Description

The Mining & Rollo Jamison Museums invite you to join us on Saturday, August 10, for Mine Day! Celebrate our 1845 lead mine and the region’s mining history at this classic family festival of history and bluegrass. Explore the mine in a new way with a scavenger hunt and stay for the backyard bluegrass music festival. Enjoy blacksmithing and other demonstrations, games, and more in the Museum’s back yard. All events are free, no registration necessary. Mine scavenger hunt will be available throughout the day on a first-come, first-served basis. 

Grab your blanket or lawn chairs and find a spot in the Museum backyard for live bluegrass music by Take the Pearl from 10-11 a.m., Holy Crowe from 11:30 a.m. – 12:45 p.m., and Strings to Roam 1:15-3 p.m. Music will span the gamut from mountain gospel and traditional bluegrass to folk, classic country, and original tunes. 

The Friends of The Mining & Rollo Jamison Museums concession stand will offer a variety of hot food and cool drinks. Four custom ice cream flavors featuring Driftless Area ingredients created for the Museum by Pioneer Sweets of the University of Wisconsin-Platteville will be available in the Museum Store. 

Explore the mine with a special Mine Scavenger Hunt! Visitors will be able to wander the mine at their own speed to search for items on the list. Test your knowledge, curiosity, and attention to detail as you look for items related to the mine and mining history. See if you can find all 10 scavenger hunt items. 

“Mine Day is the day we get to put our unique and historically significant mine front and center stage” said Museum Director Cody Grabhorn. “We hope to do that by offering a new scavenger hunt of the mine and once again welcoming bluegrass bands to draw a broad crowd.” 

Free games and activites for kids of all ages — Tommyknocker Sucker Pull, Plinko, Hard Hat Ball Toss, and more! Demonstrations related to our mining history will also take place throughout the day. Winners of the Pick & Gad Raffle will be drawn at 3 p.m. This Friends of The Mining & Rollo Jamison Museums benefit raffle offers a $500 Grand Prize, a $250 Second Prize, a $100 Third Prize, and ten $40 prizes. Interested in purchasing a raffle ticket? Tickets are $20 and can be purchased at the Museum between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. Wednesday – Sunday from a Friends board member. All proceeds benefit the Friends of The Mining & Rollo Jamison Museums and directly support Museum operations and Friends programs. 

The Mining & Rollo Jamison Museums are located on Main Street in Platteville, Wisconsin, in the heart of the historic Upper Mississippi Valley lead-zinc mining region. Founded in 1965, the museum is a nearly three-acre campus with scenic greenspace, the underground 1845 Bevans Mine, and a 1930s-era narrow-gauge mine railroad pulled by a 1931 Whitcomb locomotive. The mission of the Museums is to continue in the pursuit of excellence in the areas of regional and mining history. To achieve that purpose, the Museums are commissioned to be custodians of the past; to interpret the rich lead and zinc mining heritage of the region; as well as to preserve, interpret, and display the artifacts that define Southwest Wisconsin. The Museums are open Wednesday – Sunday (Closed on Monday and Tuesday) from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., May to October. Cultural programs, special events, and virtual tours are offered year-round. 

Follow The Mining & Rollo Jamison Museums on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. For more information on current and upcoming programs visit www.mining.jamison.museum, call (608) 348-3301, or email museums@platteville.org.