Watch as members of the Pony Express Association take the oath required of Pony Express riders and then exchange the mochila on its journey to carry the mail from St. Joseph, Missouri, to Sacramento, California.
Breakfast will be served in the alley alongside the Pony Express Barn & Museum (106 S. Eighth Street) with proceeds benefiting the museum.
The event starts at 8 a.m., with riders expected to pass through Marysville around 9:15 a.m.
Black squirrels, Pony Express horses and the Easter Bunny will be part of Museum Day on Saturday, April 2, as participating museums in Marshall County offer free admission and several activities.
Participating museums include the Marshall County Historic Courthouse, Historic Union Pacific Depot, Koester House Museum & Gardens, and Pony Express Barn & Museum — all in Marysville — as well as the Blue Rapids Museum.
Marysville’s Black Squirrel Committee will sponsor the showing of a free family movie at 1 p.m. at the Astro 3 Theatre, 820 Center St. The movie is part of the year-long activities marking the 50th anniversary of Marysville becoming the Black Squirrel City. In 1972, Marysville’s City Council passed an ordinance to protect and celebrate its black squirrel population.
The Pony Express Barn & Museum also is presenting a free movie in the afternoon at Astro 3. The 1925 silent film, The Pony Express, will be shown following a short introduction at 1:30 p.m. Popcorn and refreshments will be available for a donation to the new Friends of the Pony Express Barn & Museum organization.
In addition, members of the Pony Express Association will be on hand at the barn, located at 106 S. 8th St., from 10 a.m. to noon with their horses to demonstrate mochila exchanges and talk about Pony Express history and the annual re-rides.
The museum will be open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The Marshall County Historic Courthouse, 1207 Broadway, will be open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and hosting a scavenger hunt/museum bingo throughout the building. Families will be able to find answers to questions at various locations in the courthouse. The prize will be a punch card to the Marysville Aquatic Center for family and friends to enjoy a day at the pool. If multiple entries have the most correct answers, a random drawing will determine the winning entry.
The courthouse also will be showcasing a change to the wedding dress display and opening a new exhibit on local restaurants. Dresses and suits that have not been on display recently will be shown in the wedding attire exhibit. Eateries, Beaneries and Blue-Plate Specials is the name of the new exhibit that will include photos, artifacts and stories from Marshall County restaurants over the years.
The Historic Union Pacific Depot, 400 Hedrix St., will be hosting photos with the Easter bunny from 2 to 4 p.m. Those who attend also can make a frame for the photo as a craft project and receive an Easter treat.
The depot’s BrrBBQ, Brrr Beer, Brrr Bingo event will take place from 4 to 8 p.m. that evening. Bingo and beer tickets will be sold, and food will be available for a free-will offering. There will be more than 50 bingo prizes to choose from, including $25 gift cards and $25 gas cards.
The Koester House Museum & Gardens, 919 Broadway, will be open from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. with an open house from noon to 3 p.m. featuring long-time former Koester House Museum curator John Howard. Chocolate cake made from Hyacinth Koester’s recipe will be served, and Howard will demonstrate how the Magic Lantern works to show slides.
The Blue Rapids Museum, 36 Public Square in Blue Rapids, will be open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. with various stations set up for demonstrations and activities. Those stations include activities for kids such as sewing, genealogy, dulcimer lessons and more. Stations also are expected to include cross stitch and embroidery, marbles, a checker contest, biscuit-making, and some surprises.
For more information, go to www.VisitMarysvilleKS.org.
Join us for the 2nd annual Pony Express Half Marathon & 5K on September 12, 2020! It will be held in conjunction with the annual Pony Express 120 Gravel Dash (120 mile bike race) that begins and ends in historic downtown Marysville.
This race offers runners an opportunity to run through the paved and brick streets of Marysville as well as portions of the beautiful Blue River Rail Trail. This scenic trail begins in downtown Marysville and is located on a retired railroad bed alongside the Big Blue River. As the trail navigates through varying landscapes, runners will cross multiple bridges and have beautiful views of limestone outcrops, grass-covered bluffs and open farm fields. Periodic water stations and aid stations will be located along the route. This is a great race for those preparing to do a fall marathon!
Join us for the National Pony Express Re-Ride as it comes through Marysville around 2:00 am on Saturday, June 30th.
Jim DeFelice, co-author of the best-selling book “American Sniper: The Autobiography of the Most Lethal Sniper in U.S. Military History.” will speak at Marysville’s Pony Express Museum on Saturday, June 30th at 10:00 am.
This summer, DeFelice is following the annual Pony Express Re-Ride from Sacramento, Calif., to St. Joseph, Mo., to promote his new book about the Pony Express, “West Like Lightning.” He is scheduled to give presentations in Sacramento, Folsom, Calif., Reno, Salt Lake City and Marysville.
The event will include a short program, a question-and-answer session and a brief reading from his new book followed by a book signing. Books will be for sale at the event and refreshments will be served.
DeFelice mentions former museum curator Jill Schmidt in his new book. He wrote that Schmidt opened some of the darkened corners of the museum for him early one morning while he was working on the book and retracing the route of the Pony Express during the summer of 2016.
