Dear Editor,

This has been a monumental year for the Oakdale Museum and Friends of Oakdale Heritage. Foremost, was the City Council’s decision to transfer ownership of the Museum, collection and associated properties to us, which relieved a financial burden for the City and provided a way to continue operation of the Museum, through our non-profit status. Of course, taking over ownership of a building that is 145 years old, has its own set of challenges and we hope to address those as time and resources allow. But the most urgent of those challenges was the need for a new roof and repairs to the two chimneys. Thankfully, there are groups in Oakdale who recognize the importance of sustaining Oakdale’s history and have stepped up to help us out with their time, talent, expertise and support.

We would like to extend our sincerest gratitude to McPhee Masonry for the chimney repairs and Kevin Donnelly Roofing for the much needed roof repairs. However, without the generous donations we received from Oakdale Rotary and A.L. Gilbert Company, none of this would have been possible. On behalf of FOH and the many Oakdale Museum volunteers, I wanted to publicly thank those members of the Oakdale Rotary who went a step further by sponsoring the wonderful Open House and Bar-B-Q celebration for us in October. It’s gratifying to know that good people will pull together for a worthy cause.

Thank You!

Barbara (Flake) Torres

President, Friends of Oakdale Heritage