Throughout the Spring, Summer and early Fall of 1997 work parties consisting of Museum staff and local community volunteers assembled periodically to work on the museum. The exterior was cleaned and a new coat of paint was applied, some of the interior walls were also repainted. Exploratory demolition of the old warped particle board floor revealed a relatively sound plank floor underlying the damaged flooring.
Work is underway to replace all the flooring and reopen the main exhibit room to visitors.
Thanks to the efforts of the summer work parties, the annual Palouse Day celebration in September saw a significant improvement in the museum's looks from the year before. The local merchants opened their doors for business with a portion of their proceeds going to the museum. A cookie contest was also quite popular with many tasty entries vying for the top spot. Many local artisans were also on hand to display and sell their wares. To close out the day, the Girl Scouts held a Spaghetti Feed.