NewsOctober 14, 2016
A community with culture: Mayfield Cultural Center is a hidden jewel in Bollinger County
The Mayfield Cultural Center opened in Marble Hill, Missouri, in April 2015, and in the time since, has shown itself as a hidden jewel in an area where there are few places of its kind. The center is at 209 Mayfield Drive, next to the Bollinger County Museum of Natural History. The facilities are housed in two historic buildings, both constructed in 1884...
Editor's note: This story has been updated to correct the Mayfield Cultural Center's hours of operation as well as the spellings of Derton and Teeters and to correctly identify "Midnight at the Oasis." It also clarifies funding for renovations to the Mayfield Cultural Center and corrects details about the history of the building.
The Mayfield Cultural Center opened in Marble Hill, Missouri, in April 2015, and in the time since, has shown itself as a hidden jewel in an area where there are few places of its kind.
The center is at 209 Mayfield Drive, next to the Bollinger County Museum of Natural History. The facilities are housed in two historic buildings.
Originally a continuation school, and later a college, the buildings ended up on the auction block; one bidder intended by purchase the buildings and demolish them for scrap materials. Two friends, Charles Bollinger and Dave Thomas, decided to preserve the buildings and founded the Will Mayfield Foundation in 1998. Later on, Bill Teeters came up with the idea of turning the buildings into museums. The Bollinger County Museum of Natural History opened shortly thereafter.
The Foundation sold $475,000 in Neighborhood Assistance Program tax credits and secured another $150,000 from various sources to complete renovation of the Mayfield Cultural Center.
The museum -- where the only dinosaur found in Missouri is housed -- and the cultural center complement one another.
"If you have someone come through one place, they usually come through the other, too," says museum administrator Patricia Welker. Last year, about 4,000 people visited the museum.
During its first year, some 7,000 people passed through the Mayfield Cultural Center, but the disparity in the numbers is due to the fact that so many events are held in the center.
Many people from St. Louis take day trips to see the center, but some people have come from much farther.
"We've even gotten people from other countries," says Scott Monteith, director of operations for the center.
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The first floor of the 12,000-square-foot, two-story building is used for a gallery and gift shop. A ballroom and eatery, The Mayfield Cafe, are upstairs.
The first exhibit at the Mayfield Cultural Center was a quilt show, and all of the hand-sewn items were made by local quilters. Since that time, many other shows have been displayed there. "Fake and Fabulous -- 100 Years of Couture Costume Jewelry" was the most recent exhibit, and others are in the works.
Unlike some other facilities of its kind, the Mayfield Cultural Center features work created almost entirely by local artists.
"Our county has always been rich in artists and craft people," says Brian Derton, managing director at the center.
Events are frequently held in the center, ranging from weddings, class reunions and graduation parties to jewelry making classes, concerts and dances.
Monteith and Derton have several other events planned this fall. An interactive murder mystery dinner theater, "Midnight at the Oasis," will take place on Oct. 22. As guests enjoy dinner catered by the Mayfield Cafe, they will try to solve a 1920s-era mystery. A trivia night is planned for 6 p.m. Nov. 5.
The Mayfield Cultural Center is open Thursday through Sunday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Information about upcoming events and happenings at the center are posted on its Facebook page at www.facebook.com/themayfieldculturalcenter, or by calling (573) 238-8515 during the center's operating hours.
Next door, the Bollinger County Museum of Natural History is open from noon to 4:30 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday, and on the first Sunday of each month. Admission is $5 for adults and $2 for children 14 and younger. For more information, visit www.bcmnh.org/visit.html or call (573) 238-1174.
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