“We have had folks in here all day, so visitors saw a lot more Christmas decorations than they would come Monday,” said Sandra Clark, director of the Michigan Historical Center.

Although the name of the event has changed since 2001, Pat Clark, director of the Michigan Historical Center Foundation, said the event’s goal has remained the same — to honor outstanding teachers of Michigan’s history and to serve as the major fundraiser to support the educational programs.

Since 2001, Pat Clark said the event has been focused on education — from the museum’s educational programs to honoring a select number of social science teachers who have done an exceptional job of teaching students about Michigan’s history with an Odyssey Award.

“The educational programs promote building a sense of pride in children and building pride and loyalty to Michigan,” Pat Clark said.

Among the glass cases filled with historical artifacts of Michigan, individuals sat at small tables covered in red and gold tablecloths situated around the museum’s exhibits while enjoying conversations with friends.

“You can’t have this experience anywhere else,” Sandra Clark said.

“When people come here for the first time, whether for the holiday event or it’s their first visit to the museum, they say ‘I had no idea we had something so wonderful in Lansing.’”

Hosted by the Michigan Historical Center Foundation, the 2007 Jingle Ball is a way to thank sponsors of the Michigan History Education Fund and raise money to continue to support the center’s educational programs, which Sandra Clark said more than 80,000 Michigan students participate in each year with their classes.

The Michigan Historical Center is one of five departmental agencies of the Michigan Department of History, Arts and Libraries and is responsible for statewide preservation of museums, archival records, archeology, historical sites and other Michigan human history education programs.

“We are the stewards of Michigan history or, as we like to say, we are the official storytellers of Michigan,” Sandra Clark said of the center.

Without the annual event, the museum would not be able to provide students with its educational programs, said William Anderson, director of the Michigan Department of History, Arts and Libraries.

“State revenue has really decreased, so funding for our educational programs has really decreased,” he said.