The Leavenworth County Historical Society is set to host another annual fundraiser, Wild West Casino Night from 6 to 11 p.m., Saturday, July 17, at the Riverfront Community Center at 123 S. Esplanade St., Leavenworth, Kan.
Dinner will begin at 6 p.m. and will be served until 8 p.m.The gaming will include something for everyone: blackjack, craps, roulette, poker, bingo, balloon pop, and a fishing game to win prizes. There will be a silent auction, raffle, and more. There also will be a jail photo booth. The fishing game is a family friendly carnival game that will be offered to fish for prizes with an old bamboo fishing pole.
Guests are encouraged to dress in their finest western wear and take advantage of the photo booth. The night will be devoted to history, and fun, and the historical society believes everyone will walk away a winner.
A ticket donation of $35 includes dinner and $5,000 in play chips. Dinner includes brisket, fried chicken, beans, corn on the cob, corn bread and dessert.
This will be the fifth year for the fundraiser. Last year’s event was not held due to COVID-19. It is described by the historical society as “an evening of rowdy good fun.” The proceeds will help fund the exhibitions and programs at the Carroll Mansion Museum, the oldest, continuously operating museum in Leavenworth County. The museum offers weekly tours, frequent programs and several community outreach opportunities.
“The LCHS is a non-profit organization with a mission to collect and preserve historical materials of Leavenworth County, Kansas, to interpret local history,” LCHS director Lisa Weakley said. “Our museum foundation is built on storytelling. As a caretaker of Leavenworth’s history, we have a duty to not only protect and preserve this material, but to find ways to make it accessible to local and global researchers. We do this by examining artifacts and images, researching documents and people, and listening to oral histories."The Leavenworth County Historical Society endeavors to tell the unique stories of Leavenworth citizens through exhibits and programs. A visit to the museum allows visitors to step back in time and experience the Victorian era in Leavenworth County. The Leavenworth County Historical Society has operated since 1954, the 100th anniversary of the founding of Leavenworth. Its home has been the Carroll Mansion since 1964.
People from all over the world have visited the Carroll Mansion Museum, which is listed on the National Historic Register. The museum was renovated from an 1858 four-room farmhouse to a 16-room Queen Anne Victorian over a 20-year period.The museum features a collection of nearly 30,000 glass plate negatives depicting a century of Leavenworth history in portraits, called the Miss Everhard Glass Plate Negative Collection. The collection was purchased in 1997 by the Leavenworth County Historical Society from the Autry Museum of Western Heritage in Los Angeles, Calif. and returned to Leavenworth.Weakley said she enjoys her job as director of LCHS because there are always new discoveries to explore in how Leavenworth has impacted the progress of humanity from the volatile days before the Civil War, through westward expansion to the present day.
“Our premier collection of glass plate negatives, the Everhard Collection, represents this in photographs from our earliest local photographers,” Weakley said. "Coming Saturday, Aug. 21 is our ‘Suffrage Luncheon and Fashion Show’ event at the Heritage Center in Leavenworth to honor the passage of the 19th Amendment."
She also believes attending the event is a good way for people from towns around Leavenworth, such as Weston and Platte City, to not only enjoy casino games and good food, but also to meet new people and help preserve history.
“This event has been well received for locals and guests from the KC metro area,” Weakley said. “Folks especially enjoy dressing up in their best western attire. Come out for a rootin’ tootin’ good time. There is something in the cards for everyone.”
For more info, contact the Leavenworth County Historical Society at 913-682-7759 or at Leavenworthhistory.org or the Leavenworth County Historical Society Facebook page.
Tickets are available at the museum or online at http://www.leavenworthhistory.org/Current_Fund_Raiser.htm