90 Local Leaders Gather for Heritage Summit
On Wednesday, January 18, Heart of the Hills Heritage Center (HHHC) brought together 90 community members and leaders for an afternoon of facilitated discussion at Kerrville’s Dietert Center. The goal of this community input summit was to discover what the community cares about and what they need from this developing museum devoted to celebrating Kerr County’s history and culture. We know that HHHC will thrive only if we can engage the community and collaborate to create a public space that truly serves Kerr County residents and visitors. The summit was a great first step in engaging the community, as summit participants enthusiastically shared ideas and strategies for developing a community-focused space. We are excited to further develop these ideas with the community’s support.
We started the summit discussion off with questions related to what do Kerrville and Kerr County residents care about and what makes this a unique place. It was no surprise to hear that Kerr County residents have a lot of pride in this beautiful part of the Hill Country nestled in the hills along the Guadalupe River. They care about preserving the natural beauty and resources that have drawn people here for centuries, while maintaining a small-town culture that sets Kerr County’s towns apart from nearby metropolitan areas. HHHC can play a key role in celebrating the charm of Kerr County’s towns through collections and exhibits that highlight the people and places that established this charm and contribute to it today.
Summit participants also identified existing assets and needs that should be addressed to develop a better quality of life for all. Many shared how fortunate we are to have quality art, cultural, and recreational experiences available here but there is still a need to develop more enriching opportunities for youth and families. We heard that programming for these audiences should focus on learning by doing opportunities and performances that bring history to life. With access to many talented artists, performers, and educators in the area, HHHC is committed to developing collaborative programs with many of the organizations that attended the summit.
Of course, we cannot develop a museum that celebrates Kerr County’s history without sharing stories from the past. What stories resonate with the community and what stories are the foundation for the overall history of Kerr County? We asked summit participants to suggest stories they think are important to the area’s history and we compiled a list of over 250 unique stories and topics. Many shared stories that were familiar to all but some shared stories that others had never heard, adding to a sense of discovery to the discussion. It was easy to see emerging themes connecting stories together that will inspire the collection we build, the exhibits we develop, and the programs we offer.
Lastly, we asked participants to develop some ideas for exhibits, events, and programs that HHHC can develop with the community’s support. Ideas included interactive and digital exhibits, teaching and practicing heritage skills, community events held on the library campus where HHHC will be located, history camps for local children, programs for local schools, intergenerational programs, and partnerships with various organizations to develop collaborative programs. These programs will enliven history, connect community members in discussion, and inspire museum visitors to consider someone else’s perspective when examining the past.
The ideas shared at the summit have pushed HHHC to consider new ways of thinking about how we will exhibit our community’s history. We are excited to explore these ideas further and now have a group of community members who have expressed interest in helping to realize these ideas. We appreciate all who devoted over four hours of their time to the summit and hope that we can continue to be a partner and collaborator for others in the community.
If you would like a full report from the Summit, please reach out for a pdf version info@hhheritagecenter.com.
Thank you to the following businesses, organizations, institutions, and municipal and government offices who attended the summit: Arcadia Live, Art to Heart Youth Services, BCFS Health and Human Services, Butt-Holdsworth Memorial Library, Buzzie’s BBQ, Cailloux City Center for the Performing Arts, CASA, Christian Women’s Job Corps, Church of Christ, City of Kerrville, Community Foundation of the Texas Hill Country, Dietert Center, Doyle Community Center, First Presbyterian Church, First United Methodist Church, HCTC, H-E-Butt Foundation, Hill Country Archaeological Association, Hill Country Arts Foundation, Hill Country Community Journal, Hill Country Crisis Council, Hill Country Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities Center, Hill Country Youth Ranch, Hunt Independent School District, Jam Broadcasting, Kerr Arts and Cultural Center, Kerr County Historical Commission, Kerr Economic Development Corporation, Kerrville Convention and Visitors Bureau, Kerrville Daily Times, Kerrville Folk Festival, Kerrville Independent School District, Kerrville Pets Alive!, La Hacienda Treatment Center, Mt. Olive Baptist Church, Museum of Western Art, Peterson Foundation, Peterson Health, Rail’s A Café at the Depot, Raphael Community Free Clinic, Riverside Nature Center, Schreiner University, SLS Partnership, So Fast Printing, St. Peter’s Episcopal Church, Texas Hill Country Bank, West Kerr Current.
