The Hormel Historic Home is one of the most happening places in Austin. Card parties, business luncheons, tours, open houses at Christmas with rooms decorated by local businesses and the list goes on and on. These events could not be possible with out the help of the dedicated volunteers and board members.

The chairperson of the board of directors for the last two years has been Doris Rice. The board of directors meets the third Monday of each month at the Hormel House. They discuss the upcoming projects that will be happening there and if they need to purchase something new for the house.

There are currently 18 members on the board. Mary Ann Davis is the vice president, Ruth Paulson is the secretary and Gerry Oswald is the treasurer. All the members have specialties of expertise to pull off the different events that go on at the Hormel House throughout the year. For instance, Galdys White is in charge of contacting help when buses come to tour the Hormel House and the SPAM museum. Volunteers greet the visitors and take them on a tour of the house and serve them coffee, rolls and fruit. Busloads of tourists come from all over Minnesota, Iowa and Wisconsin. Every year a busload of tourists comes to Austin from Hawaii.

Rice said, &uot;The Hawaiians are a big event. We serve them a meal at the Hormel House. We have a large collection of recipes and a crew of usually five volunteers helps prepare, make and serve the meal. We have two kitchens to work from. One is in the upper part of the house and the other kitchen is in the carriage house.&uot;

Another big event at the Hormel House is Christmas. This is definitely the season to visit the Hormel House. Rice sends out letters to area merchants months before the upcoming season. Merchants are invited to select the room they would like to decorate for the Christmas season. Besides the merchants in Austin, letters are sent to businesses in Rose Creek, Hayward, Blooming Prairie and other small area towns. The week before Thanksgiving, the businesses come in and each decorates a room for the annual Christmas tour. This is one of the highlights of the year for the Hormel House. Tourists pay a flat fee donation to tour the house and are served cranberry cake and coffee.

&uot;Visitors see rooms that they ordinarily wouldn’t see, like some of the bedrooms upstairs,&uot; said Rice.

One of the unique features about the Hormel House is that it is a house that people still live in. Rooms are rented out to women who are going to school at Riverland or working at the Austin Clinic. Their area is off limits to the public and they can have few visitors, as there are many antiques at the Hormel House.

Besides the Christmas tour every year a fundraising dinner at $50 a plate is served at the Hormel House with entertainment with a pianist. Local artists display their work in the gardens of the property. Lots of money is needed to keep this historical home in operation.

Rice loves being on the board of directors. She is originally from Austin, but lived in California most of her life. She moved back to this area and Evie Mohrfield, the retired director, asked Rice to be on the board of directors.

&uot;Evie went after people to help at the house, she was good at that. I have met so many wonderful people working at the Hormel House,&uot; said Rice.

Rice said her duties as chair are to keep up on all the activities that go on at the Hormel House and delegate jobs. Arlene Bednar has been on the board of directors since 1992. She is a past chair of the board and also is a trustee.

Bednar said, &uot;We are a working board. We all do dishes for different functions. I have thoroughly enjoyed doing volunteer work at the Hormel House.&uot;

Many hands make light work and this appears to be how the Hormel Historic Home Board of directors keeps on going.