THURSDAY, MAY 1, 2025 • VOLUME N0. 124 • ISSUE NO. 32 • 1 SECTION • 8 PAGES
Serving Colfax • Mingo • Baxter • Western Jasper County
‘Meet me under Dancing at the Masquarade ball the stars’
Twinkling lights set the stage for Baxter Prom 2025 on April 26
Colfax-Mingo celebrates Prom 2025 with fun props and beautiful decorations April 26
Submitted Photos
County engineer plans to replace more than 20 bridges in the next 5 years or so
Submitted Photos
REARRANGING HISTORY
Jasper County Historical Museum opens for the 2025 season May 1 with updated exhibits, reorganized treasures and new displays
HMA resurfacing and other kinds of pavement projects also listed as priorities By Christopher Braunschweig Jasper County Tribune Over the next five years, almost two dozen bridges in Jasper County are planned to be replaced, along with five HMA resurfacing projects, 10 or so pavement projects and a few surface improvement projects, according to the fiscal year 2026 (FY26) secondary roads fiveyear program. County Engineer Michael Frietsch said all construction projects — replacing in kind or repairing — are included in the five-year plan. Regularly scheduled maintenance work is not included in the plan. He noted the dates included in the plan are when the projects will be let and not necessarily when the work is done. However, there are a number of projects whose accomplishment year has been set for FY26, which is from July 1, 2025 until June 30, 2026. Bridge R01 on East 40th Street South over Reasnor Creek will be replaced with pipe. The Bridge R20 project on West 24th Street South over Buck Creek will be let after July 1 and then be built within the next year. Bridge S33 on County Line Road over a branch of Skunk River is expected to be finished in fall. Bridge C16 on North 99th Avenue East over Little Snipe Creek will be let on July 1, but the materials probably won’t show up until summer PRIORITIES | 3 CONTACT US
Christopher Braunschweig/Jasper County Tribune Lynne Whelan, director of the Jasper County Historical Museum, showcases the newly established Maytag room, which features the many different endeavors the Maytag family was involved in over the years.
By Christopher Braunschweig Jasper County Tribune Jasper County Historical Museum is going to look a bit different this year. Many of the displays have been altered and updated, and some new exhibits have even been added to pique the interests of returning patrons. Probably one of the biggest changes is the expanded viewings on the Main Street floor. For years the recreated period home and its accompanying schoolhouse, drug store and other old timey businesses have been closed
off and prevented guests from getting a closer look. Museum director Lynne Whelan said those areas are now open to let patrons see all of the small details hiding in the corners. “You don’t see them unless you can walk back there and see what’s all there,” Whelan said. “… We’ve got all these wonderful things on disMedia play now soShaw you can see them. I got my exhibit committee together and said, ‘What do you folks want to do?’ They said they wanted to change some things. ‘Well, great! Let’s do that!’” Other noticeable changes include est. 1851
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the Victorian parlor being set up for a funeral or wake, complete with flowers, hymnals and black drapes covering portraits and mirrors. The Maytag Toy Racer has been moved to the first floor. The Rocky Marciano tribute has some notable additions, too. It feels like a new experience. Whelan describes herself as an organizer, and she wanted the museum to avoid looking like a storage unit. She also wanted to showcase historic items that had been either MUSEUM | 3
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