The Smithsonian Institution’s Museum food exhibit, “A Taste of Community,” is currently on display at the Old Independence Regional Museum.
Old Independence Regional Museum (OIRM) was selected as one of six small U.S. museums to partner with the Smithsonian Institution’s Museum on Main Street to present its traveling exhibit centered around food and area food-centric businesses, past and present, that impacted the local region. The exhibit includes a replica of a 1940s kitchen, a milk wagon, and a look back at area food industries such as J.K Southerland, Inc. and Mack Farm Dairy.
Cathy Shonk (pictured above), director of OIRM, recently visited with White River Now’s Chad Whiteaker about the exhibit for a conversation on Arkansas 103.3 KWOZ.
In the interview (listen below), Shonk discusses how the museum partnered with the Smithsonian for the exhibit and how community members helped contribute content.
The exhibit will run through July 31, 2025.
The Old Independence Regional Museum is open Tuesday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission pricing is $5 for Adults, $3 for Seniors 55+ and military, and $2 for Children and children six years or younger are free. It is located at 380 S. 9th St. in Batesville.
OIRM board member Kay Southerland stands with an exhibit devoted to her father’s poultry business. (Image: OIRM Facebook)
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