To the Editor,

Last week the Renton History Museum’s banner for our “Bigfoot is Probably Real” exhibit was stolen in broad daylight from the front of our building.  The Museum staff was shocked, but grateful that a sharp-eyed driver was able to provide a description of the thief.  The Museum has been installing exhibit banners every time we open a new temporary exhibit, three or four times a year.  They are quite large, and represent the most important way we get out the word about changing exhibits, so it was depressing to think that they would make us a target.

After coverage in online editions of Renton Reporter and other media outlets, we were so moved by the number of offers of support.  Renton Printery and R & R Graphics both volunteered to remake the banner, and we received numerous donations from new donors, trustees, and long-term supporters-still coming in-to offset the cost of this theft.

Thanks to a donation from PEMCO Insurance, we were able to replace the banner within two days of its loss.  Their Marketing Department also wrote a nice blog piece on the Bigfoot exhibit, which dovetails nicely with their “Desperately Seeking Sasquatch” profile, part of the “We Are a Lot Like You” campaign.  Other donations will be earmarked for future banners and for other projects, like the digitization of our oral history and film collections.

These donations and in-kind offers really turned a sad situation around and reminded us how much support the Museum has in our community.  On behalf of the Museum’s Board of Trustees and staff, I would like to express our gratitude for the encouragement we received from our community!

Sincerely,
Elizabeth P. Stewart
Museum Manager