Filled with treasures of the city’s past, the Dunkirk Historical Society has made strides in recent years of becoming more engaged with the community. In the past summers, it has held a car show in Washington Park and last October, its first tour of historical homes in the city was well received.

Tonight, the organization makes another attempt to connect with residents by holding an open house and membership drive from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at 513 Washington Ave. “If you’re interested in something that happened in Dunkirk and you want to know more, if you can help us do research on it or help us create a display … If you have a skill that you’d like to donate, we’d be more than happy to find a place for you,” said Mike Civiletto, president of the organization.

Memberships in the organization, which is a caretaker to so many city artifacts, range from $5 to $25.

If you have never been inside the facility, tonight is the perfect night to see why there is a need to protect some valuable items. It is also an opportunity to help an organization and the volunteers who give so much time to preserve Dunkirk’s past.