Voyage Home Museum sets up new shop across the hall

    RIVERSIDE ? The Kwik ?n? EZ in Riverside is receiving a makeover, and soon the town?s residents will see the results. The Riverside History Center, also known as The Voyage Home Museum, is moving from the western portion of the building to the much larger middle section. The museum is closed this week, but should be open to the public by late next week.

    In December, members of the history center asked the council for a hotel/motel tax grant. In January, the council voted to give the history center $6,000 to defray the cost of rent and utilities. Shortly thereafter the museum volunteers began moving displays from the western to the middle part of the building. Their new space is 50 percent larger than their previous one ? 1,800 square feet compared to 1,200 ? and yet their rent is the same at $900 per month. 

    The museum volunteers have painted the walls in the new section. Nick Mellecker began laying carpet Monday and finished it the next day. The volunteers will spend some of Friday and much of Saturday setting up the booths and display cases. They hope to get most of the displays ready by Saturday, March 19, for Captain Kirk?s birthday party. Kirk will be born March 22, 2228, which is coincidentally William Shatner?s birthday.

    Mary Jane Stumpf is the treasurer of the history center. She commented that the volunteers will be able to show off much more of their Star Trek memorabilia, such as their TrekFest commemorative plates, because they have so much space. The history center has six glass display cases, and Stumpf said they want to purchase a few more so they can showcase all the exhibits that are now in storage.

    Several months ago, the history center received a $10,000 grant from the Riverboat Foundation. However, the history center needed to supply matching funds to receive the grant, and was informed that the grant money could not go to rent or utilities ? only for displays. Now that the city has awarded the history center matching funds to cover its expenses, the volunteers can use the Riverboat grant to purchase more display cases. 

    Not only is the new room larger, but it features multiple exterior windows. Stumpf said this allows visitors to see the displays even when the museum is closed. If they like what they see, they can call one of the volunteers (whose cell phone numbers are posted on the wall) to open the museum and give them a tour.

    Just as in its former location, the history center will have a booth on Invasion Iowa, the reality-television spoof that Shatner filmed in the town in 2004. The history center will also continue its century-farm displays.