“My start date as the director of the Louisiana Political Museum & Hall of Fame was November 1, 2022,”says local citizen and new executive director of the museum, Shonna Moss, “and we have been very busyever since.” One of the museum employees has taken another position, so the current staff includes Ms.Moss and Jennifer Beck Loftin, whom she describes as a hard worker with creativity and vision.Ms. Moss started just in time to manage and coordinate the 2023 induction banquet. The board ofdirectors selected the slate of political heavy hitters to be inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2023 as ofDecember 1, 2022, and the staff hit the ground running to arrange the annual induction banquet whichwas help at the World War II Museum in New Orleans in March 2023.

Since that time, Ms. Moss and her staff have accomplished a lot at the museum itself. They have updatedthe list of Inductees to the Hall of Fame, moved all the inductee displays, except those of the very firstinductees, from their former locations to the large new display case in the center room of the museum.The gift shop is in a different location, treasury reports are now up to date, the museum is now open from9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday, and advertising of the museum has been increased. Ms.Moss said the museum had 400 visitors in the month of May. One addition to the schedule planned is toopen the museum on Saturdays from 10:00 to 2:00 when volunteers are available for Saturdays.

The museum archives have been reorganized and moved to the exhibit building next door to the depotbuilding. They are available to the public during the noon hour and after regular business hours if oneschedules an appointment in advance. The exhibit building is being refurbished and rearranged to allowuse of the building for meetings. The museum facility is available for event rental for $150.Future plans and goals include connecting the exhibit building with the depot building, archives loadedonline, audio and video of museum materials accessed via QR code scan, new security system, repair,sprucing up and allowing public access of the gazebo. Unfortunately, the antique train car which wasdamaged by vandalism some years ago, appears to be unsalvageable.

Local citizens can look forward to the accomplishment of those plans, goals and improvements in the next few years.