Frank Luek, of Harmony, who received a Heritage Commendation from the Harmony Museum, works on completing the interior of the Visitor Information Cabin on Main Street in Harmony. Submitted photo

The Harmony Museum has named the Old Stone House Region Antique Auto Club of America as this year’s recipient of its Heritage Award, and announced the winners of its Heritage Commendations.

The museum selected the Old Stone House Region AACA for the annual award for its restoration and continued maintenance of historic automobiles made in Butler County, including a 1909 Huselton, 1922 Standard Eight, 1930 American Austin, 1939 Bantam Speedster and a 1941 BRC (Bantam Reconnaissance Car) 40. The car club restored those vehicles to show room condition, and drive them at local parades and events.

“The Heritage Awards were established to recognize groups or individuals who have completed a restoration project of special merit,“ said Rodney Gasch, Harmony Museum president. “Typically, the award goes to someone who has restored a historic building, but our board of directors felt the restoration of these historic, made-in-Butler-County automobiles deserved special recognition.”

The museum has been awarding Heritage Awards since 1991.

The Harmony Museum also created Heritage Commendations for groups or individuals who have done special work to improve the historic beautification of the region, or worked to share historic information.

Frank Luek, of Harmony, received a Heritage Commendation for his work completing the interior of the Visitor Information Cabin on Main Street. Luek has logged more than 125 hours to finish interior log chinking and install a beadboard ceiling, plank flooring and install solar panels for the interior lighting system. These efforts will count as the museum’s “match” for grant money provided by the Rivers of Steel and Pennsylvania Department of Natural Resources.

Ryan and Marlene Wise received a Heritage Commendation for the construction of a historically appropriate garage at their home at 333 Mercer Road. The modern garage and workshop were designed by Ryan Wise to mimic the look of a 19th century building complete with cupola. The bell in the cupola was salvaged from an old summer kitchen on the property and once was used to call Wise’s ancestors in from farm fields for dinner. Ryan and his family are the sixth and seventh generation of Wise’s to live on the property.

The third Heritage Commendation goes to the Zelienople Historical Society for its recent work telling new stories about Zelienople. Over the past several years it has updated exhibits in the Passavant and Buhl Houses on Main Street, plus sponsored innovative activities that engage the public such as the Patriotic Porch Tour and the Traveling Tomb of the Unknown Soldier coming to Zelienople this summer.

The awards will be presented Saturday at Harmoniefest, the Harmony Museum’s annual dinner meeting and awards banquet. This year’s speaker at the event will be local historian Tom Nesbitt, telling about the first log cabin and the Studebaker family, the earliest European settlers in Butler County.

Reservations can be made by calling the museum at 724-452-7341 Tuesday through Friday from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.