The Murray County Historical Society has received a $2,369 Arts Projects Grant from the Southwest Minnesota Arts Council. The funds will be used to towards the society’s annual Front Porch Music Series held at the historic Dinehart Holt House in Slayton; which was built in 1891 by Christopher Dinehart. Dinehart was one of the founders of the State Bank of Slayton [now home to the Left Bank Café] and later became its President. His wife Flora Dinehart owned the first piano in the county. Local lore told that on summer evenings, people would stop along the sidewalk in front of the house to listen to piano music drifting from the parlor windows. In the spirit of local history, the historical society will host musical acts to be performed from the front porch of the house. The concerts are tentatively scheduled for the last three Thursdays of July starting at 7pm. Performances by:
- Starfire, a 1950s and 1960s Rock and Roll cover band.
- Kordal Kombat, a local barbershop and acapella group with national appearances and acclaim.
- The Skally Line, an acoustic group specializing in historical music.
The Murray County Historical Society is closely monitoring the Coronavirus (COVID-19) situation and will comply with state and county government directives as whether to postpone or cancel the concerts. Follow the society’s website (historicmurray.org) or Facebook page (facebook.com/murraycountymuseum) for updates on concerts. Please contact the Murray County Historical Museum at (507) 836-6533 or jtimmerman@co.murray.mn.us for questions. The Southwest Minnesota Arts Council (SMAC) is a nonprofit organization committed to promoting and encouraging the development of the arts in the 18 counties of southwestern Minnesota. SMAC receives funding from individuals, businesses, organizations, schools, cities, counties, private foundations, an allocation from the state of Minnesota and a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund, made possible by the voters of Minnesota. For more information about the SMAC and its grant programs, visit swmnarts.org.