and aesthetically. It’s exhausting to specific how grateful we’re for this help and assist.”
Broadcast and digital engineer Alan Woodrum of IAC Communications is designing, constructing and putting in the video system for the battle museum.
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