Coffee with the Curator

On Wednesday, March 2, 2022 at 9:30 a.m. the City of Moses Lake Museum & Art Center will host a presentation by Museum Curator Ann Schempp discussing historical photographs from the Museum’s collection that feature the construction and completion of Moses Lake’s “Farm-in-a-Day.”

The March Coffee with the Curator presentation will explore the photographs in the City of Moses Lake Museum’s collection of “Farm-in-a-Day,” a publicity event that celebrated the new irrigation opportunities of the Columbia Basin Irrigation project. Beginning at 12:01 a.m. on May 29, 1952, over 200 volunteers cleared the land near Road 4 SE in Moses Lake of sagebrush and rocks, leveled the ground, and constructed an entire farm, which included a furnished home, outbuildings, and planted crops in a 24-hour period. The Veterans of Foreign Wars conducted a search for the “most worthy veteran” of either World War II or the Korean War to award the farm to. Donald Dunn, a World War II veteran and Kansas farmer who was displaced by flood waters, was chosen to receive the eighty-acre farm. The Museum has numerous photographs documenting the building of the Farm-in-a-Day home and outbuildings and candid shots of the Dunn family enjoying their new house. Join us to see this visual documentation of an event that brough fame and recognition to Moses Lake while marking a milestone of the introduction of irrigation water. Admission is free.

What is Coffee with the Curator? Learn how to make your history part of the Museum and keep your local history local. Coffee with the Curator is a bi-annual morning presentation where the Museum Curator shares and discusses images and artifacts from the Museum’s collection. Chat with the Museum Curator, enjoy a light breakfast, reminisce, and learn about upcoming Museum programs.

The City of Moses Lake Museum & Art Center is dedicated to exploring the human and natural history of the Columbia Basin and celebrating the works of regional artists. We are a not-for-profit institution supported by the City of Moses Lake and the Museum’s membership program. The Museum is located at 401 South Balsam Street in the Moses Lake Civic Center. Hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday. Admission is free. The Museum is a program of the City of Moses Lake Parks, Recreation & Cultural Services Department. Visit the Museum’s website at www.moseslakemuseum.com and follow us on Facebook and Instagram.