After the rousing success of the group’s first History Fair, the Soddy, Daisy and Montlake Historical Association is hosting a second fair Saturday, June 11. From 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., fair-goers will be able to walk through Soddy-Daisy High School and browse dozens of tables and displays featuring local historical relics dating back to the Civil War.
“We’re trying to include more local churches that have century-old history from the area,” association President Steve Smith said. “Really, we’re just looking to improve on our fair [held] in January.”
Smith said he thought the quality of the displays in January was “superb,” though admitted the association was surprised by how many people they drew – more than 500 people attended that first fair.
The fair will grow this time around to accommodate even more displays. As of press time, the association had 85 tables and displays planned for the June event. The inaugural fair featured 68 displays.
That growth in interest, said Smith, is exactly what the association is in search of with events such as these.
“I don’t think it could have worked out any better,” he said.
The amount of community involvement and interest has spurred the association to keep looking for a suitable location for the museum members want to build to house the history and relics collected by the association. Smith said they have looked at two different locations since January, but neither seemed like it would work as a museum.
“We don’t even necessarily need a permanent structure, just something small to let people know we’re serious about the preservation of our history,” he said. “There’s so little local history that’s taught in schools. It’s up to us to display all of this so that everyone can learn the history of our area.”
For more information about the fair, find “Soddy, Daisy and Montlake Historical Association” on Facebook.