Museum volunteer Amy Miller recently donated a sizable collection of dance cards and other local ephemera* including this October 4, 1913 flier for a dance at Colfax's Central Opera House.Several years ago Amy stumbled across a cigar box containing these items at the Redbird Antique Mall in Chenoa. The collector of these items remains unknown, though Amy speculates that he or she must've had an interest in Balley's Orchestra (more often spelled Balle's without the “y"), since many of the items related to dances and balls featuring this orchestra.As a non-profit institution, the Museum relies on such gifts to help us collect, preserve, interpret and make available the rich past to the public at large. Please contact the Museum if you are interested in donating items relating to McLean County history.
*Merriam-Webster defines ephemera as paper items, such as posters, broadsides, and tickets, that were originally meant to be discarded after use but have since become collectibles.
