Annual Membership & Friends Gathering - A joint jam presented by the AV Historical Society and the AV Villages
August 17, 2025 1pm at the museum. This year’s event celebrates two milestones:
The 50th Anniversary of The Coyote Cowboys
&
The 45th Anniversary of the Historical Society’s First Event - July 4, 1980, with the Coyote Cowboys on stage!
Cowboy Lunch: Hot dogs fresh off the BBQ, salads, chips, dessert, and drinks will be served from 1:00-2:00PM. 👉 Free for members | $5 for non-members. Thanks to Julia Brock, we’ll have a looping video presentation highlighting the history of the Coyote Cowboys and the museum’s inaugural event. Additional memorabilia displays will be featured in the Rose Room.
Music begins at 2:00 PM. Bring your toe-tapping boots (or dancing shoes) and enjoy an afternoon of live tunes!
October Chat (Date to be announced)
Date to be announced. Our October Chat will include a walk through the oldest (A&B) sections of the Evergreen cemetery. Val Hanelt will lead the walk, sharing information on the graves, providing an interesting look at early settlement times.
Holiday Fun
November 23, 2025 1pm at the museum. We love seeing all the families that come to share in this fun event, and look forward to seeing past and new families this year. Welcome the Holiday Season with Candle Making festivities. Bring your family and create a festive candle for your holidays. Cookies and Cider will add to the fun on this winter afternoon.
Previous 2025 Events
June 8 1-3pm at the museum. The Historical Society of Mendocino County is coming to Anderson Valley to learn more about our history. We are honored to host Liz Knight, an ancestral descendent of the Anderson Valley Pomo, David Severn, researcher and Jeff Burroughs, historian. They will be sharing insights and stories of the Anderson Valley Pomo - Past, Present and Future. Museum tours to follow. (View on our UTube Channel-Anderson Valley Museum)
May 4th 1-3pm at the Anderson Valley Elementary School - Day of the Child. Bring your kids and grandkids to this afternoon of fun for our kids. The Anderson Valley Historical Society will be participating in this community event with 3 stations featuring activities the kids of yesteryear enjoyed and endured! Station 1 Games: Marbles, jacks, hopscotch. Station 2 Work: Drilling by hand, Making Butter. Station 3 Dressup: Take photos of the kids dressed up in clothes from the waaaay past!
Board Meetings
The Anderson Valley Historical Society Board meets on Thursday mornings at 9:30, every two months. AVHS members and interested guests are welcome to attend. For specific dates, please contact Sheri Hansen, at (707) 272-7248 or by email. You’ll find us in the Rose Room of the Barn Building on the Museum grounds, 12340 Highway 128, Boonville.
Featured Books
Then and Now: An Anderson Valley Journey
Anderson Valley has certainly changed significantly over its long history. Yet Then and Now: An Anderson Valley Journey, by Wes Smoot and Stephen Sparks, shows us that in some ways the Valley has altered very little. This fascinating book presents old and new photographs of selected buildings and homes, accompanied by brief “biographies” of each building and locale, thereby providing a journey through history. The reader is encouraged to literally take an excursion along the length of beautiful Anderson Valley and observe the sixty locations that are featured alongside or near to Highway 128, the 2-lane road that winds through Anderson Valley. Through the descriptions and photos, you’ll see how some places have changed and some stayed surprisingly constant. A delight to read as you drive through the Valley or relax in your armchair at home, Then and Now offers a vibrant trip through this unique region and its history for local folks and visitors alike. To order, call (707) 895-3207 or email the Anderson Valley Historical Society.
Anderson Valley—Images of America
Authored by the Historical Society and using pictures from the museum and many private collections, this book uses pictures to share the history of Anderson Valley and the fun of Boontling. To order, call (707) 895-3207 or email the Anderson Valley Historical Society.
For a full list of available books and gifts related to Anderson Valley history please go to Books.