Benefit meal for newly relocated Military Museum underway

KALONA— With all the proceeds going towards the new Washington County Military Museum, Iowa Historian Mike Zahs and the Kalona Historical village are hosting a 1870’s Period Meal on March 21.

“This is a benefit meal for the Military Museum, which has just moved to Kalona and a lot of people don’t know that,” Zahs said of the museum that moved from Washington to Kalona in February. “All the food is before 1870.”

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The Washington County Military Museum, also known as the F Troop Historical Museum, preserves and displays local veteran artifacts from the Civil War to the Persian Gulf War.

Putting on these events when there is a need, Zahs has organized many of these meals in Ainsworth but this will be the first time he’s put one on in Kalona.

The themed home cooked meal will be accompanied by old fashioned music by Bob and Millie Youngquist.

“It’s period food, and a lot of it is probably things that people have not had before, very nutritious,” Zahs said. “It’s a late winter meal. I pick all the recipes and try a bunch of them and make sure that they’re what we wanted.”

A portion of the F Troop Military Museum is visible during the meal but visitors can pay more to see the whole exhibit. The museum features exhibits honoring America’s 250th birthday and the first flag of Memorial Day.

There will be two seatings for the event, one at 5 p.m. and one at 7 p.m. Advance reservations are required due to limited seating and the need to know how much food to prepare but payment is not needed until arrival. The cost is $35 per person.

If you want to reserve a spot or inquire about more information, you can contact the Kalona Historical Village at 319-656-3232 or Mike Zahs at 319-653-6250.