The Clinton Lake Historical Society is launching an effort this year to raise funds for a new museum building.

“Twenty-five years in a milk shed is long enough,” Martha Parker, director of the museum, said of its current building located at the lake’s Bloomington Park.

Parker appeared Monday before the Douglas County Commission to announce upcoming fundraisers, including an open house at the museum from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. June 10. Cost for attending will be $20 per person. There will be food, music and a guest speaker.

The Historical Society has been working on the building project for the past few years and saving for a building that is probably going to cost hundreds of thousands of dollars if it includes everything that is needed, Parker said.

The historical society worked with an architect a few years ago but has since decided to go in a different direction. It is now seeking a new architect, and a final cost estimate for the project hasn’t been determined, Parker said.

The building would be located on the west side of the museum grounds. It will include a much larger exhibit gallery and storage space that will be protected from fire and tornados, as well as a meeting hall and kitchen. There also is talk about a light beacon, which would symbolize a candle that gave information to slaves on their way to freedom passing through the region.

“We want to make it a museum and social center,” Parker said. It will end up being a complex that represents the area and all the people that live there.”

Additional fundraisers:

¢ July 15, an ice cream social in the museum courtyard.

¢ Sept. 16, a barbecue dinner.