Events at Member Institutions

Volunteer reenactors at Castine's historic Fort George will demonstrate what life was like when British Crown troops protected the American Loyalists. Visit FriendsofCastineForts.com for information on events and entertainment.

Are Your Ready to Dance?

Imagine a beautiful evening under a starry, moonlit sky, and you and your guests are rockin’ with the music of the locally renowned GOOD & PLENTY band with the sounds of the 70’s and 80’s to enjoy! Band members include: Denny Breau, Billy Belskis, Kathy Haley, Benny Rae Jones, David Kelly, Debbie Morin, Larry Peterson, and Bette Sanborn.

Start the evening by enjoying fine dining at local restaurants that are partnering with Museum L-A to offer discounts or themed specialty drinks or meals to enhance your Dance Party experience.  At the Dance Party, follow your fabulous dinner with scrumptious desserts  crafted by culinary arts students from The Green Ladle!

Stay tuned as details of this big, bold and audacious event unfold!

REGISTER TODAY!  Visit www.museumla.org or call 207-333-3881!
 

Do you have any heirlooms that have been passed down in your family from generation to generation? Perhaps you have your grandmother’s wedding dress, or your great-uncle’s scrapbooks, or your mother’s baby pictures. Items like these can be decades old and hold a precious place in your heart and in your home. After they have been passed to you, it is your responsibility to protect them so they can be enjoyed by further generations. Do you know how to care for them?

Museum L-A is hosting the “Family Heirloom Preservation Workshop” to teach the general public about the ways that they can care for their precious documents, photos, or objects and stop the damage caused by common environmental threats. Emma Sieh, Collections and Exhibits Coordinator for Museum L-A, will be joined by conservation experts from the Northeast Document Conservation Center and the Maine State Museum to provide information and tips on how to maintain and store your own collections.

This event will be held in the Museum L-A gallery on Saturday, August 25^th from 10:00 – 3:00. Tickets are $50 per person and include access to the full day of activities, free catalogs and informational booklets, as well as a lunch catered by Fishbones American Grill. When you purchase your tickets, your name will also be entered into a raffle to win a door prize of preservation supplies donated by Gaylord Archival and University Products valued at $100! There are only 40 spots available for this workshop, so please visit Museum L-A’s website at www.museumla.org to register!

This meeting followed by a talk and light refreshments is free and open to the public. Castine summer resident and well-known writer, Lee Smith, will give a talk entitled "Believe It or Not! Fact...or Fiction?" The event takes place in the Unitarian Universalist Congregation at 86 Court St., Castine. For further information, please visit castinehistoricalsociety.org or call the Castine Historical Society at (207) 326-4118.

Few know the story of how the Appalachian Trail was envisioned and built.  The most famous footpath in the world could easily have been an unfulfilled vision lost to the ages in an architectural journal if not for a number of fortunate events.  The idea proposed by Benton MacKaye in 1921 had lost steam by 1928.  It took the irrepressible drive of a young man from Maine named Myron Avery to see the project to completion.  The story is a fascinating study of personalities set against the financial challenges posed by The Great Depression, the unprecedented rise of automobile ownership and the need to build a network of trail advocates through 14 states and beyond.  Yet the completion of the trail also caused an irreparable rift between MacKaye (the dreamer) and Avery (the doer). 

The KHS presenter, Jeffrey Ryan, is a Maine based author, speaker and photographer, and has a contagious passion for exploring the outdoors, particularly on foot.  Jeff has hiked thousands of miles including his first “trip of a lifetime”, a 6-month hike on the Pacific Crest Trail.  In 1985, he began “section hiking” the Appalachian Trail with a childhood friend (a journey that would take years to complete and inspired his first book, Appalachian Odyssey: A 28-year hike on America’s trail).  His AT experiences inspired him to learn about the dynamic relationship between Benton MacKaye and Myron Avery that culminated in the creation and completion of the legendary trail.  His second book, Blazing Ahead: Benton MacKaye, Myron Avery and the Rivalry that Built the Appalachian Trail (published by Appalachian Mountain Club Books) was released in 2018. 

The Kennebec Historical Society’s August Presentation is co-sponsored by the Maine State Library and free to the public (donations gladly accepted).  The presentation will take place on Wednesday, August 15, 2018, at 6:30 p.m. at the Maine State Library located at 230 State Street in Augusta.   

Tour and discussion led by curator Paige Lilly in the Castine Historical Society's Abbott School Gallery. Free with light refreshments served. For further information, please visit castinehistoricalsociety.org or call the Castine Historical Society at (207) 326-4118.

August 1 – Sean Turley, apple columnist for the Portland Press Herald, says every heirloom apple has a story. Great Ossipee Museum of Hiram Historical Society, 20 Historical Ridge, Hiram ME (off Main Street, Rte 117) FMI 2076254762

Easy and awesome DIY projects from Museum L-A and tasty beer from Baxter Brewing Co.

Make your own DIY Alcohol Ink Plates

$30 fee includes four dessert-size glass plates, tutorial, and a free beer!

Reserve your spot at www.museumla.org!

On Tuesday, July 24th, Museum L-A is offering a Craft Adventures Day Camp from 9 am to 2 pm. The camp is open to kids age 8-13. The camp is limited to the first 20 kids who sign up. 

What can you expect from the day? Museum L-A's educators will lead children through three separate hands-on craft activities throughout the day: make your own glove stuffed animal, create origami creatures, and weave your own bracelet or bookmark! All projects can be taken home, including origami instruction booklets so that kids can share what they've learned with family and friends. 

In addition to craft activities, Museum educators will also lead kids through guided explorations of the summer exhibit, The Lost Art of Handiwork, and Museum L-A's permanent exhibit in the historic Bates Mill. They will learn how crafts and handiwork shaped the cities and experience the history first-hand! 

$55 per child program fee includes materials and a choice of lunch provided by E. Claire & Pastries. 

LUNCH OPTIONS:

Baked Mac & Cheese

Chicken Tenders with Waffle Fries

Peanut Butter & Jelly

Contact Kate Webber, Director of Education & Outreach, at 207-333-3881 or email kwebber@museumla.org.

The Wall That Heals, a replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, along with a mobile Education Center, is coming to Gardiner, Maine and will be open 24 hours a day and is free to the public.  The Wall That Heals honors the more than three million Americans who served in the U.S. Armed forces in the Vietnam War and bears the names of the more than 58,000 men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice in Vietnam.

Gardiner will be among the first to host the new, larger exhibit which includes a three-quarter scale Wall replica that is 375 feet in length and stands 7.5 feet high at its tallest point. With the new replica at this size, visitors will be able to experience The Wall rising above them as they walk towards the apex, a key feature of the design of The Wall in D.C.  For the first time in the history of The Wall That Heals, visitors will be able to do name rubbings of individual service member’s names on The Wall.

“We are thrilled to share the new The Wall That Heals exhibit with the public this year. Through The Wall That Heals, we are able to return the names home to communities across the country and allow Vietnam veterans and their family members who cannot make it to Washington, D.C. the opportunity to see The Wall.  It gives communities a teaching moment for younger generations on why we should honor those who have served and sacrificed so much,” said Jim Knotts, president and CEO of Vietnam Veteran’s Memorial Fund (VVMF).

Billie Ellis, our presenter, has been promoting and making presentations about The Wall That Heals since September 2017.  She and her husband, Robert Egloff, are committed to educating the public about The Wall and the Vietnam war era.  They believe that bringing The Wall to those unable to make the trip to Washington D.C. is extremely important.  Billie and her husband reside in Chelsea. 

 The Kennebec Historical Society’s July Presentation is co-sponsored by the Christ Episcopal Church and free to the public.  Billie Ellis will be presenting The Wall That Heals on Wednesday, July 18, 2018, at 6:30 p.m. at the Christ Episcopal Church located at 2 Dresden Avenue in Gardiner.