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The Brooklyn Area Historical Society is hosting its 6th Annual Open House Saturday, October 8, from 1:00 p.m.-4:00 p.m., at the Community Building in Brooklyn; the presentation starts at 1:30 p.m.

The theme this year is “Yesterdairy,” which celebrates the Village and four surrounding Town’s dairy heritage. This year’s guest speaker is Linda Schiesser, speaking on Condenseries and Creameries; learn about the differences and similarities between these two industries. There will be a museum like display of photos, documents and artifacts of Brooklyn and the area history featuring new acquisitions in 2016. The society participated in a Green County Historical Society program to document barns and farm buildings throughout the county that began in 2016. A society member and two residents in the Town of Brooklyn documented the Town’s farms. We will have information on display from this project and the first driving brochure created by the Green County Historical Society.

In addition, two of the society’s members will assist attendees in beginning an ancestral search on line, including Badger Link, Familysearch and more. Please consider sharing your Brooklyn stories with us in writing. There will be information on Society membership and gift certificates available for holiday gift giving. Also for sale will be the new “Historical Sites in Brooklyn” walking brochure and vintage postcards. Following the program they will be serving ice cream with toppings and beverages.

New this year is the “Brooklyn History Challenge.” The Society will post five historical questions prior to the open house. Watch for them starting September 24th on our Facebook page, at the post office and the two banks in the village. Bring your correct answers to the event and solve the last two during the open house. Those with the correct answers by 3:00 p.m., October 8th at the open house, will go into a drawing for $25.00 cash, a copy of Ernest Zumbrunnen’s book The Kid was a Hustler, a reminiscence of his growing up in Brooklyn and a copy of the soon-to-be published book from the Wisconsin Historical Society Press, Three Boys from Green County: WWI War Letters Home, including Otis O’Brien from Brooklyn. The author, Carrie Meyer, is a professor of economics at George Mason University and her first book, Days on the Family Farm, includes farm business journals.

They have also been working on sharing the area’s history with their Facebook page at Facebook.com/BAHSWI. Please check out all the old photos they have posted. They can be reached at Brooklynhistory@msn.com or (608) 455-4585. The group meets the last Wednesday of the month, at 7:00 p.m., at the Lutheran Church in Brooklyn, visitors are welcome.