(this story has been updated)
RANGELEY — Volunteers are being sought to man the Museums of Rangeley exhibit from Sept. 14 to 20 at the Farmington Fair.
The Rangeley Lakes Region Historical Society, Rangeley Lakes Region Logging Museum and Wilhelm Reich Museum are collaborating on an exhibit that will be displayed on the fairgrounds in a building next to the main exhibit hall, Gary Priest, society vice president, said in a Thursday news release.
“This is the first time that Rangeley has done this,” Priest said Friday. “The Rangeley historical society asked the logging museum and Reich museum to join them.”
There will be a sign titled “Museums of Rangeley” at the building, which will be open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Priest said the fairgrounds has a small exhibit hall that is offered to local historical societies each year to display various items.
The historical society will display several pictures of the large hotels that attracted fishermen and tourists, several artifacts from these hotels, such as chinaware, silverware and room keys, he said.
Fish mounts, fly rods and a collection of locally tied flies from the society’s Outdoor Sporting Heritage Museum will also be on display.
The Logging Museum will display paintings of early logging operations by Alden Grant, a Kennebago logging camp clerk in the 1910s, early logging tools and a digital display featuring the invention of seven “Muscles” log tractors by Elijah “Tiger” White of Carthage, Priest said.
The Wilhelm Reich Museum will have on display an organization chart, pictures of the museum and copies of books that Reich wrote and were later banned and burned by the U.S. government.
Additionally, there will be a:
* Constantly running large-screen video that gives a short history of the development of the Rangeley region narrated by Peter Mehegan.
* Clip by Grantland Rice showing Herbie Welch fly fishing and mounting a trout.
* Clip on the early railroads running to Rangeley.
* Portion of the film “From Stump to Ship” taken in the 1930s showing woods operations, river driving, milling lumber and loading lumber onto schooners.
Priest said the museums are looking for volunteers to assist in staffing the exhibit hall daily. Anyone with knowledge of the Rangeley area and three hours to spare for a shift is asked to contact Priest at 207-864-5654.
“We are aiming for three volunteers per shift,” Priest said. “At the present time, we have approximately 30 volunteers. Another 10 to12 would be helpful.”
He said volunteers will be entitled to free parking and free admission on the day of their shift.
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