9 NIGHTS OF MUSIC CANCELLED TONIGHT DUE TO STATE GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN

From the Minnesota Historical Society:

Tonight’s first concert in the Minnesota History Center’s popular free outdoor music series “9 Nights of Music” has been cancelled. The performance by the Afro-Caribbean group “Salsa del Soul” is cancelled due to the ongoing State of Minnesota government shutdown. As soon as the shutdown is resolved and the History Center reopens, the series will resume. Now in its 15^th year, “9 Nights of Music” celebrates the vibrant sounds of Minnesota’s multicultural community. Concerts are held every Tuesday in July and August and are free to the public. In total, the concerts are enjoyed by over 12,000 people each summer.

In addition, the first concert in the “Mill City Live” series, which kicks-off its 8^th year this Thursday at Mill City Museum with Chris Osgood & the Mill City Rockers, will be cancelled if the government shutdown continues. This year the program is curated by music critic Jim Walsh who has selected bands which represent five decades of Minneapolis music history from 1960 through the present. Each concert in the popular series draws as many as 550 people to the historic ruin courtyard.

The Minnesota Historical Society, its museums, historic sites and library are closed temporarily, and all programs and special events are suspended due to the State of Minnesota government shutdown. Funding from the state comprises more than half of the Society’s operating budget.

Historic sites and museums affected in the Twin Cities include: the Minnesota History Center, Historic Fort Snelling, Mill City Museum, James J. Hill House, Alexander Ramsey House and the Minnehaha Depot. Society-led tours at the Minnesota State Capitol also are suspended.

Other sites closed statewide during the shutdown are: Split Rock Lighthouse, Two Harbors; Birch Coulee Battlefield, Morton; Charles A. Lindbergh Historic Site, Little Falls; Comstock House, Moorhead; Folsom House, Taylors Falls; Forest History Center, Grand Rapids; Fort Ridgely, Fairfax; Harkin Store, New Ulm; Historic Forestville, Preston; Jeffers Petroglyphs, Comfrey; Lac qui Parle Mission, Watson; Lower Sioux Agency, Morton; Marine Mill, Marine on St. Croix; Mille Lacs Indian Museum & Trading Post, Onamia; North West Company Fur Post, Pine City; Oliver H. Kelley Farm, Elk River; Sibley House Historic Site, Mendota; Traverse des Sioux, St. Peter; and the W.W. Mayo House, Le Sueur.

Information is available on the Society’s website at www.mnhs.org, which will continue to function. However, web-based services enabling the public to order historical documents, photographs, tickets and merchandise will not be operational during the shutdown. The public may still make charitable donations and membership payments through the Society’s secure website.

All historic sites and museums as well as the library at the History Center, will reopen and all programming will resume when the state government shutdown concludes and funding is available to operate the Society’s programs. Reopening information will be available at www.mnhs.org.

The Minnesota Historical Society is a non-profit educational and cultural institution established in 1849 to preserve and share Minnesota history. The Society collects, preserves and tells the story of Minnesota’s past through museum exhibits, libraries and collections, historic sites, educational programs and book publishing. For more information, visit www.mnhs.org.