By Krystal Smalley
ksmalley@wbcowqel.com

When it came down to it, being children’s librarian was not that far off from being the director of a historical society. Andee Wildenthaler took over the director’s position of the Galion Historical Society on Jan. 2 and hasn’t looked back.

Wildenthaler, a long-time Galion resident, had been a children’s librarian at the Galion Public Library for 13 years before she made the transition to the Historical Society. Before that she had been involved in many outreach and non-profit programs, all of which combined tools to make her perfect for the job as the director.

“It’s all been such an enjoyment,” Wildenthaler said.

Though Wildenthaler had spent much of her time working with children at the library, she sought a position that would allow her to interact with a wider range of people. A lot of the skills she gained working in the children’s room and the Ohio room of the library have easily translated over to the Historical Society.

Since she took over the position, Wildenthaler has been hard at work attending Kiwanis meetings and working with area business people on projects.

“We really would like people to be a part of what we do,” Wildenthaler said. “We want them to be members.”

Wildenthaler said they are currently working on making an online database for all of the artifacts under the care of the Historical Society. Everything from newspapers and fliers to items found within the town’s museum will be available online as another facet of preserving Galion’s history.

Wildenthaler is continuing her community outreach with a presentation to the Galion Rotary on Feb. 4 at The Varsity Grille and a wine and cheese tasting on Feb. 12 at Signature Health Care.

This year marks the 60th anniversary of the Galion Historical Society and Wildenthaler is already hard at work. An anniversary party is planned for June 11. On June 14 the sixth annual Cemetery Walk will be held at Fairview Cemetery and will feature characters from WWII. On June 21 will be the third annual vintage baseball game at HomeCare Matters.

The Galion Historical Society also plans on teaming up with the Bucyrus Tourism and Visitors’ Bureau to provide bus tours this year.