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June 1, 2020
The Frontier Times Museum opens doors to the public
The Frontier Times Museum began welcoming guests again on June 1 after closing on March 19 due to safety precautions imposed by the coronavirus pandemic.
“We’re excited to open,” museum Executive Director Rebecca Norton said, “Having to close in March was so hard. It was the first time the doors were shut since the museum opened 87 years ago.”
While the museum was closed, staff spent the time doing deep cleaning and redoing some of the displays, including the installation of a section of the Cabaret dance floor in front of the iconic dancehall sign.
“We’re working with Ryan Brown who salvaged pieces of the dance floor and roof when the rest of the Cabaret building was dismantled. Apparently, the dance floor was redone three times and instead of ripping out the old dance floor, they would just install a new dance floor on top of the old. Ryan made a beautiful display showing sections of the three dance floors. He is installing a safety barrier around the sign using pieces of the tin roof,” Norton said.
Other Cabaret memorabilia will be installed including a poster of Charlie Pride, a new acquisition to the museum’s collection that was recently donated by Loretta Cates.
During the closure, the archives and historic photograph collection of the Bandera County Historical Commission found a new home at the museum after being housed at the Bandera Public Library.
“Working with the library, it was decided the museum would be a better repository for the collection since the museum houses its own archives and photographic collection. For researchers and scholars, it’s a better situation to have both collections accessible in one institution,” Norton said.
While the museum has opened again at its regular hours of Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., they have had to make some changes to their programming schedule. Fourth Sunday Frontier Jamboree, their monthly musical programs, will not be held June, July or August due to social distancing guidelines. The museum will also not induct new members into the Texas Heroes Hall of Honor this year, but will instead host an outdoor reunion of all past inductees on July 24th that will be opened to the public.
The museum is making preparations to host their annual Ranch Rodeo on Saturday, Sept. 5, as part of the Bandera Round-Up Labor Day weekend festivities.
The museum is located at 510 13th Street. For more information about the Frontier Times Museum, visit www.frontiertimesmuseum.org, or visit their Facebook page.
“We’re excited to open,” museum Executive Director Rebecca Norton said, “Having to close in March was so hard. It was the first time the doors were shut since the museum opened 87 years ago.”
While the museum was closed, staff spent the time doing deep cleaning and redoing some of the displays, including the installation of a section of the Cabaret dance floor in front of the iconic dancehall sign.
“We’re working with Ryan Brown who salvaged pieces of the dance floor and roof when the rest of the Cabaret building was dismantled. Apparently, the dance floor was redone three times and instead of ripping out the old dance floor, they would just install a new dance floor on top of the old. Ryan made a beautiful display showing sections of the three dance floors. He is installing a safety barrier around the sign using pieces of the tin roof,” Norton said.
Other Cabaret memorabilia will be installed including a poster of Charlie Pride, a new acquisition to the museum’s collection that was recently donated by Loretta Cates.
During the closure, the archives and historic photograph collection of the Bandera County Historical Commission found a new home at the museum after being housed at the Bandera Public Library.
“Working with the library, it was decided the museum would be a better repository for the collection since the museum houses its own archives and photographic collection. For researchers and scholars, it’s a better situation to have both collections accessible in one institution,” Norton said.
While the museum has opened again at its regular hours of Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., they have had to make some changes to their programming schedule. Fourth Sunday Frontier Jamboree, their monthly musical programs, will not be held June, July or August due to social distancing guidelines. The museum will also not induct new members into the Texas Heroes Hall of Honor this year, but will instead host an outdoor reunion of all past inductees on July 24th that will be opened to the public.
The museum is making preparations to host their annual Ranch Rodeo on Saturday, Sept. 5, as part of the Bandera Round-Up Labor Day weekend festivities.
The museum is located at 510 13th Street. For more information about the Frontier Times Museum, visit www.frontiertimesmuseum.org, or visit their Facebook page.