CLEAR LAKE — Families can step back into the days of one-room schoolhouses, old-fashioned games and pioneer life when the Kinney Pioneer Museum hosts its Back-to-School Day on Sunday, August 23, 2026.
The event will run from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., with free admission to the museum and a lineup of activities aimed at giving children and families a taste of how school — and fun — looked generations ago.
Young visitors will be able to take part in classroom activities inside the museum’s one-room schoolhouse, along with vintage crafts and games.
The afternoon will also feature some old-fashioned competition, including gunny sack races and three-legged races.
Book author and YouTube homesteader RuthAnn Zimmerman will be on hand during the event. Zimmerman is known for sharing homesteading, family and traditional-living content with her online audience.
Food will also be available. Pulled pork sandwiches with chips will be sold for $5 while supplies last.
Back-to-School Day activities include:
• Classroom activities in the one-room schoolhouse
• Vintage crafts and games
• Gunny sack races
• Three-legged races
• An appearance by author and YouTube homesteader RuthAnn Zimmerman
• Pulled pork sandwiches and chips for $5, while supplies last
• Free admission to the Kinney Pioneer Museum
The Kinney Pioneer Museum is located at 9184 265th Street near Clear Lake.
The special event comes as North Iowa families prepare for another school year, but Sunday’s celebration will offer youngsters a chance to discover what heading back to school might have looked like many decades ago.
