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 Greetings from the Museum, where our ongoing structural renovations are literally strengthening us for the future with each passing day [see "Inside Spotlight" sidebar at right]!
We're pulling off quite a feat by remaining OPEN throughout our renovations, and remember: there's still plenty to see--from Treasures of the Community to Salon Style: Fine Art from the 1830s to the 1920s to Chronicling Commerce to Mourning Glory. We even have a new display and a very special beam-signing event coming up on March 7...read on for the particulars!
When construction is anticipated to be completed in the April/May timeframe, we'll once again be able to access our collections and begin populating newly refurbished galleries with all-new exhibitions sure to delight and fascinate. Watch the newspapers, our website, AND this space for up-to-the-minute details!
Sincerely,
The Brick Store Museum |
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February 28: Hot Stove League Lecture
With the Super Bowl over and March Madness yet to get underway, sport fans yearning for a fix are invited to the Brick Store Museum's Program Center at 4 Dane Street this Saturday, February 28 at 2PM for a free "Hot Stove League" lecture and book signing with author John P. Tierney.
Tierney will share his experiences in researching and writing his new book, Jack Coombs: A Life in Baseball, about Kennebunk's very own fabled major league ballplayer and coach. Tierney will offer highlights of "Colby Jack" Coombs' illustrious career as the pitching ace for Connie Mack's Athletics, winners of back-to-back world championships in 1910 and 1911. Joined onstage by Coombs descendant and Kennebunk local, Nelson Wentworth, the Museum's "Hot Stove League" program will include personal recollections before turning it over to the audience for questions and an open debate on whether Colby Jack should be inducted in the National Baseball Hall of Fame for his pitching prowess and records that stand to this day. Program is offered at no charge. Book signing to follow, with Tierney's book on sale for $25+tax (Museum members receive a 10% discount). Made possible by the Museum's John Rogers Memorial Lecture Fund. |
March 7: Leave Your Mark on History, 10AM-1PM
Come one, come all for a very special opportunity on Saturday, March 7, 10AM-1PM to "leave your mark on history" by writing your signature on a 22-foot steel support beam, one of three being installed to strengthen the framing and increase the floor loads as part of basement-to-attic renovations of the museum's iconic Main Street facade. The beam will ultimately be enclosed, preserving the signatures as a time capsule.
Attendees signing the beam will receive a special commemorative souvenir. John DeStefano of DeStefano & Associates, Inc., the Portsmouth-based construction management firm coordinating the museum's renovation project, will be on hand throughout the event to answer questions. Visitors can tour the museum's Salon Style and Treasures of the Community exhibitions and will additionally be treated to the debut of an all-new exhibit that presents the history of the museum's 19th-century buildings and displays photos chronicling the current renovations. Included on view will be a number of items--from an early light bulb to an unique patent medicine bottle--discovered over the past few months by the construction crews!
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Museum to Mount Display at Public Library
For the month of March, the Museum is pleased to putting a wide variety of kitchen implements from our housewares collections on view in the vestibule display case at the Kennebunk Free Library (112 Main St., Kennebunk). Out of the Kitchen and into History will feature baskets, butter molds, toleware and more. In this age of microwave ovens and food processors, there will even be a few items that might stump visitors as to their original uses! |
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Help the Museum's Membership Grow!
If you've been looking for a fun volunteer opportunity and a great way to get involved in the community, become a founding member of the Brick Store Museum's Membership Committee! We'll be meeting four times a year to focus on lapsed memberships and attracting new members. When you help increase membership to one of your favorite organizations, you get to see immediate results for your volunteer time.
- What: Membership Committee meeting
- When: Thursday, March 19th from 6:30 - 8:30 PM
- Where: At the Museum, 117 Main St., Kennebunk
Treats will be served! Bring a friend! Questions? Contact Trustee Liam Crotty by email or by phone at 207-967-2220. |
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Make Your Vote Count for the Museum
 If you're a Kennebunk Savings Bank, Morris Insurance or Kennebunk Financial Services customer, look for the opportunity to vote for the Brick Store Museum on the 2009 Community Investment Ballot you'll be receiving in the mail from Kennebunk Savings. Each vote for the Museum, on average, has been worth at least $20 and translates to valuable grant money which allows us to continue delivering the quality programs and exhibitions you've come to know and love! Last year, the Museum was awarded a grant of more than $1,700 through this amazing program that helps out more than 170 local organizations.
Thanks to everyone who cast a vote for the Museum in 2008...we hope we can count on you again in 2009! | |
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The Brick Store Museum is located at 117 Main Street in the heart of Kennebunk's National Register Historic District. For more than 70 years, the Museum has been dedicated to preserving the Kennebunks' rich cultural and artistic heritage. Its galleries and research archives are open year-round (closed holidays), Tuesdays-Fridays, 10-4:30 and Saturdays, 10-1. Admission is by donation; suggested $5/person. For more information, check us out at www.brickstoremuseum.org, or give us a call at 207.985.4802. | |
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Inside Spotlight
Check out the latest on our structural renovations, courtesy of our online slideshow on our website's homepage. What's new? Columns removed, collections moved, a new floor, dampproofed basements, and more! |
Did You Know. . .
...that museums have a big impact on the U.S. economy? Museums employ more than a half-million Americans, spend an estimated $14.5 billion annually, and rank among the top three family vacation destinations. Visitors to cultural and heritage destinations stay 53% longer and spend 36% more money than other kinds of tourists.
[Source: American Association of Museums]
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Upcoming...
April 9, 2009
Hands on History reception and display by the children of the "Stretch Beyond" class
April 11, 2009
Preservation Station at the Museum!
 June 1, 2009
12th Annual Spring Classic Golf Tournament
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Check out our
"artifact of the month"
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