The Edwardsburg Historical Museum is ready to build upon the hard work of founder Jo-Ann Boepple following her passing last month.

The museum already has a full schedule of events for the 2017 season, which begins May 17 with the first of three displays. There will also be a series of eight speakers, all on Thursday nights.

Sally Dalrymple has been elected the chairman of the museum’s board (see related story) and Barbara Dempsey, the vice chairman, said that the board members and the volunteers are looking forward to the coming season.

“She trained us well,” Dempsey said of Boepple. “There are a lot of people at the museum who already know how to organize like she did. People like Pat Bellaire, Birdella Holdread, Shirley Andrews, who is a retired school librarian and Judy Singley, who is a retired teacher.

“We have a lot of volunteers who are retired teachers. So we have a lot of people in the museum who have backgrounds that are conducive to leadership and organization, which is good.”

Dempsey and Bellaire agreed that no one who works with the museum is about to drop the ball and that bylaws and policies that are established will help make the transition a bit smoother.

The museum currently has more than 40 volunteers who work throughout the season by sitting at the museum once a month for three hours.

“Most of the volunteers are retired,” Dempsey said. “A lot of times they are paired up with their friends. Some of them are married couples that volunteer together.”

“You can do as much or as little as you want,” Bellaire said. “Some just like to come and be involved in the program and house sitting. Others are gung ho to doing the planning of our events and fundraisers.”

The museum has close to 150 members from all around the country. They help support the museum.

“The museum is alive and well,” Bellaire said. “I think there is a lot of support for it and Jo-Ann laid a beautiful foundation for our future.”

On Aug. 20, following the Edwardsburg all-school reunion, Boepple and her husband Dick will be honored with the Dr. John B. Sweetland Award, which is presented to a community member who has contributed to the development of the village through community service.

The museum will open next month with a display on railroads.

The display will showcase artifacts from the Grand Trunk Western Railroad, including historical documents and colorful photographs from the Grand Truck and its successor the Canadian National Railroad.

A pair of speakers will be featured in June — Joe O’Brien, president of the Grand Trunk Western Railroad Historical Society of Shelby Township Michigan, June 1; and Chuck Hart of Edwardsburg, who will speak on model railroading, June 15.