ShawneeDispatch.com

Shawnee — Shawnee Town will continue its Family Stories project next month with six interview dates scheduled through August.

The project records one-hour interviews with local residents who hant to share their memories of Shawnee in the first half of the 20th Century. Interview times are available for March 3, April 7, May 5, June 2, July 7 and Aug. 4 at Town Hall.

Shawnee Town received a Kansas Humanities Council grant last year to fund the Family Stories project. Ten interviews were held in November.

The intent of the project is to gather individual and family stories relevant to having lived, worked or played in the city of Shawnee. It will offer encouragement to families who wish to document their family stories and allow the Shawnee Town museum to learn more about life in Shawnee.

The interviews are based on the museum's successful StoryCorps day last June, in which the National Public Radio program recorded several Shawnee residents' stories, most of them interviewed by a friend or family member.

The project will continue the museum's efforts of the last six or seven years to capture oral histories on tape. As the museum has conducted research for its 1929 focus, it has gathered histories from several longtime Shawnee residents.

The Johnson County Museum is supporting the project by archiving collected interviews. Like the StoryCorps project, recordings will only be archived with the participants' consent, but every participant will get a copy of their recording.

Also like StoryCorps, while Shawnee Town hopes to learn more about Shawnee in the 1920s and 30s, participants may talk about whatever they want.

Anyone interested in participating in the project should contact Shawnee Town at (913) 248-2360.