In 2008, the Heritage Trail Tour, a free event featuring 20 museums in Placer County—from Roseville to Tahoe—began as a direct outgrowth of the Museum Division’s mission “to serve the public and promote community involvement through heritage education programs.” Exhibit Preparator Jason Adair discusses how the event has changed since its inception. “In the beginning, this event was a countywide open house where all participating museums would open their doors at the same time. Eight years in, each museum has developed special events, which serve to highlight the history each museum is in charge of interpreting.” Activities this year include a granite splitting demonstration at the Rocklin History Museum, a gold panning school  at the Gold Rush Museum and others—ranging from blacksmithing demonstrations to Western reenactments and live music. Adair’s favorite part is that “a lot of people take the whole event as a challenge to see how much history they can cram into a weekend. They come ready to explore and immerse themselves in local history. This year’s tour takes place August 15-16 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. For a full list of events, as well as specific timing and locations, visit theheritagetrail.blogspot.com.