MONROE — Any little kid — or a big one — who thrills to the thrum of an engine, the click of a gear or the thwack of a line shaft could spend a happy afternoon at the Western Heritage Museum.
It’s a little-known Snohomish County gem on the edge of the Evergreen State Fairgrounds, Building 611.
Step inside and find yourself in Snohomish County circa 1910. The museum focuses on logging, mining, transportation and agriculture and all the nifty machines that go with them.
In the spirit of true gear-headism, you can fiddle with the machines. Many of the exhibits are hooked up to switches and buttons. Flip or push and you can watch how hay used to get baled or watch a saw cut a log. See farm equipment, tools, a mine shaft, a printing press and trains.
Ask nicely, and you might get to drive one of the antique tractors outside.
It’s free, although the volunteers would gladly take a donation.
An auction is set for 2 to 5 p.m. Saturday at the fairgrounds pavilion to raise money for the museum’s expansion. They’re planning to add a gift shop and more displays. Volunteers have already framed out an extra 20 feet of space, but they need to raise about $20,000 for materials to complete the job.
The event will feature three silent auctions and a live auction. The organizers have gathered goodies of all kinds to sell off, including a used Jeep.
The museum, which opened last year, is run entirely by volunteers. The people behind this museum said they don’t want to make a buck or promote a cause: They just want people to remember and appreciate where we’ve been.
“This is what we’re trying to save,” said Steve Rizzo, a volunteer from Monroe, right before he flipped the switch on a system of line shafts powered by a water wheel turning outside.
He was talking more broadly about the ingenuity that allowed someone to come up with a mechanized way to bale hay, cut down a tree or scrape the kernels off an ear of corn.
This museum got its start when Jerry Senner, a Monroe dairy farmer, started bringing antique tractors to the state fair with his sons. He noticed a curious phenomenon. Not too many visited the display when the tractors were stationary. Turn one on and watch the crowd gather.
“As soon as we started something all of a sudden we had 50 people,” he said. “That gave us an idea for an active museum. There’s an excitement level when things are moving and turning.”
The fairgrounds donated an old maintenance shed, which Senner and his buddies have transformed into a hands-on tribute to American ingenuity. Many of the antique machines here are from Senner’s personal collection, but locals have donated, too.
Debra Smith: 425-339-3197, dsmith@heraldnet.com.
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