Palisade Historical Society January History Talk

For Immediate Release
Date: December 12, 2025

MEDIA CONTACT: JoAnn Rasmussen  
Palisade Historical Society      
970-812-3064 | info@historicpalisade.org 
PALISADE HISTORICAL SOCIETY PROGRAM
“From CMS to La Plaza”
Thursday, January 8, 2026 - 6pm - at the Palisade Community Gym

PALISADE, CO (December 12, 2025) – The Palisade Historical Society has announced a venue change for their Monthly History Talks. Starting in January, these talks will now be hosted at the historic Palisade Gymnasium/Auditorium, known as the Palisade Community Gym, at 711 Iowa Avenue in Palisade.

The Palisade Historical Society’s January History Talk will be presented by Iriana Medina, Executive Director of La Plaza, who will talk about the evolution of Palisade’s Child and Migrant Center to its current vision which empowers the immigrant community in the Grand Valley through education, leadership opportunities, and initiatives that promote self sufficiency and equity. La Plaza is located at 721 Peach Street in Palisade. The talk will begin at 6 p.m. at the Palisade Community Gym, at 711 Iowa Avenue in Palisade.

Child and Migrant Services (CMS) began in 1954 when local fruit growers' wives, Vera Foss, Margaret Talbott, and Dorothy Powers, joined forces to improve the living conditions of the migrant seasonal farm workers and their families in Mesa County, providing basic food, clothing, medical services, and childcare to farm workers. In 1969, efforts coalesced into Community Child Care and Migrant Services, Inc, which eventually was shortened to Child and Migrant Services (CMS).

Iriana started in January 2024 as the Community Engagement Coordinator and was promoted to executive director in November of 2024.  The new name reflects the change of bringing the community together to face complex challenges in a central gathering space – or La Plaza.
 
The talk will begin at 6 p.m. on Thursday, January 8 at the Community Gym. This program is open to the public to learn more about Palisade's unique history in a relaxed environment. No reservations are needed. Admission is free, and donations are appreciated. As food and beverages will not be available for purchase on site, people can bring their own to the program.  

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JAN 8  - PALISADE HISTORICAL SOCIETY PROGRAM – Page 2

The Palisade Historical Society’s website: www.historicpalisade.org, Social Media Pages: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PalisadeHistoricalSociety/ and Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/historicpalisadeco will include information about dates and topics of future history talks.

You can also visit the Palisade History Museum at 3740 G Road four days a week to learn about Palisade’s unique history. It is open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays year round. Admission is free, and donations are appreciated. Those wanting more information about the Palisade Historical Society are encouraged to visit www.historicpalisade.org or call 970-812-3064.

LINK: www.historicpalisade.org

ABOUT THE PALISADE HISTORICAL SOCIETY
The Palisade Historical Society was incorporated in March 2010 and is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization with the mission to collect, preserve, and communicate the unique history of Palisade, Colorado, and to foster, encourage, stimulate, and develop public appreciation of this history. Palisade’s first History Museum opened in August 2021. In the almost four years since then, more than 2,400 visitors have come to learn about Palisade history from the interesting displays. In 2024, another 550 people attended history talk programs at the Ordinary Fellow Winery.

The Historical Society has published booklets with photos and information about the history of coal mining, irrigation, railroads, and fruit and wine in Palisade. The Historic Palisade Coloring Book is used in local elementary schools, and the coal mining and irrigation booklets are used as textbooks at Palisade High School science classes. The booklets and other publications from local authors are available at the Palisade History Museum 3740 G Road – near Elberta and Highway 6 on the north frontage road. The area is under construction for the Elberta Roundabout Project, but the Museum is accessible.

The Historical Society creates/presents historical programs, videos, and displays, and offers guided walking tours of historic downtown Palisade. It also has collected oral histories of long-time Palisade residents in video and written summary formats available on its website.

As stewards of The Palisade Tribune, the newspaper of record from 1903 until it ceased publishing in March 2014, the Historical Society has archived copies and digitized 4,617 issues – from June 1903 to December 1995, with more on the way – which are available online in the Colorado Historic Newspapers Collection database for free research by students, teachers, genealogists, historians, and everyone.

If you want to volunteer at the Palisade History Museum, at Palisade Historical Society events, or need more information about the Palisade Historical Society, visit www.historicpalisade.org or call (970) 812-3064.

On Facebook, look for the Palisade Historical Society
On Instagram, look for @HistoricPalisadeCO