The Greene Collection-A Child's Dress

Hello all! This blogger is back from vacation with a child's dress from the Greene Collection. While you may imagine that this lovely piece is for a young girl, you would be wrong! The actual dress is a little boy's dress, which was common at the time.

This dress is entirely hand stitched and made with a black and red spot pattern fabric. The bodice is gathered generously into the wide bound neckline which was intended to fit off the shoulder. The sleeves are short and flare slightly. The short skirt is gathered at the waistband and there is a drawstring in the back. There are 2 china hobnail buttons on waistband in back, and 4 more on bodice. Thes sleeves are edged with a dense, white hand made lace.

It came with an attached penciled note that reads: “Dress worn by Wm J. Dyer born Feb 16th -1850 June 1910”
and is from the family of Elisha Dyer, b 1811. Married Anna Jones Hoppin in 1833 and was the Governor of RI 1857-1859. His son Elisha Jr. was also the governor of RI from 1897-1900. Elisha Jr.'s son, William Jones Dyer b 1850 (original owner of the dress) married Lillian Pitman Greene. Their daughter, Anna Jones Dyer wrote some of the notes that accompanied the piece when it was aquired by the museum.

And We Have a Winner!

Congratulations Sandra Stahlman our winner for this month's Fireworks giveaway!   Sandra will receive 2 complimentary tickets and a parking pass to our Fireworks Extravaganza and Beatle Magic concert this Saturday, September 4th! 

Sandra we will contact you by email but you can also contact us at blog@gcv.org

Didn't win tickets and still want to attend? You can purchase tickets online, at the box office, or at Wegmans. 

Fireworks Extravaganza Giveaway

For the  rest of August we are hosting an end of the Summer Giveaway!  We are giving away 2 Free Tickets (and a parking pass)  to our Fireworks Extravaganza, September 4, 2010!

If  you haven't been to our fireworks before then  you've never seen fireworks like this. Only one of two of  it's kind in the entire country the show features brilliant ground displays as well as aerial fireworks, all set to dramatic music and inspiring narration.


This year’s annual theme “Let’s Play Ball! American Sports History,” which will showcase the history of nine of America’s sports.

Set pieces are large pictures displayed by fireworks. The aerial fireworks and set pieces are all controlled and fired electronically by Young Explosives using state-of-the-art computer technology. This gives the spectator the utmost quality fireworks show as opposed to shows that are manually fired. This is a visual experience not to be missed!

Prior to the start of the show, there will be music, face painting, 19th-century games and crafts, plus festival food and drink stations with hot dogs, hamburgers, sausages, fried dough, cotton candy, popcorn and Abbott’s ice cream available for purchase. 

This year, for the first time ever in this area, Beatle Magic, a fantastic Beatles tribute band will play at 5:30 p.m. before the fireworks. Boasting the high visibility of strong vocals, music and a commitment to the accurate reproduction of the Beatles, this is the band to see if you want to know what it might have been like had the Beatles toured today!

You can enter between August 17-31 2010 at 9am EDT. The winner will be announced August 31st.

There are THREE ways you can enter. You can do 1 or all 3. Doing all 3 will get you three entries! Open to adults over 18.

*Enter a comment on this post.

{and/or}

Send us a question about the museum for our monthly Q & A Column-Please use the email link of the right of the blog.

{and/or}

*Become a follower of this blog.

We will pick a name at random and notify the winner by email and on the blog!

Good Luck!!!

 

 

Old-Time Fiddlers' Fair-This Weekend!

If you love fiddle music, then rosin up your bow and head out to the museum this weekend for our Old Time Fiddler's Fair featuring hundreds of musicians on three stages with non-stop entertainment. Music will flow continuously with performances from more than 100 musicians, drawn from around the state and ranging from polished professional to the youngest beginner. Plan to join us once again at…

STAGE #1 The Rising Generation Stage ~ hosted by Fiddlesticks

This venue offers two full days of performance opportunities for our younger and/or newer fiddlers. Noted teacher Carol Monaco will again serve as Mistress of Ceremonies while her band, Fiddlesticks, provides back-up music for the performers. Stage #1 will offer a supportive environment for students, new performers and fiddlers who seek to enhance their skills. We will also be offering some special “Meet the Fiddler” presentations that will teach more about the fiddling tradition in New York State.

STAGE #2 The Exhibition Hall ~ hosted by Fiddlers of the Genesee

The museum’s spacious Exhibition Hall will again be the setting for expanded performances by fiddler- or dulcimer-oriented music clubs and bands. The Fiddlers of the Genesee will host two full days of music and fun.

STAGE #3 The Main Stage ~ hosted by The Flint Hill Folk Our traditional open stage is for fiddlers ages 12 and over and their accompanists. Noted regional fiddlers will kick-off each hour while, as always, other performance times are scheduled on a first-come-first-served basis.

Special Features of the Fiddlers’ Fair include

o The Fox Den will host a pick-in parlor in the Freight House both days of the fair as a place to perform and hear more country style songs and instrumentals

o Friday Night Jam Session on the Freight House deck from 7pm to 9pm

o Gospel Hour on Sunday morning from 10 to 11 a.m. at the Main Stage

o Square Dancing featured each afternoon at 4:30 p.m. at the Main Stage

o Hammered Dulcimer performances and play-along hosted by Mitzie Collins and Striking Strings both days of the fair

o Various jamming areas will be available around campus

o concert by the Genesee Harmonic Society Sunday at 2 p.m.

FREE ADMISSION FOR PERFORMERS

All fiddlers and their accompanists are admitted for FREE to this event. Please have your instrument IN HAND at the admissions gate in order to receive your pass for the day (pianists may simply identify themselves). Please accept the free admission only if you plan (or have already been booked) to play on one of the stages. All fiddlers under the age of 18 are entitled to free admission for themselves and one parent or guardian.

PERFORMERS: BOOKING YOUR TIME SLOT

Fiddlers can sign up for performance times on Stage 1 and Stage 3 at each stage on the day of the event. Some time slots are reserved for key regional performers and presentations of traditional artists. If your group is interested in performing on Stage 2, of if you would like to discuss pre-scheduling a performance on another stage, please contact the Special Events Department at (585) 538-6822 or mneth@gcv.org.

The Old-Time Fiddlers' Fair is made possible, in part, with public funds from the New York State Council on the Arts, a state agency.

You Can Live Like a Pioneer & Local Bloggers Write About The Museum

Our Laura Ingalls Wilder Days event was a big a hit. We had families enjoying pioneer life all over the village this past weekend!

Did you know that you can come and live like pioneers at the museum for an entire weekend? You'll live in the Pioneer Homestead, (this includes sleeping!) make your meals over an open hearth, tend to the animals, haul your own water, pick your own vegetables and experience life like a 19th century pioneer, complete with period costume. If you've seen the PBS show, Frontier House, you'll be doing something similar (hopefully without all of the drama!)

Check out this blog post by a family who took part in our Pioneer House Program!

For more information on the Pioneer House you can click here. For an application, you can click here.

Local Folks Enjoying The Museum!

For more blog posts featuring the museum, check out the links below!

Scott Pitoniak talks about our Vintage Baseball League-Note, even though he references the tournament this past weekend, we have ball games going in through the end of the season!

A local family talks about their recent visit to the museum!

Another local blogger whose daughter volunteers at the museum wrote posts about our Civil War Reenactment & Meeting Dean Butler!

National Silver Ball Tournament This Weekend!

This weekend, along with our Laura Ingalls Wilder event we are also hosting the National Silver Ball Tournament. All players play by vintage 1865 rules and wear period uniforms. It's baseball like you've never seen it before! We also have the first replica 1860's ball field in the nation!! The cost of tickets covers both the Laura Ingalls Wilder event as well as the Silver Ball Tournament!  This will really be a weekend that your whole family will enjoy! 

Friday, Saturday & Sunday, August 6-8

Teams from across the East, Northeast, Midwest and Canada clash during this eighth  annual National Silver Ball Tournament, featuring 23 vintage base ball games over three days.The matches will be played round robin style on three fields, including the museum’s Silver Base Ball Park — the first replica 1800s base ball park in the nation.

All teams play according to 1865 rules.

In addition, the museum's own Brooks Grove Belles and Miss Porter's Ladies Base Ball Club will play an exhibition game Saturday at 1:30 p.m. The game will be played on the Great Meadow.

Beginning Friday at 3:30 p.m., the teams will play continuously, with the championship game at 2 p.m. on Sunday.  

Games begin on Saturday and Sunday at 9 a.m. 

 The teams scheduled to appear include:

Brooks Grove Belles, Mumford, NY

Cleveland Blues BBC, Cleveland, Ohio

Flemington Neshanock BBC, Flemington, NJ

Flower City BBC, Mumford, NY

Kent BBC,   Grand Rapids, MI

Knickerbockers BBC, Mumford, NY

Live Oak BBC, Mumford, NY

Meddowe BBC, Springfield, MA

Melrose Pondfeilders BBC, Melrose, MA

Miss Porter’s Ladies BBC, Mumford, NY

Rochesters BBC, Mumford, NY

Talbot Fair Play BBC, Talbot, MD

Woodstock Actives BBC, Woodstock, Ontario

All games are free with museum admission.

Major Event Admission rates: $16 adult; $10 youths 4-16, $13 seniors 62+ or students with ID, children under 3 admitted free.

Laura Ingalls Wilder Days Program Schedule

Just today I received a request for the speaking schedule for Dean Butler and William Anderson for this weekend's Laura Ingalls Wilder event!  Here it is! At the bottom I have also attached a link to the activity schedule for both days as well!

 

Laura Ingalls Wilder Days
Program Schedule

Saturday August 7, 2010

9 a.m. Museum Opens
10 a.m. William Anderson Book Signing, author of Pioneer Girl: The Story of Laura Ingalls
Wilder (Romulus Female Seminary)
11 a.m. Dean Butler Presentation, actor who portrayed Almanzo Wilder (Laura’s husband) on
the TV Show Little House on the Prairie (Village Square)
Noon William Anderson Presentation (Brooks Grove Church)
Noon–12:30p.m. Children’s Fashion Promenade – Join in the fun and show off your prairie outfit! “Best
costume” awards for the portrayals of Laura Ingalls Wilder, Almanzo Wilder and
Miscellaneous Ensemble (including Laura’s sisters). (Village Square)
1 p.m. Dean Butler Book Signing (Village Square) – limited to 100 autographs ($5/$10 charge
per autograph to help cover Butler’s appearance fee.)
2 p.m. William Anderson Book Signing author of Pioneer Girl: The Story of Laura Ingalls
Wilder (Romulus Female Seminary)
3 p.m. Dean Butler Presentation (Village Square)
4 p.m. Dean Butler Book Signing (Village Square) – unlimited autograph session ($5/$10
charge per autograph to help cover Butler’s appearance fee.)

Sunday August 8, 2010

9 a.m. Museum Opens
10 a.m. William Anderson Book Signing, author of Pioneer Girl: The Story of Laura Ingalls
Wilder” (Romulus Female Seminary)
11 a.m. Dean Butler Presentation, actor who portrayed Almanzo Wilder (Laura’s husband) on
the TV Show Little House on the Prairie (Village Square)
Noon William Anderson Presentation (Brooks Grove Church)
Noon–12:30p.m. Children’s Fashion Promenade – Join in the fun and show off your prairie outfit! “Best
costume” awards for the portrayals of Laura Ingalls Wilder, Almanzo Wilder, and
Miscellaneous Ensemble (including Laura’s sisters). (Village Square)
1 p.m. Dean Butler Book Signing (Village Square) – limited to 100 autographs ($5/$10 charge
per autograph to help cover Butler’s appearance fee.)
2 p.m. Book Signing with William Anderson, author of Pioneer Girl: The Story of Laura
Ingalls Wilder (Romulus Female Seminary)
3 p.m. Dean Butler Presentation (Village Square)
4 p.m. Dean Butler Book Signing (Village Square) – unlimited autograph session ($5/$10
charge per autograph to help cover Butler’s appearance fee.)

Activity Schedule!