The Homesteader Museum is on the lookout for collectors and their unique collections.

Museum Director Brandi Wright said she took the idea from the Powell Library. She recalled in the ’90s how a display case would feature different collections from locals on a rotating basis.

To kick it up a notch, she’s also pairing the four to six week rotating exhibits with talks from the collector or a family member.

“ I want to get people out and involved,” she said, adding, “if you collect you learn, so if they collect they obviously know about what they’re collecting.”

Wright would know, as she collects midcentury tobacco products such as ashtrays, “the gaudier the better,” she said, chuckling.

To jump-start the museum’s rotating collection, the staff and museum board chose a variety of mementos from the late Sally Montoya, a former longtime community fixture.

“We wanted to kick off the Community Collector by highlighting an individual who was devoted to her community and spread her love throughout the Powell Valley, Sally Montoya,” Wright said in an announcement. “We are pleased to share with you her awards, achievements, and various mementos belonging to Sally to celebrate her big heart.” 

Her son Mike will talk about her collection from 5:30-7 p.m. Thursday, May 4. The collection includes shirts and mementos from Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts, as well as a jacket of hers covered in patches and her scrapbook. The items are scheduled to be on display until June 9, at which point Wright hopes another collector will show off his or her collection.

“I hope it will at least start the conversation,” Wright said last week, looking out over the display case on the far wall of the museum. “I’m just fascinated why people collect the things they do.”