"Shady Side's Got History!", an exhibit that celebrates the partnership of Shady Side Rural Heritage Society and its Captain Salem Avery House Museum with the Shady Side Elementary School, opened at the Museum on Sunday, September 24.

In the spring of 2005, the Shady Side Rural Heritage Society teamed up with educators from Shady Side Elementary School to research and tell the story of the village. Students learned about local history and became performers, singers, dancers, artists, interviewers, historical researchers, writers and quilters. Art teacher Sarah Sheckells, one of the dedicated group of teachers who planned and organized this project said, "History, culture, and the lifestyle of local residents were incorporated into the cultural arts curriculum." As part of the project, nearly 30 longtime Shady Side residents participated in an oral history day at the School, sharing their memories of growing up in Shady Side.

The exhibit will remain on display with rotating exhibits of students' work until the spring of 2007. The exhibit is sponsored by a Freeman Foundation F.A.C.E.S. grant, and a Maryland Historical Trust Museum Enhancement grant. The opening celebration is one in a series of "South County Fall Heritage Days" sponsored in part by the Four Rivers Heritage Area.