The Dorcheat Historical Museum hosted its 7th fundraising event Monday, Sept. 14. Museum board members say this year was another successful year, raising near the $30,000 mark with large turnout of guests.
Guests seemed well pleased with the amount of items to bid on this year and the great variety of wonderful Louisiana cuisine.
“We are so fortunate to have the support of so many people from far and wide.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,” museum director Schelley Brown Francis said.
Folk artist, Cora Lou Robinson’s painting was once again the big money maker for the museum. Her newest painting called “Coming Home” was a depiction of the old L&A Depot and of the WWII soldiers coming home from war.
Robinson’s paintings have been a highlight at past auctions bringing in thousands of dollars each year for the museum and are an anticipated item for several months before the unveiling date.
“We could not do this auction without the help of so many of our local businesses. They just donate and donate every year. It makes our job easier with the kindness of so many of our local folks. This year we added a “Wine Pull” drawing for some extra fun and were able to raise even more money. We had one family donate all the wine for that part of the evening’s activities,” Francis said.
Francis says 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 TV, large billboards and ads in area publications,” she said. “The museum is something everyone should be proud of and is a jewel in our parish crown.”
Museum hours are Tuesday through Friday from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. and closed from 1 until 2 p.m. for lunch and open on Saturday during special downtown events.
Board members included Becky Marvin, Janice Mourad, Cora Lou Robinson, Louise Snook, and Kay Elzen, Janet LaBruyere, Ann Harlan, Charlotte Martin, Dianne McGuire, Jo McCullough, Charlotte Jones and Mary Ann Hamilton, Marcel Vandenoord, Richard Campbell, John Agan, Dr. Roy Phillips, Carleton Prothro, Lonnie Simpson and Ben Baldwain.