Frisco Historic Park and Museum Has Full Schedule of Summer Programs

The Frisco Historic Park & Museum is planning a full schedule of summer events including the return of the popular lunchtime lecture series, historic walking tours and hikes, a new exhibit at the Museum, and Frisco History Day (formerly known as Founder’s Day) in July to honor the Town of Frisco’s past.

“For this summer, we are pleased to bring back some old favorites, such as the Lunchtime Lecture series, but with new topics, lecturers, event partners, and location,” stated Rose Gorrell, Museum Manager. “We are also looking forward to showing our new exhibit, which highlights our area history through the perspective of food. Our wide range of programs have something for anyone and everyone who wants to take a trip back in time to Frisco and Summit County’s past.”

Lunchtime Lecture Series

After a summer of video lectures in 2020, the annual Summer Lunchtime Lecture Series returns to an in-person format, featuring speakers presenting new topics like American Western Art, Asian-American History, and Archaeology as they relate to Frisco and the surrounding area. This year, the Museum is partnering with the Summit County Community and Senior Center as part of their Aging Gracefully Series and the Summit County Library, and will be holding all lectures (except for the lecture on July 7) at the Community and Senior Center instead of Historic Park. The lectures will take place on Wednesdays, June 16 through August 25 at 12:00pm.

Historic Main Street Walking Tour

Museum staff will share their favorite stories from Frisco’s 140+ year history as they guide visitors and locals alike along Historic Main Street. The tour begins at the Schoolhouse Museum, winds through Main Street, and ends at the historic Lund House at the Frisco Bay Marina. This tour is limited to ten people and advanced registration is required.  If you have a larger party or would prefer to book a private tour please call 970-668- 3428 or email Museum@townoffrisco.com.

Cost

• Adults (Ages 13 and up) $10
• Children (Ages 4-12) $5
• Children under four are free.

Masontown Historic Hiking Tour

Join Museum staff for our favorite historic hike of the season as we head up Mount Royal to the old Masontown mining site. This is a great hike for visitors and locals alike with all new content on Frisco mining history, the natural environment, and the myths of Masontown. The route is just over 2.5 miles round-trip with plenty of water breaks and scenic views making it a fun morning for the whole family.

Cost

• Adults (Ages 13 and up) $15
• Children (Ages 4-12) $5
• Children under four are free.

Frisco History Day

Frisco History Day celebrates Frisco’s storied past with a picnic in the park, and will feature free Town tours led by Museum staff, gold panning, lawn games, and a pie baking contest. The day will also include take-home arts and crafts, chalk art, and an interactive artifact tent where visitors can touch displays.

Frisco Historic Park and Museum 2021 Spring/Summer Events Calendar

June 23, 2021

Finding Gold in Colorado

Presented by Kevin Singel

Summit County local and author Kevin Singel is passionate about the history of Colorado’s gold prospecting and its lasting impact in Summit County and will share his expertise about searching for gold and minerals. Books will be available for purchase after the lecture.

July 1, 2021

Frisco Food History Exhibit  

Food has long been a space to connect with each other through the act of creation and consumption. The Museum is offering a new exhibit which lays out Frisco’s food history with an array of stories, recipes, and artifacts from cooking utensils to aprons to community cookbooks. This exhibit aims to provide a better understanding of the relationship between historic food and our modern experience.  Four panels cover the major themes: The Ute Peoples: Past and Present, Fur Traders and Trappers of the 1800s, Boomtown Era of the 1900s, and WWII Food Rationing. Two additional panels highlight the past and future of Frisco food with historic recipes and an interview with the women-owned Outer Range Brewery.

July 7, 2021

Seasons of the Nuche; Tales of the Ute People

Presented by Nina Gabianelli and Skylar Lomahaftewa

The Historic Park and Museum welcomes back Nina Gabianelli, of Aspen Historical Society, and special guest, Skylar Lomahaftewa of the Northern Ute Tribe as they look at the role of storytelling in the history of native peoples in Colorado. Bring your picnic, picnic blankets, and lawn chairs to the Historic Park Gazebo for this family-friendly lecture.

Masontown Historic Hiking Tour

The Masontown Hike is July 7, 2021 at 9:00am. We will meet at the Schoolhouse Museum at the Frisco Historic Park & Museum at 8:45am. Staff will share the history of Frisco and the environment alongside the tall tales and stories of Masontown. The guided hike ends at the Masontown site giving participants the option of returning to Frisco with Museum staff or continuing their adventure to the top of Mount Royal or over to Rainbow Lake on their own. The Masontown hike is rated a moderate hike by the U.S. Forest Service.

July 10, 2021 10:00 am-4:00 pm

Frisco History Day

Frisco History Day, formally called Founder’s Day, returns on July 10, 2021, with games, music, crafts, food, and entertainment for the whole family.

July 21, 2021

Archaeology in Colorado

Presented by Dr. John Seebach

Archaeologist Dr. John Seebach will take audiences back through time to show what Colorado looked like in the Paleoindian and Late Formative periods. Seebach is a professor at Colorado Mesa University of Colorado and program director for the Archeology department’s minor.

July 28, 2021

Western Women

Presented by Dr. Erika Jackson

Dr. Erika Jackson will deliver an engaging presentation surrounding the women’s rights movements throughout Colorado. Dr. Jackson is a recently published author and creator of the new minor in women’s and gender’s studies at Colorado Mesa University.

August 4, 2021

Chicano History: Past, Present, and Future

Presented by Ricardo Lafore

The Historic Park and Museum welcomes back longtime activist Ricardo LaFore discussing Chicano history in “Chicano History: Past, Present, and Future”. LaFore recounts the seminal moments with stories of his own experience and their impact on Chicano gains in subsequent years. LaFore currently serves on the Chicano Movement Advisory Committee for History Colorado. He also received the Cesar Chavez Leadership Award in 2003.

August 11, 2021

Rocky Mountain Trains

Presented by Elizabeth Nosek

Elizabeth Nosek will speak about how trains transformed the landscape and culture of Rocky Mountain region. Nosek is the Curator of Education and Exhibits at the Colorado Railroad Museum in Golden, Colorado.

August 18, 2021

Western Art

Presented by Meg Erickson

The Wild West is often overly romanticized in books, movies, plays, and art. Meg Erickson from the Denver Art Museum will present a lecture on Western idealism and the role of manifest destiny in 19th Century art. Erickson is the curatorial assistant for the Petrie Institute of Western American Art, and has worked on several exhibitions including Natural Forces: Winslow Homer and Fredric Remington.

August 25, 2021

Water and Colorado

Presented by Dr. Jeffrey Sellen

How will water change the future? Join us for our final lunchtime lecture of the series as we welcome Western Colorado University professor, Dr. Jeffrey Sellen and his discussion on the importance of water and the need to preserve and protect our water resources here in the Centennial State. Water is a hot topic so this is one lecture you won’t want to miss.

For more information regarding the Frisco Historic Park and Museum and its programs, please go to FriscoHistoricPark.com or call 970-668-3428.