The Barnes County Museum invites the community to a celebration of its World War II Heritage City designation. There will be an Open House on Thursday, November 20th, from 5-8:30pm to view the interpretive panels that will be installed throughout the city in the months to come. The museum’s monthly lecture series at 7pm that evening will highlight the local contributions to the WWII victory. Refreshments will be served.

The Open House will be a “Sneak Peak” of what’s to come. The Barnes County Historical Society and Valley City Tourism is teaming up with Talking Trail (talkingtrail.com) to create an interactive experience with the interpretive panels throughout the city including the North Country Trail, Sheyenne Byway, Medicine Wheel Park, and the Historic Bridges Tour. Talking Trail is an easy-to-use free app that connects users throughout the upper Midwest and allows them to hear the whole story narrated by local experts. The museum will also be pulling some of those stories from their cache of oral histories given by those who lived the experiences.

The Talking Trail will be in place Spring of 2026 in time for the state-wide celebration of the nation’s 250th anniversary.

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(L-r) Barnes County Society President Steve King and Museum Curator Wes Anderson hold the sign that will be installed along Main Avenue to allow WWII enthusiasts to take selfies with it. Similar smaller signs will be installed at strategic places throughout the community as well eight interpretive panels that expand on the area’s WWII history.