The Kalona Historical Society is kicking off a fundraising campaign for a new streetscape exhibit at the Wahl Museum. 

Since the construction of the new Wahl Museum in 2016, the Kalona Historical Society has continued efforts to bring new exhibits to the historical village. Village Managing Director Nancy Roth says the first exhibit that was completed in the new building was the Kalona High School room with the most recent being the Native American settlers and pioneer exhibits. She explains that a lot of time and energy has gone into planning and researching for the streetscape exhibit, “This campaign is huge for us. We’ve had committees, groups of people that have been working tirelessly for six years trying to get facts of our community and facts of [our] businesses because the new streetscape project is going to be based on old downtown Kalona. So we’re gonna have a hardware store, we’re gonna have a general store, lumber yard, our theater and so forth. So we are reaching out into the community, to the county to help us make this history come alive.”

A total of 12-15 new exhibits are planned for the streetscape/museum. Miller Builders of Kalona were hired to help construct the framework with Edwards Creative of Milan, Illinois brought on to fabricate the exhibit. With a goal of $300,000, Roth says they have already raised approximately $75,000 and they will continue construction as funds come in. Beyond donations, Roth says that they are also looking at different grant opportunities. While no specific date was given for completion, they hope to have work completed by fall of 2023. Those interested in donating or helping with construction are encouraged to contact the historical village. You can hear more from Roth during Friday’s JJ Nichting Company In Touch with Southeast Iowa program on air and at kciiradio.com.