ATLANTIC, IA – Coming off a highly successful 3-year run across all 99 Iowa counties, the State Historical Society of Iowa’s mobile museum is back on the road with a brand-new exhibit. The museum will visit Produce in the Park on Thursday, September 8 from 4:30-6:30 in the Atlantic City Park (10 W. 7th St. Atlantic, IA 50022).

Housed in a custom-built Winnebago, “Iowa History 101: Iowa’s People & Places” is a 300-square-foot museum exhibit on wheels packed with 56 artifacts and videos that explore 13,000 years of Iowa history, from its earliest residents to those who call it home today. The mobile museum offers free, selfguided tours and is handicap accessible.

The History on the Move mobile museum will visit Produce in the Park on September 8. The public is invited to take free self-guided tours of the 300-square-foot exhibition

The new exhibition unpacks some of the stories of Iowa’s past with an eclectic array of artifacts. Some of the highlights on display include:

• An Election ticket from 1860.
• Knitting needles Iowa first lady Jane Kirkwood of Iowa City used to knit clothing for soldiers during the Civil War and World War I.
• A birchbark lunchbox a Cerro Gordo County boy used in the 1870s.
• A Meskwaki cradleboard from the late 1800s.
• A University of Iowa pennant from Edward Carter of Monroe County, the first African American to get a medical degree from the University of Iowa, in 1907.
• A Paper fan promoting women’s suffrage, from about 1916.
• A Menu from Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev’s visit to Des Moines in 1959.
• A Women’s track uniform from Iowa State University from 1972, the year Title IX passed.
• Boots worn by the Des Moines Water Works director during the flood of 1993.
• and a Flight suit worn by astronaut Peggy Whitson of Beaconsfield.

In addition to the mobile museum, this week’s Produce in the Park offers live music, games, nearly 20 vendors selling local food and crafts, a guest chef sharing recipes and free samples of gazpacho (a cold vegetable soup popular in Spain), and food trucks serving BBQ, Tropical Sno, and Tex-Mex.

Details for Produce in the Park September 8…
Date: Thursday, Sept. 8
Time: 4:30-6:30 PM
Location: Atlantic City Park (10 W. 7th St. Atlantic, IA 50022)
Food Trucks: Little Green Trailer (Tropical Sno, BBQ, & more!), Zemog’s Cocina Taco Truck
Activities: Mobile Museum Iowa History 101; Atlantic Parks & Rec: Board games and yard games; Senior Life Solutions of Cass Health: Activities and information
Live Music: Sarah Selders
Local Products: Fresh produce: Peppers, Green Beans, Tomatoes, Cucumbers, Onions, Zucchini, Shallots, Eggplant, Garlic, Potatoes and more!; Protein: Beef, Pork, Chicken, & farm-fresh eggs; Sweets and Snacks: Cupcakes, cookies, honey, Kringle, more desserts, fresh-squeezed lemonade, and popcorn
Crafts & More: Fall-scented candles, soaps, car fresheners, hair products, more bath and body products, embroidered towels and clothing, art prints, jewelry, fall plants, & more
Guest Chef: Cass County Master Gardener Marla Anstey will be sharing recipes and taste tests of Gazpacho (Gazpacho is a delicious cold soup made of raw, blended vegetables often eaten in Spain and Portugal during hot summers.)

Free drawings for Mums (from Sue’s Country Garden) and a dozen farm-fresh eggs (sponsored by the Cass County Local Food Policy Council). Anyone age 18+ can enter for free. Winner will be drawn after the market ends and pick up at the market the following week.

Payment methods accepted: All vendors accept cash. Many accept credit cards, Venmo, and Farmers Market Nutrition Program (FMNP) Senior and WIC checks. All qualifying food vendors accept SNAP/EBT (also known as food stamps). All fresh produce vendors both accept and distribute Double Up Food Bucks (coupons given for SNAP/EBT purchases of fresh produce).

Produce in the Park September 2022 farmers markets are sponsored by the Atlantic Community Promotion Commission, Cass Health, Cass County Tourism, First Whitney Bank and Trust, the Atlantic Area Chamber of Commerce, and Deter Motor Co. For updates on Produce in the Park, follow Produce in the Park on Facebook (www.facebook.com/ProduceInThePark) or Instagram (www.instagram.com/produceintheparkatlanticia/), or visit the Produce in the Park website to sign up for the e-newsletter at www.produceintheparkatlanticiowa.com. For information on vending at the park, contact Market Manager Brigham Hoegh at produceintheparkatlanticiowa@gmail.com or 712-249-5870.