Videography focuses on taxidermist

By Dan Swanson
news | press

Grace Graham, Janet Reed, Larry Falk, Dale Kopf, Steve Darling and Howard Bebout join Joe Voges Monday in accepting a United Way donation to create a video archive of Voges. Nile Farris represents the United Way.

The United Way of Nebraska City presented the River Country Nature Center with funds Monday to undertake a videography of taxidermist and museum visionary Joe Voges.

Voges, who celebrated his 95th birthday, built a massive collection of bird, poultry and animal mounts and a reputation for his witty personal accounts of each display.

The video is a way to not only capture the information about the exhibits, but also a way to preserve a record of the personality Voges has, said board member Janet Reed.

“He’s quite an awesome fella. He knows all about these animals and if we don’t have his story, then the animals’ story will be lost,” she said.

Brian Volkmer of the Nebraska City Museum Alliance said actual video production includes a 45-second orientation for nature center visitors and a larger video archive of Voges’ life and recollections.

“The oral history will be longer. Knowing Joe, there will be volumes,” Volkmer said.

The United Way donated $4,000 for the project after the nature center applied for a special request.

“We are so grateful to the United Way. A hundred years from now we’ll be able to watch it and learn what each mount is for,” Reed said.