В музее долины Красной реки открылись две временные выставки в ходе ремонта

Red River Valley Museum unveils two temporary exhibits during renovations “She found tons of treasures that either haven’t been on display in a long time.” VERNON, Texas (KAUZ) - The Red River Valley Museum in Vernon is undergoing a major overhaul, and while some of its permanent exhibits are being renovated, two temporary exhibits are giving visitors a reason to keep coming through the doors. The exhibits, opening this weekend, explore the forgotten history of Wilbarger County and the present-day beauty of Texas through artifacts and photographs. The temporary exhibits come as one of the museum’s major permanent exhibits, focused on the Waggoner Ranch, undergoes renovations to bring it into the future. While that exhibit is closed, the Red River Photography Club’s showcase and “Forgotten Founders” are stepping in to offer visitors something new. “Forgotten Founders” was created by museum intern Lydia McLennan and features artifacts from the museum’s archives that have been in storage for decades. The artifacts give visitors a chance to see pieces of Wilbarger County history that have been tucked away in the museum’s archives. Cooper Alexander-Velez, executive director of the Red River Valley Museum, said bringing those items back into the public eye has been especially meaningful. “She found tons of treasures that either haven’t been on display in a long time or potentially ever been on display. To see it all come to life like this around us is pretty spectacular. It’s very special to see these pieces of history that we’ve been entrusted with finally on display for our community,” Alexander-Velez said. One of McLennan’s fellow museum workers, Faith Hague, said it was exciting to watch the exhibit come together. “It was so unique to see her get all these things out of the basement and put them all up and organize them in a certain way. It was really cool. I am very proud of how they came out,” Hague said. The second temporary exhibit, presented by the Red River Photography Club, showcases the beauty of Texas through photographs taken by local photographers. Alexander-Velez said she hopes both exhibits give the community a chance to learn something new. “Telling these stories to our residents is extremely important because every story is a part of our bigger story. We hope our community has a fabulous reaction to these. It’s a gorgeous exhibit from our photographers and a fascinating one from our intern. There’s so much to see and so much to learn just by walking in these doors,” Alexander-Velez said. The exhibits will have their joint grand opening from 5 to 8 p.m. Saturday. Following the grand opening, both exhibits will open to the public beginning Aug. 18. The Red River Photography Club showcase will remain on display through Sept. 25, while “Forgotten Founders” will be on display through Dec. 18. Copyright 2026 KAUZ. All rights reserved.