Longmont's 150 year history is on display

Longmont’s 150 year history is on display and almost ready to explore.

The newest exhibition at the Longmont Museum and Cultural Center is an exploration of Longmont’s 150 year history, from the founding of the Chicago-Colorado Colony in 1871 on through the present. 

The grand opening of the “Longmont 150” exhibit launches August 6 with a ticketed public reception featuring live music from jazz and swing band Espresso, along with light appetizers and a cash bar in the museum’s outdoor courtyard. 

“I’m super thrilled that we get to bring out so much of our collections. We’ve got this fantastic repository that we can feature in the show,” said Museum Director Kim Manajek. “We get to tell a lot of funny stories and some not so funny stories. It’s a great opportunity to talk about the character of Longmont.”

The exhibition itself contains photos, documents and text across the different facets of Longmont history, including technology, natural disasters and Longmont’s cultural history with indigenous people. According to Museum Curator of History Erik Mason, there are more than 17,000 physical objects in the museum’s collection, many of which have never been put on display.

Longmont’s history in the exhibit isn’t just from the distant past. On a wall at the entrance to the exhibit, a mural-sized photo of 2020’s CalWood Fire burning across U.S. 36 invites visitors to consider how close they live to history.

“One of the things we wanted to do (with the exhibit) is bring it right up to the present day,” Mason said. “We have the first vials used for COVID vaccination in 2021 from Longmont United and Longs Peak hospitals.”

Mason said as part of the exhibit curation, they’vetried to collect glassware from every brewery, distillery and cidery in Longmont. Technological artifacts from modern Longmont include one of the radar stations used by the FAA and a piece of fiber-optic cable from Nextlight municipal broadband.

Interactive components are a key part of the displays, according to Mason. Longmont’s history with the railroad will be highlighted with a model train set that features historical landmarks such as the old sugar mill and canning factory, along with other recognizable features. Another railroad piece pokes gentle fun at train engineers blocking traffic near the depot at First Avenue and Main Street.

“Everybody in Longmont has had the experience of stopping at Main and thinking the train is going through and then it starts moving backwards,” Mason said. “So we thought we’d let people add thought bubbles to the drivers waiting for the train.”

Another hands-on feature aimed at kids is a miniature low-rider against a backdrop of Main Street in the 70s. The low-rider was built by a museum intern and then painted by Longmont Auto Body & Glass, who are known locally for their custom paint jobs.

“One of the things we really like doing in our summer exhibits is adding hands-on activities so that people can come in to enjoy and engage,” Mason said. “Science shows that the more methods of engagement you have, the more people learn from that.”

Mason wanted to be sure that, when showcasing Longmont’s 150 year history, it wasn’t just the fun and uplifting parts on display. The section on equity and diversity covers women’s suffrage, Latinx history, LGBTQ rights and more. Of particular note, Mason said, is a flag donated by Longmont’s latest Sister City, the Northern Arapaho tribe at Wind River. 

“I think this whole year, all around town, is a celebration of Longmont’s 150th birthday. ArtWalk in September will be a great opportunity for that, and so is this exhibit, along with the programs we’ll have throughout the fall,” said Museum Marketing Manager Joan Harrold. 

The “Longmont 150” exhibition will run from Aug. 6 through Jan. 9, 2022. Tickets are $8 for adults and $5 for students or seniors. Locals that qualify for EBT or SNAP subsidies can visit the exhibitions for 25 cents. Museum members and children under the age of 3 can visit for free. According to Harrold, the second Saturday of each month is free to the public at the museum.