June 2025
Upcoming Meetings
Dixie Doodlers
June 16, 2025
Learn about our local Dixie Doodlers and other musical groups who performed at Conneaut Lake through the decades and some local musicians who have shared their talents.
Presented by Blaine Houserman, Craig Guiney and Jean Shanley.
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Join us and bring your own memories and stories
Our monthly meetings are held on the 3rd Monday of the month at 7:00 p.m. (note time change) at the Sportsman's Club in Conneaut Lake. It is open to the public free of charge. Hall is handicapped-accessible and smoke-free. Refreshments will follow the program.
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Native Americans
July 21, 2025
This meeting will focus on the Native Americans that lived in our area many, many years ago.
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This meeting will be held at the museum.
Cuisine is Great Success
We had another very successful Conneaut Lake Cuisine at Hotel Conneaut.
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Dr. Lawson Smart won the 50/50 and gave it to the historical society as a very generous ($425) donation! Thank you.
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Thank you to Hotel for hosting the event and helping us is so many ways.
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All the food was terrific and the vendors went above and beyond. A special thank you goes to all of them who, of course,made the event successful.
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A special thanks too to everyone who bought a ticket and to Timberland Floral and Gifts for the beautiful floral arrangements we gave as door prizes.
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Check out all our vendors and get some of their delicious food!
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They are:
* Tavern 618
* The G.O.A.T.
* Lake Golden Dawn
* SoCal Tacos
* Sheetz
* Rising River Brewery Lakeside
* The Lake Diner
* The Original Strudel Factory
* Livingston's Quality Meats
* Silver Shores
* Pizza Joes
* Sherry Distributors
* Casey's Ice Cream and Candies
* cookies in memory of Judy Hughes from Nancy Manning
* the Crawford County Dairy Princess
* Saegertown Beverage
* the historical society
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The guests attending also had great compliments about all the beautiful renovations to the historic hotel.
Jean Shanley and Amanda Coulter were co-chairs and did a great job of organizing everything.
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The cuisine has been a great event each year, not only as a fund-raiser for the society, but a nice community event for everybody.
New gift items
We added a few more gift items to our gift shop.
This time it is geared toward something for children -- puzzles of a Woolly Mammoth.
The first is only 12 pieces and designed for the younger set.
The second is about 150 pieces and designed for older children as well as adults.
We chose the Woolly Mammoth after receiving so many requests for something about Woolly Mammoths for kids.
For those who may not know, the bones of a Woolly Mammoth were found in Conneaut Lake in 1958 and are on display in our museum.
We also have two sizes of stuffed Woolly Mammoths -- a baby one and a "Papa" one.
Price is $9.99 and $14.99, respectively.
Both of these items make wonderful gifts and gives an opportunity to talk about the animals and educate the kids about their history.
We also have a new t-shirt with a picture of Liberty the Second as well as a new Wendell August Forge ornament engraved with an artist's rendering of the Liberty.
New items coming are a Liberty the Second hat and a Liberty magnet.
Upcoming Programs
August: The program will be about native Americans of the Conneaut Lake area.
The program that month will be at the museum.
September: The old-time owners of Conneaut Lake Park and what Gore Range learned about them.
He will be limited to one-half hour -- he promises.
October: "Oral Histories and Their Importance" is the topic. Representatives of the Crawford County Historical Society will present the program.
November: Lt. Col. (Ret.) Gary Hough,who made a career of the Army,will talk about how a guy from a small town moved up in the military ranks and some of his experiences.
December: Christmas dinner at the Iroquois Club.
Exhibits
Check out our new exhibits
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They include pictures of the 2024 Century Building program, a carved statue of an Army solder titled,The Perpetual Salute, made by Donald Valentine: a replica of the famous church at Normandy made by the late Louis Ittel, and a unique display about Ittel's success as a national rile shooting champion in the early 1900s -- and an antique "dryer' for waders won by fisherman.
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There's always something new to see, so visit us to enjoy our newest exhibits and learn a little about our history.
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Museum hours are 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.every Saturday; and 2 p.m.to 5 p.m.every Sunday.
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Special appointments can be made by calling Chuck Groger at 814-382-8722; or Julia Catalano,814-724-9841.
Mark Your Calendars
We are celebrating Liberty Fest--40 years after Liberty the Second was brought up from the bottom of Conneaut Lake.
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The fest is Aug.9 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the museum,150 N.Third St.,Conneaut Lake.
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It will include talks by Brian Simpson and Bill Houghton, who found the boat and led the "bringing up" from bottom of the lake.
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A brief talk by Gary Worthington, who worked on the restoration,also will be presented.
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Music by Dave McMillin, who recorded a song about Liberty for the celebration when it was brought up in 1985,will be featured as well.
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Other events will include a scavenger hunt and other games, a wooden boat show,displays, sales of Liberty the Second t-shirts, ornaments,magnets and hats, and,of course,food will be available.
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And -- the guys plan to start the engines!
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Please join us and celebrate this milestone.
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Admission is free and it is designed to have something for all ages!
Gift Shop Sale
We are offering all our gift shop items -- including our t-shirts, sweatshirts and hoodies, at a 10 percent discount during the month of May.
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During the winter, our carpentry crew build a new case to display all of our clothing.
It allows customers to see what is available quickly according to style, color and size.
We have items for kids up to size 2X and can order any item in color and size.
We also are offering our other items at the special price as well.
We have an ample inventory and hope to make room for some new items.
Check our gift shop page to see what all we have.
Items include souvenir items, books, puzzles, clocks and more.
Prices range from $1 to $150 and every level in between.
Exhibits
The exhibit committee has made a few changes in the displays this year.
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The military display has been changed to add a sculpture, "The Perpetual Soldier,"which is absolutely beautiful.
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It was sculpted by Donald Valentine Jr. and is a life-size statue of a soldier in khaki uniform.
The exhibit area was expanded as we moved the clothing rack to make more room.
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Pictures of the Century Buildings honored lat year are displayed so everyone can see what they look like -- and consider nominating other 100-year (or older) buildings for consideration in 2025.
Did you know a man who used to live in Conneaut Lake was a National Rifle Shooting Champion in the early 1900s?
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Some of the loving cups by J. P. Ittel are displayed along with other memorabilia showcasing his accomplishments.
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Mr. Ittel also made a model of a famous church in Normandy where paratroopers landed on D-Day.It also has been donated to use and isdislayed near the church section -- reminding us how important churches area.
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Please take a few minutes to stop by the museum and see all the exhibits.
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And, check out the new cubby holes which has all our clothing arranged neatly for easy shopping.
Crawford Gives is Coming
The annual Crawford Gives program of the Crawford County Heritage Community Foundation is set for August 12 through Aug. 15.
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The program is simple. People may send donations designated for the historical society o the Foundation on those days via check or call with credit card or go to office with cash.
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Once the program is over, the foundation tabulates all the donations and then adds a percentage to the total (based on funds donated for this program by sponsors) and then sends us a check for the new total. It usually is about 3 percent and we get it within a few months.
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It is an easy way for the society to raise funds and all donations are tax deductible
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Please mark your calendars and consider making a one-time donation.
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Thank you in advance,
Upcoming Events
Below is a list of upcoming events for this summer.
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Please post it where you can see it and join us for lots of fun and sharing our history!
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EVENTS 2025​​
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June 20, 2025 Golf Outing 7am @ Oakland Golf Course
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July 12, 2025 Car Show 10 am – 2 pm @ Museum
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Aug. 2, 2025 Paddlefest 7 am – noon @ Fireman’s Beach
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Aug. 9, 2025 Liberty Program (40 years) 10 am -2 pm @ Museum
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Aug. 13, 2025 Tiki Bar 4 pm – 9 pm @ Conneaut Lake Park
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Sept. 2025 Century Program 9am @ Museum
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Sept. 2025 Picnic 6pm – 8 pm @ Msgr Toland Park
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Oct. 10, 11, & 12, 2025 Pumpkinfest @ Conneaut Lake Park
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Oct. 11, 2025 Pumpkinfest Parade 9 am @ In the Boro
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Nov. 2025 Christmas Trees @ Museum
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Nov. 29, 2025 Christmas Sale 10 am – 2 pm @ Museum
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Dec. 2025 Ice House Fest. @ Boro and Museum
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Dec. 15, 2025 Christmas Party @ Iroquois Club
Membership Dues
Dues for 2025 are now due and can be sent to CLAHS, P.O. Box 425,Conneaut Lake, Pa., 16316.
Annual dues are $12.
Lifetime dues are $150.
All members receive a 10 percent discount on any merchandise purchased.
Ice House Festival
The museum will be open on Saturday, Dec. 7, starting at 10 a.m. in conjunction with the downtown Ice House Festival.
Stop by and warm up with hot chocolate and a cookie -- free of charge.
You can see the great display of Christmas trees and lights, see the other exhibits and buy something in our gift shop!
Spread the word.
The museum is open free of charge as well.
Save the date
Save the date of Dec. 16 for our annual Christmas dinner at the Iroquois Club.
It is open to all members and guests.
The menu will be announced shortly and reservations can be made.