‘Dearly Departed’ Event at Colonel Palmer House Receives Illinois Association of Museums Award

On October 18, Crystal Lake Historical Society board members and Crystal Lake Park District staff traveled to Peoria to accept a Non-Competitive Award from the Illinois Association of Museums (IAM) for the ‘Dearly Departed’ program at Colonel Palmer House. Non-Competitive Awards honor the work of member organizations in the areas of conservation, preservation, exhibits, educational programs, periodicals, scholarly and popular publications, promotional and informational publications, audio-visual projects, social media, and special programs. Each non-competitive nomination is judged on its own merits in relation to the size, assets, and staff/volunteers of the nominating institution.

‘Dearly Departed’ was recognized for its excellent use of primary sources and the high level of admirable volunteer commitment. ‘Dearly Departed’ fulfills the mission of the Crystal Lake Historical Society by providing a light-hearted live dramatization of a mysterious event from the history of Crystal Lake.  Each year, using a different fictionalized story that is derived from fact, attendees learn about the life and times of different eras in the history of Crystal Lake, including the people, businesses and politics of the day.  The story always revolves around someone’s untimely death.  Dearly Departed is held in October each year, but great effort is made to keep the presentation family friendly and not mimic a haunted house or ghost tour.  As testament to the great success and popularity of this event, the 2013 Dearly Departed was sold-out at every presentation. The event is sustained every year through the committed efforts of community volunteers, Crystal Lake Historical Society members and Crystal Lake Park District staff.