Note that the HAHA monthly meeting is usually held the second Monday of the month, but is sometimes changed to meet volunteers' schedules. Please check this HAHA website (see below) or Facebook page, or send us an email, to confirm the date of any member meeting. Thanks! (HAHA's email is [email protected])
Saturday, January 14, 2023 -- HAHA members got together for the annual board election and member meeting. We shared snacks, drinks, and good cheer before and after the meeting.
Monday, February 13, 2023 -- HAHA member meeting was held at 6:30 pm in the meeting room under the Hermosa Library.
Monday, March 20, 2023 -- HAHA member meeting was held in the meeting room under the Hermosa Library.
Monday, April 10, 2023 -- HAHA member meeting was held in the meeting room under the Hermosa Library at 6:30 pm.
Monday, May 22, 2023 -- HAHA member meeting was held in the meeting room under the Hermosa Library.
Spring and Summer, 2023 -- HAHA is working to complete interior renovations so that we can have the Museum open for events. In 2022 the new oak stairway was built. This year the goals are installing heating and plumbing and electricity in the west half of the Museum, and paneling the walls to match the east half. We are looking forward to finally getting this work done, however we are still facing labor challenges that are delaying our construction.
Monday, June 19, 2023 -- HAHA member meeting was held at 6:30 pm in the meeting room under the Hermosa Library.
Monday, July 10, 2023 -- At 6:30 pm the HAHA member meeting was held in the meeting room under the Hermosa Library.
August 10-13, 2023 -- HAHA had a booth at the Custer County Fair to display historical wedding clothing from our collections. We had newspaper accounts of a handful of Hermosa-related weddings from the late 1800s to the early 1900s. We offered local history books for sale as well as some greeting cards with drawings of the Hermosa Cemetery cannons and old barns/sheds found along Highway 79. We also had a sunflower frame for group photos.
Monday, August 14, 2023 -- The HAHA member meeting was held at 6:30 pm in the meeting room under the Hermosa Library.
Wednesday, September 13, 2023 -- HAHA members gathered at the HAHA Museum starting at 3 pm, to clean for the upcoming Open House. The HAHA member meeting was held at the Museum at 5:30 pm, during a pounding rainstorm.
Saturday, September 16, 2023 -- HAHA Museum Open House 2 to 4 pm The HAHA Museum was open for visitors interested to see our recent renovations and learn about our plans for the future. We introduced HAHA's educational project, created with teachers from Hermosa, entitled "Bags, Boxes and Bins of History" -- available for local schools, home schoolers, and other educational entities. At 2:30 pm, HAHA President Donna Evjen gave an overview of HAHA's history, the most recent museum renovations, and plans for the immediate future. HAHA Vice President Linda Hasselstrom spoke about primary sources of history, and the importance of written records, including obituaries, family histories, and journals. Hermosa teacher Deb Smith introduced the "Bags, Boxes, and Bins of History" project, which is sponsored by HAHA and the South Dakota Humanities Council. For refreshments we served cookies made using recipes from "Betty Crocker's Favorite Cookys" from decades past.
Monday, October 16, 2023 -- The HAHA member meeting was held at 6:30 pm in the meeting room under the Hermosa Library. This meeting was one week later than usual in order to accommodate members' schedules.
Tuesday, October 31, 2023 -- Community members of all ages stopped by for a chilly Trick-or-Treat on the HAHA Museum porch between 4:30 and 6:30 pm. A few volunteers set up spooky decorations and handed out candy treats, using the social-distancing candy chute first used in 2020 during the COVID pandemic. HAHA members enjoyed seeing all the costumes, though all ages were welcomed whether in costume or street clothes. HAHA volunteers took photos which were posted on the HAHA Facebook page a day or so later.
Monday, November 13, 2023 -- HAHA member meeting was held in the meeting room under the Hermosa Library at 6:30 pm.
Saturday, December 2, 2023 -- HAHA volunteers will gather at the Hermosa Community Center (the old Trails West Saloon) to set up decorations and games for the HAHA Christmas Carnival.
Sunday, December 3, 2023 -- The HAHA Christmas Carnival will be held at the Hermosa Community Center (the old Trails West building at 122 Vilas Street), with food and games and Santa Claus. A lunch of sloppy joes and chips and Christmas cookies will be served. Come on down to kick off the beginning of the holidays!
December, 2023 -- No member meeting will be held in December. We will gather for our annual potluck followed by an election of board members and a meeting to plan the coming year's events. Exciting times are ahead as the museum interior nears completion so we can open our doors.