Beer Tasting and Gallery Talk on Fermentation Features in Friends of The Mining & Rollo Jamison Museums Annual Meeting and Program

PLATTEVILLE, Wis. — This year’s free Friends of The Mining & Rollo Jamison Museums Annual Meeting and Program will be held on Thursday, November 9, from 6–7:30 p.m. To complement the annual report from Museum leaders, the program this year features a Gallery Talk and Craft Beer Tasting by Platteville’s new UpDraft Brewery, plus homemade pie and Pioneer Sweets ice cream.

The event is a free benefit for 2023 members of the Friends of the Museums and donors over $35, and serves as a fundraiser encouraging visitors to join, renew, or make their annual gift, as well as to thank volunteers, donors, and board members. To become a member of the Friends, visit www.mining.jamison.museum/donate. Attendees will enjoy free finger food and have time to mingle while sipping a German Kolsch named “King Kolsch,” a Fruit Beer (apple) named “Teacher’s Pet,” an American Porter named “Midnight Madness,” and a Hazy IPA named “Better Half” — all brewed by UpDraft. A silent auction of tasty pies will be featured as well.

The Annual Meeting portion of the evening will highlight the Museums’ 2023 accomplishments; reveal exciting plans and milestones for 2024; and provide updates on our ongoing collections stewardship and museum improvement initiatives. Following that, the Annual Program will include a gallery talk by Museum staff, with special guests John Patakos, Bryan Mulligan, and Tom Nickels of UpDraft Brewery. The fun and interactive talk with the brewers and curatorial staff will bring to life a sense of place of our Driftless Area landscape, and the art and science of harnessing this character to brew craft beers. Attendees will be invited to taste a selection of the flavorful, heartfelt brews UpDraft has created for their new Platteville brewery and taproom.

Members are strongly encouraged to register in advance. To register, visit the Programs and Special Events section of the Museum website at: www.mining.jamison.museum/programs or call (608) 348-3301. The Friends of the Mining & Rollo Jamison Museums, formerly known as the Jamison Museum Association, is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Its purpose is to be the membership organization for the Museum, to fundraise and provide financial support for the Museum, to promote interest in the history of the tristate area, and to support the Museum in all its endeavors.

The Museum is located on Main Street in Platteville, Wisconsin, in the heart of the historic Upper Mississippi Valley lead-zinc mining region. Founded in 1964, the Museum is a nearly three-acre campus with scenic greenspace, an underground 1845 Bevans Mine, and a 1930s-era narrow-gauge mine railroad pulled by a 1931 Whitcomb locomotive. The mission of the Museum is to continue in the pursuit of excellence in the areas of regional and mining history. To achieve that purpose, the Museums are commissioned to be custodians of the past; to interpret the rich lead and zinc mining heritage of the region, as well as to preserve, interpret, and display the artifacts that define Southwest Wisconsin.

The Museum is open Wednesday through Sunday from May to October, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and offers both in-person and virtual programming year-round. Follow The Mining & Rollo Jamison Museums on Facebook @MiningJamisonMuseum. For more information on current and upcoming programs visit our website at www.mining.jamison.museum, call (608) 348-3301, or email Museums@platteville.org.