The will be presenting the Governor’s Awards for History on Saturday, April 29, during its annual history conference in Sioux Falls.
Three individuals and one organization are being recognized by the State Historical Society for their efforts in preserving state history.
The award winners include Keith L. Crew of Philip, Marlene Eimers of Redfield, Jon K. Lauck of Sioux Falls and the Arlington Community Museum.
Eimers was named the 2017 History Teacher of the Year. She teaches at Redfield Elementary School, where she has taught for all of her 28 years. Each year, Eimers has her students research an historical character in South Dakota history. The project culminates with a living wax museum at the historic Redfield Railroad Depot, where the students give biographical speeches about their characters, in the voice of the character.
The Arlington Community Museum, built in 1907-08, was originally called the Arlington Masonic Temple, and is one of the most recent South Dakota listings on the National Register of Historic Places. The museum encourages area school children to participate in its special events. Museum volunteers recently collaborated with the Arlington School to put a sports section together. The Arlington Community Museum is also working with museums in Lake Preston, Carthage, Oldham-Ramona, Volga, Willow Lake and De Smet to promote preserving area history.
The Saturday awards luncheon is part of this year’s State Historical Society annual history conference, taking place Friday and Saturday, April 28-29 in Sioux Falls. This year’s theme is “Laura Ingalls Wilder: a 150-Year Legacy.” Registrations are still being accepted. Call (605) 773-6000 for more information or visit www.history.sd.gov.