Night at the Museum
June event at Czech Heritage Museum to feature a cappella quartet, sausage and sauerkraut
The Hmmm A Cappella Quartet will be the featured entertainment at the June 8 Night at the Museum event. Courtesy photo
DAVID STONE | OUR TOWN TEMPLE
Nothing says summer in Central Texas quite like sausage and sauerkraut, and the sweet aromas of these Czech and German delicacies will fill the air June 8 at Night at the Museum.
The monthly celebration of local culture, held inside and out at the Czech Heritage Museum, will feature the Hmmm A Cappella Quartet, beverages and Slovacek sausage, prepared and served by Carol White, owner of Kolache Kitchen.
“The word of our events are getting out and we have been enjoying wonderful support,” said Brian Vanicek, president of the SPJST Foundation and SPJST Fraternal Life Insurance.
“Our May event, which featured the origin and evolution of the kolache, drew about 150 attendees,” he said. “More importantly, the night was an absolute blast.”
The June version of Night at the Museum will start at 5 p.m.
Central Texas artist Lisa Chase has donated 12 paintings that will be sold during an online auction that ends June 8 at 9 p.m. Proceeds from the auction will help fund the newly created memorial scholarship in honor of Susan Chandler, the museum’s curator and director who died Sept. 4, 2022. The paintings can be viewed at the museum or online at https://galabid.com/spjst-foundation.
The Night at the Museum series kicked off in April and runs on the second Thursday of each month at least through August, Vanicek said.
“This is an opportunity for the community to network and connect,” he said. “We are testing the waters for five months but we hope to make this a regular event.”
The SPJST Foundation has taken over the operations of the museum and the monthly events are designed to give the museum a community-center feel.
Future celebrations will be on July 13 and August 10. Vanicek said a Czech beer and wine tasting is in the works, and he would like the museum to host performances by local theater groups and UIL theater teams in the future.
One of the group’s members is RVOS Corporate Secretary Jamie Smith, whose organization will be hosting the state’s first Czech-American Heritage Run — a 5K walk and run on Oct. 7 that will support the Temple museum.
The Czech Heritage Museum is open Thursday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and on Sunday by appointment only.