With winter on the horizon, the Stage Coach Museum is planning to change their hours to an as-needed basis. However, they’re doing it with a celebration on October 14, 2018. Beginning at 2:00PM, locals—and those visiting town—are invited to an open house celebration at the museum that is free to all and will include live music and special exhibits. “Each fall we host an open house to showcase our new displays, exhibits, and renovations to the museum.  It’s an afternoon where we can invite everyone in for a free afternoon of entertainment and an opportunity to give something back to the community that supports us so faithfully with their donations and memberships,” explains Jo Ann Wade, President of the Niobrara Historical Society. Live music is new to this event and performers will be The Rambling Rangers, to which Wade states, “The Library had featured them one night with a presentation given by Rick Kaan. Before going to the library that night, they stopped in to see the museum.  Deb Meng was on hand and met them, heard them that night at the library, and thought their style of music would be a good fit for our open house and handled the scheduling”. In addition to the music, special exhibits will include an antique firearm display, special beaded Native American items, and an exhibit on Russ Thompson and his football career with the Chicago Bears. Per Wade, these special exhibits are going to be exclusive to the open house celebration.  While the special exhibits can easily be labeled must-see attractions, the Stage Coach Museum is also pleased to offer some new exhibits that will be around for a longer period of time, “Other new items we are featuring are the updated military display honoring those from Niobrara County Killed in Action, two of the original electric street lights from Lusk that have been rewired so they can be lit, and a restored sheep wagon,” says Wade. When asked what Wade wanted locals and travelers to know most about the Stage Coach Museum, Wade responded, “The museum is staffed entirely by volunteers and is funded solely through memberships, donations, and grants from the Niobrara Recreation Board. The museum houses displays from all aspects of our past, from dinosaurs to stage coaches,  homestead days to the early business districts, horse and wagon days to the railroad, and all eras of the military; we have something to interest everyone.  Just this year we have also added a Facebook page and a website to assist anyone trying to find information about the museum and Niobrara County”. Following the open house celebration, anyone wanting to tour the Stage Coach Museum for class trips, family reunions, or otherwise, will need to call the museum to make an appointment.