Slow going for Yuba County Museum of History

He's got artifacts in storage, a board of directors that meets each month, a website, a donated office space, a curator and a small cadre of dedicated volunteers.

But the last big step that stands between The Yuba County Museum of History and its future home in the Tower Theater in Marysville has been a frustrating affair, said Richard Neault, the museum's founder.

"It's like moving through molasses," he said of raffle ticket sales and other ventures designed to attract the roughly $5,000 his group still needs. "We can't set a specific date to open because fundraising has been too slow."

Two tentative opening dates have come and gone. Neault now is aiming for the spring.

The building's lease gives the group 30 rent-free months — time that would be best spent in operation.

Neault and Marysville resident Ben Deal have been working for the past two months to make repairs to flooring and the electrical system in the building's lobby, where the artifacts eventually will be put on display. "We're buying the materials as we need them," said Deal, a mechanical engineer who commutes to Sacramento and devotes his free time to the museum project.

A talent for promotions and publicity is not currently part of their skill set, he and Neault admit.

"We're all new at this. That makes it tough," said Neault.

"I don't now what the catalyst is going to be," said Deal. "It's a Catch-22 because it seems you have to get something open before donors are willing to come forward."

Neault recently extended the sale of $5 raffle tickets by a month to Dec. 17, when he hopes to hold an event at the theater.

Top prizes include a one-day set of tickets for four at the Disney California Adventure Park with two nights of accommodations, a two-night stay at a Lake Tahoe cabin and a one-year family membership to the California Museum in Sacramento.

In the meantime, the group plans to have a history float in the Dec. 3 Christmas Parade and is continuing in efforts to acquire key inventory for the museum.

St. John's Episcopal Church has donated an office space for Neault to work and board members to meet, and a recent U.C. Berkeley graduate in history studies has agreed to act as curator for the museum.

"We're moving along, and we've had a lot of support," said Neault. But raising the last small sum, he said, "is a challenge."

CONTACT reporter Nancy Pasternack at 749-4781