LANCASTER — The new Antelope Valley Rural Museum will officially open to the public with a ribbon cutting on March 4 at the Antelope Valley Fairgrounds.
The guest of honor will be Los Angeles County 5th District Supervisor Kathryn Barger, who contributed $300,000 toward construction of the new 12,000-square-foot building on the southwest corner of the fairgrounds. A sign on the building will bear her name. Barger will cut the ribbon.
This will be the museum’s grand opening, although move-in started last fall and was completed just in time to open for the Antelope Valley Fair and Alfalfa Festival.
Other major donors are the Antelope Valley Fair Boards and the City of Lancaster. Local suppliers and builders donated equipment and labor to help make the new museum a reality. Rural Museum members, volunteers and donors also contributed their time and funds.
The museum previously shared space with the smaller Farm and Garden building on the fairgrounds. The museum was an outgrowth of the Rural Olympics Hall of Fame, which honors participants in the farming competition traditionally held annually during the AV Fair. The Rural Olympics is now part of Lancaster’s annual Poppy Festival, held at the fairgrounds in April.
The Rural Museum, “From Arrowheads to Aerospace,” is dedicated to preserving and showcasing the history of the Antelope Valley. Exhibits include aircraft and space exploration, military, farming, mining and pioneers, settlers and explorers, as well as first responders and indigenous people. Outside the museum are vintage trucks, tractors and other farm equipment.
The museum is entirely operated by volunteers and all artifacts were donated or are on loan.
The original Rural Olympics Hall of Fame is still a prominent part of the museum.
The new building has an AV history library-research room that includes a large art wall. The room is suitable for meetings and events.
The museum is open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., the first and third Saturday of each month. There is no charge for admission or parking. To get to the museum, enter the fairgrounds, 2551 West Ave. H, through Gate 3, just west of the Turf Club. Continue on the road to the first red barn.
(1) comment
I am a Rep. Barger is a Democrat...I would vote for her. Barger Rocks !! Well Deserved
Welcome to the discussion.
Log In
Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Don't Threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be Truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be Nice. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism that is degrading to another person.
Be Proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
Share with Us. We'd love to hear eyewitness accounts, the history behind an article.