In Cambridge, rebuilt history center uses music to forge new links

Singer-songwriter Red Johnson, a member of the Minnesota Rock and Country Hall of Fame, writes heartfelt lyrics reflecting on romance, patriotism and simply getting older. On Saturday, he'll be bringing them to the Isanti County Historical Society's great room — dubbed "Sweet Sue's Music Hall" — as part of a monthly concert series the society began in the past year.

It's not directly related to history, but the series is one way the society is trying to "reintroduce the community to the center," said executive director Kathy McCully. The society's Heritage Center, in Cambridge, was rebuilt last year following a July 2011 arson fire that destroyed it. "We're still at the tail end of recovery, getting ready to move forward, putting things in place" for next year, which will mark the society's 50th anniversary, McCully said.

The past year has been about getting settled into the new digs. "We've been finishing up things on the building. There are always loose ends," McCully said. A couple of display cases have been installed and more compact shelving units are on the way.

The fire destroyed much of the society's collection, which included numerous artifacts and records, like old photos and vintage clothing. The society, helped by many volunteers, acted quickly to save whatever documents it could, freeze-drying and creating digital copies of them. Right now, the society is still processing documents, filing them into databases.

At the same time, it's trying to remake its collection.

People drop off items to the Heritage Center every day, but the building has limited space for physical artifacts, so "we've tightened up requirements for taking things and what we're requiring of those donating to us," McCully said. The historical society pays attention to "the specific relevance to Isanti County," ensuring that an object or photo has a story with it and identifying information, she said.

Since the society didn't have a permanent home for a while, it wasn't on people's radar as much as it had been previously, McCully said. To make up for that, the historical society is trying to get creative about programming, which includes the regular concerts.

For example, the great room has a portable dance floor, a commercial kitchen and a separate entrance that allows it to be used outside the society's regular office hours. The room can be rented out for various events, from community meetings to wedding receptions. That helps to bring traffic to the center, McCully said.

Sue Jorgenson, an administrative assistant for whom Sweet Sue's is named, is largely responsible for the concert series. Jorgenson has seen Red Johnson perform and likes his mellow voice, meaningful lyrics and the fact that he's "very interactive with the audience," she said.

Fran Strodtman of Bethel is Jorgenson's sister. She started volunteering at the center several years ago. She said that, in a small town like Cambridge, things like the musical events at the center help fill a void, "getting more people interested in history."

She's glad to see that. "History is so important in the community," she said. Plus, the center is a "friendly, warm ambient place to go."