typically when I am going somewhere to visit a museum or historic site, I check their website for hours. promotion means to plant the seed, not provide all the details. if more people come, I can guarantee those venues would be open more. on the flip side, museums don't need to keep restaurant or store hours. they are an attraction. you plan a visit around them. so you see when they are open, you visit and then you shop and eat at restaurants nearby.
we are planning a Heritage Lollapolooza on May 2, Saturday, 10 am to 2 pm, where all venues have something special going on and are either free or reduced price to get in.
by the way, Steve, when was the last time you were in the museum? you say the wells fargo assay building is always closed, but its really open whenever the museum is open. its a part of it. They have to control entry, so people come in through the museum front doors and the changing exhibits are inside the assay building.
I appreciate that input, but the website(s) and hours don't match or don't exist. As I said, the Powerhouse tells you to contact the park for hours, and I've showed up at other venues that were supposed to be open and weren't.
Will the museums be open more often and for longer hours if people show up, or will more people show up if the museum is open more often?
I spoke with Mary Mast, and she added that the Historical Society, which runs some of these venues is a non-profit and gets no city funds, and is largely staffed by volunteers. Many of the volunteers are retirees, and if they aren't feeling well or have other things going on, they won't make it and they may not have replacements.
I don't criticize them for what they are doing. I value it tremendously. I am just pointing out that it is difficult to market and promote it when we can't always know or rely on their schedules.
I'm aware of the May 2 event and will be promoting it next week on myfolsom and on our Facebook page.
As for the Assay office, I know they use the building, I'm talking about opening the storefront. It would be so inviting.
There's no sign indicating that it is open as part of the museum. Again, speaking with Mary, she said that when they put up signs, they get stolen, and for security and other reasons, they can't use those doors. I now get that.
That is something the city council should address and resolve.
I wish they could. There really isn't much funding for arts and culture in our town. We had proposed imposing a fee on developers, or increasing transient occupancy tax (hotel tax) as funding sources, but any increases are frowned upon.
