The East Contra Costa Historical Society is looking for people interested in local history to become museum docents. No experience is necessary, and membership is not required. One session of docent training is required, held Sunday, March 27 at 1 p.m. and again at Saturday, April 9 at 11 a.m.

If you can donate two or more hours between April and October and would like to become a museum docent, call Carolyn Sherfy at 925-516-7798 or Pat Bello at 925-625-3553.

The Society maintains a historical museum that provides a chronological record of significant events affecting life in East Contra Costa. There is no admission charge to view the exhibits, but donations are gratefully accepted. The Society is a completely volunteer organization with no paid employees. It receives no government grants or support and is fully self-supporting through dues and donations.

The museum grounds are located at 3890 Sellers Ave. on the Knightsen-Brentwood border, just south of Sunset Road. The centerpiece of the grounds’ Victorian landscape is a lovely two-story 1870 farmhouse featuring rooms furnished with period furniture and artifacts. Outdoor exhibits include a historical 1947 Dodge Van Pelt fire truck, vintage automobiles and trucks, a railroad caboose and farm machinery, plus buildings that house tools and other exhibits of life and industry in East County. Special exhibits rotate, so there is always something new to see.

The museum is currently closed for the winter, but reopens on April 2 for the 2011 season. The scheduled hours for the public are 2-4 p.m. every Saturday and every third Sunday of the month from April through October. The museum is also open by appointment. Visitors are invited to bring a lunch and picnic onto the grounds.

Every spring, busloads of East County students take docent-guided tours of the museum, which is part of the California History curriculum for most public and private schools in Brentwood, Byron, Discovery Bay, Bethel Island, Knightsen and Oakley.