E-Newsletter January 2008

Brick Store Museum Happenings

Exploring the Wonder of History

January 2008

Happy New Year! This year has begun in much the same way that 2007 ended: with considerable activity and optimism. As friends and supporters of the Museum, here are some 2007 figures about which we can all feel good:

Visitation and outreach was up 3.5% in 2007 and up 14.6% since 2004. In fact, 2007 attendance was our best of the millennium.
Visitors came from all over Maine, 43 states, and 11 foreign countries
The Museum enjoyed 235 appearances in 38 different media outlets
There were 399 new acquisitions to the Museum's permanent collections from 33 donors
Volunteers gave 2,987 hours of their time and talents in support of the Museum.
The Museum had raised $1.2 million, or 80%, of its $1.5 million goal for the Connecting Generations Capital Campaign.

Here's to 2008 and your continued interest and support. We thank you!

Sincerely,

The Brick Store Museum

Workshop Offers Chance for Kids to be "History Sleuths" on February 20

To coincide with the schools' upcoming winter vacation, kids in grades 4 through 8 are invited to spend a fun day at the Museum on Wednesday, February 20 (snow date: Feb. 21) being "history sleuths!" They'll get a chance to hone their investigative skills and use their powers of deduction. Sifting through clues from artifacts, historical documents and photographs across the centuries, they'll piece together the identity and background of an actual person or place from Kennebunk's past. Who or what will it be?

Working in groups, the "detective squads" will creatively reveal their findings, perhaps as a news broadcast, mini-documentary, or historical reenactment. Whatever format they choose, their presentations will be professionally videotaped and recorded to DVDs as keepsakes of the day.

Pre-registration is required by February 13. CLICK HERE for the registration form (PDF format, 524k). Cost is $25/child ($20 for Museum members). Made possible by a grant from The Virginia Hodgkins Somers Foundation.

New Exhibition to Open Next Month

Look through the lens of local portrait photographer Liam Crotty to see the diversity and depth of character and talent found in the Kennebunks.

You'll have your chance, when Faces of the Kennebunks opens next month. On public view from February 26 through May 3, Faces features 23 color and black-and-white, large-format images that touch upon the contemporary fabric of the community--whether it's a popular teacher, longtime volunteer, Tony Award winner, or a former NASCAR champion. This exhibition and its related programming are being generously sponsored by Kennebunk Savings Bank.

**Museum members should watch their mailboxes for invitations to the exhibition's opening reception!**

Recap on the Final Events of 2007

So many things took place right at the end of 2007 that we thought you might be interested in hearing how they turned out:

You might recall that as part of the "Week of Wild Things" in November, kids from the Kennebunks participated in an amazing songwriting workshop with Nashville recording artists Eve & Mare. In just an hour's time, they learned about rhythm and rhyme and collectively wrote and sang their very own original song: Imaginary Animals. CLICK HERE to listen! (mp3 file format, 2.1 mb)
The 2nd annual Wreath Display & Silent Auction featured 52 amazingly creative entries. What's more, the bidding resulted in $1,715 for the Museum!
Our 4th annual Holiday Tea in December at the historic Charles Goodnow House couldn't have been nicer and raised $1,287 for the Museum. Nearly 120 guests enjoyed the home's elegant splendor and the gracious hospitality of homeowners Tim Harrington and Juan Urtubey. Pictured at right is the corps of Museum trustees and volunteers who helped with this final event of 2007.
Congratulations to Barbara Collier of Kennebunk for having the winning raffle ticket for the giant baseball glove-shaped chair that sat at the entrance to our Kennebunk's Big Leaguers exhibition! Mrs. Collier was tickled to learn of her prize, which she gave to her former caregiver Janet Richardson (pictured at left). She, in turn, couldn't wait to surprise her grandson with it!

Announcing our Newest Business Partners

The Brick Store Museum warmly welcomes Jeffrey A. Bonney, CFP�, the Hounds Tooth Inn, and Investcomm Commercial Group, as our newest Business Partners.

Our Business Partners are vital supporters for our year-round activities, and we can't thank them enough for their generosity and community-mindedness. Let them know that you, too, appreciate the important role they play in the life of The Brick Store Museum. To see a full list of our partners and to learn how you can become one, CLICK HERE.

Loss of a Dear Friend

The Kennebunk's Big Leaguers exhibition had a spectacular run, drawing 2,614 visitors in just six months. Donald Wentworth reminiscing in the exhibition with a youngster.

Donald Wentworth reminiscing in the exhibition with a youngster.

If you were among those thousands who now fully know the baseball legacies of Kennebunk's own "Colby Jack" and Bobby Coombs, then chances are that you also had the good fortune of meeting Donald Wentworth. As a relative of both major leaguers, Donald was instrumental in sharing the stories and family memorabilia that made this exhibition possible. On any given day, Donald would show up at the Museum to quietly contemplate their achievements and--to the delight of visitors young and old--answer questions and give impromptu tours of the exhibition.

Sadly, Donald passed away just days after Kennebunk's Big Leaguers closed. All who had worked on the exhibition and come to know Donald knew that they were witnessing something special. In helping to ensure--in some small way--that the big league experiences of the Coombs boys would not be forgotten to history, the Museum gained an unforgettable friend in Donald Wentworth.

In This Issue

Calling all History Sleuths!

New Exhibition to Open

Recap of the Final 2007 Events

Welcome, Business Partners

Loss of a Dear Friend

Trustee Spotlight...

"Behind the Scenes in the Museum's Collections"

by Bruce Jackson

2nd floor museum storage and objects processing facility

If exhibitions and visitors are the lifeblood of a museum, then its collections are its soul. Like most museums, the Brick Store Museum has only a small percentage of its 70,000 artifacts on display at any one time. When not being exhibited, these items are carefully protected in collections storage areas located on the second floor of the Museum and at 4 Dane Street (the property directly behind our Main Street galleries).