The Dorcheat Historical Museum will host its seventh annual fundraising event Monday, Sept. 14.
Event organizers report the 2015 fundraiser promises to be as exceptional as the past museum events, with the “History and Memories” theme set for this year. Guests will be thrilled with the variety of silent auction items and the great variety of Louisiana cuisine.

“We are so fortunate to have the support of so many people from far and wide,” Schelley Brown Francis, museum director, said. “We are pleased with our progress and we know we couldn’t do any of it without so many generous friends and supporters of the museum.”

Folk artist Cora Lou Robinson is in the process of painting yet another original painting for this event. Robinson’s paintings have been a highlight at past auctions, bringing in thousands of dollars each year for the museum. Everyone is looking forward to seeing her new 2015 piece, Francis said.

Other artists have also contacted museum board members about donating original works and museum members are thrilled with the response to help.

The museum has had hundreds of visitors this past year from all over the country. It is a showplace for our area and has received quite a bit of notice from the Shreveport area on local TV stations, magazines and newspapers. People are now seeing museum commercials on television, large billboards and ads in area publications.

The museum’s expansion project is something Francis says they are looking forward to for the future. Money was raised to purchase the building in 2013. The museum has a new roof and front on this newest building.

Now plans for renovation and upgrading the building will take place as money is raised for this long-term project. Many Minden residents will remember when the two buildings were connected as Major Office Supply with a door between the two sections. With the purchase of the building, the museum will once again hope to have a doorway between the two museum areas at some point in time.

“When the media theater room opened several years ago, it gave the museum an extra advantage of being able to offer the facility to others,” Francis said. “We can now rent this part of the museum out for meetings, reunions and parties. Plus we have the added benefit of the theater systems for PowerPoint or video presentations.”

Becky Marvin, Janice Mourad, Cora Lou Robinson, Louise Snook and Key Elzen, Janet LaBruyere, Ann Harlan, Charlotte Martin, Dianne McGuire, Jo McCullough, Charlotte Jones and Mary Ann Hamilton are all board members and the female driving force behind the gala.

Not to be forgotten for all their hard work to make everything run smoothly are fellow board members Marcel Vandenoord, Richard Campbell, John Agan, Dr. Roy Phillips, Carleton Prothro, Lonnie Simpson and Ben Baldwin.

“We can’t have a successful event without your help,” Francis said.

Last year, the event raised more than $30,000 and was attended by more than 150 guests.

To attend or donate a service or an item for the 2015 gala, contact Francis at the Dorcheat Museum at 377-3002 or visit 116 Pearl Street. The cost to attend is $25 per person. Mail in a response by Sept. 1.
To sign up for updates, visit the website at www.museuminminden.blogspot.com or visit their Facebook group and page.