“Preserving the past, enriching the future.” This motto of the Mitchell County Historical Society also describes the work of the Precisionnaires Foundation. That’s why the Foundation recently donated $250 to the Historical Society to help complete their new museum space at Cedar Valley Memories.
Several alumni of the Precisionnaires created the Foundation in 2022 to keep the story of the Precisionnaires Drum & Bugle Corps alive and give back to the community that made this group possible – Osage. While they are currently focused on assisting students in the Osage Community Schools music programs, board members also wanted to support the new historical museum.
When complete, the museum will have space to display many of the 10,000 items in their collection, including a uniform, instruments and other artifacts from the Precisionnaires.
For a little over a decade, from 1965-1976, over 250 youth from Osage and the surrounding area participated in the Precisionnaires, learning advanced music and marching techniques while competing nationally against corps from much larger cities. At their peak, the corps placed 14th in the Drum Corps International Championships in Philadelphia, PA, an amazing achievement coming from a town of only 3,800 people.
Lori Mark, a former member of the Precisionnaires and museum volunteer, was excited to know that the Precisionnaires Foundation made the donation. She said, “The new museum space will allow the story of the Precisionnaires to be told for generations to come.”
According to Denis Boerjan, board member and marketing chairman for the Mitchell County Historical Society, “The museum will be basically finished this month, although we will still need funds for operational support, additional display and buildup funding, and additional improvements to the Cedar Valley Memories site.”
