The Newsletter of the Matthews Museum of Maine Heritage

Union, Maine

Volume 2, Number 1 September, 2003

Our second annual membership meeting will be held on Saturday, September 27, at 9:00 AM in the Hodge School on the Fairgrounds in Union.

All members are welcome and urged to attend since this will be the annual election of Officers and Board Members, as well. We are seeking potential Board Members and a new Secretary. Also in line for election/re-election is Vice-President.

The Museum is Tax exempt and incorporated in the State of Maine.

Come out, meet your officers and other Board Members and listen to plans for next year. Refreshments will be available. Have your questions answered and meet the volunteers who run your Museum.

Bottle Stand Update

Work is progressing on the Moxie Bottle Stand restoration and preservation. Volunteers have cleaned and preserved nearly half of the 19 sections of the bottle. Several days of volunteer efforts at its Bristol location since June have yielded significant progress.

Following initial training by conservator Ron Harvey, volunteers proceeded with the project.
Each section had nails removed and paper clinging to the surface softened with water and carefully scraped off. Old asphalt roofing is removed next and the residual tar dissolved and cleaned off the painted surface. Each section is then dry brushed and vacuumed to remove dust and loose dirt. Finally, two coats of special varnish are applied to re-adhere loose paint and seal the one hundred year old wood surface.

Two sections of the bottle’s neck/shoulder were on display at the Union Fair. Other sections are too large or too heavy to transport and display.

Besides the surface cleaning and preservation repairs need to be made to some parts of the wooden frame. A new base needs to be fashioned and built to insure stability once the bottle is reassembled for display in its new home.

Volunteers giving time to the restoration project include members Irene Hawes, Janice Harriman, George and Judy Gross, Judy Grinnell, Susan Talbot, New England Moxie Congress Member Merrill Lewis of NH and intern Sarah McDermott.

Our Constitution States:

Article VII: ELECTIONS

(1) The membership at large shall elect the President or elected Vice-President and Secretary or Treasurer during the month of September to begin serving during October. Any officer may be elected to succeed him/herself.

(2) The Nominating Committee shall consist of the elected Vice-President and two (2) members selected by the Board.

(3) Nominations shall be made by the nominating committee before the fall meeting and announced to the membership in a Newsletter mailing.

(4) Further nominations may be made by petition of six (6) members of the Museum not later than the spring meeting for presentation to the Board at that meeting. The officers and members of the Board shall be elected by ballot of the active members during the month of September. A simple majority of the ballots cast denotes successful candidates. The Vice-president shall handle all election matters.

(5) All vacancies are to be filled by the Board until the time of the next regularly scheduled election.

The full Constitution may be obtained at the Annual Meeting, September 27, at the Hodge School. Copies may also be obtained by requesting them from The Matthews Museum, P.O. Box 582, Union ME 04862

Nominating Committee Report

As of August 31, George Gross has consented to re-nomination as Vice-President. Judy Grinnell asked to be replaced as Secretary and nominations will be welcomed and accepted from the floor.

Matthews Museum at the Union Fair

Museum presence at the recent Union Fair yielded significant gains throughout the week. Our Museum had displays in both the exhibition hall and the blueberry acres tent.

Visitors to the "Moxie" table, actually the Matthews Museum table, reported visiting the blueberry acres exhibit and were encouraged to stop by the Museum. Visits to the Museum were actually above average for most days. More than $3000.00 was raised for the Moxie Bottle Stand Project through sales of ice cold Moxie, Moxie/Museum t-shirts, caps, Yankee Magazine subscriptions and other collectibles. The Project now has nearly $20,000.00 toward its goal of $75,000.00 to construct the new Moxie Museum building.

On Display were two restored sections of the Moxie Bottle Stand for all to see.

Volunteers helping at the table were Museum members Gay Bogard and George and Judy Gross and New England Moxie Congress members Quimby Robinson and Lennie and Leslie Noyes. The table was operating from 10 am to 9 pm throughout the Fair week.

Hundreds of interested individuals learned about the Museum and Moxie Bottle Stand while over 1000 cans of Moxie were purchased by Moxie lovers, young and old

More than 3600 visitors to the Museum kept volunteers busy throughout the week, as well. Voluteers serving at the Museum included curators Archie Mitchell and Irene hawes, Judy Grinnell, Gay Bogard, Ken Conklin, Susan Talbot, John Simel, Maryann Mitchell, Mary Olson, Susan Carlson, Leslie Grierson, Arvilla Collins, Ben van der Schaaf, Phil Schultz, Charlotte Hollenburg, Mike Hittmeier, Kathy Becker, Cindy Burns, Athlene Hilt, Diane Poland, Marge Conklin, Valerie Beltea, Eva Burns, Catherine Meyer, Prichcard Meyer, Sue Rainsley, Gene DeGraff, Tom Belyea, Marg King, Nancy DeWilde and Ray Gilhooly.

Moxie/Museum Items Available at The Cricket On The Common

Special Moxie related items are still available at Cricket on the Common. Thanks to Gary Sukeforth there will is a Moxie corner at the shop. Buy Matthews Museum t-shirts, caps and signs and support our on-going fundraising effort for the Moxie Bottle Stand Project.

Purchase gifts and holiday presents and support the Museum while making your shopping easy.

Many know him as Fred Goldrup, but many more know him as "Taurus" the clown. This year celebrating his 50^th year of clowning, and despite a smashed thumb, Fred volunteered his time and talents to the Matthews Museum during the Union Fair to stroll the fairgrounds and entertain young and old alike.

Then, at 3 PM, "Taurus" took center stage in Sherman Park and put on an amazing magic show that left kids and parents scratching their heads!

We can’t thank him enough for making Moxie Day at the Union Fair more successful than last year.

In parting Fred said, "I had a wonderful time and I’ll be back next year."

Museum a Yankee Community Partner

Yankee Magazine subscriptions make good gifts and each new subscription or renewal on the enclosed card provides an $8.00 donation from Yankee to the Moxie Bottle Stand Project.

You MUST use one of the special cards available in this Newsletter or from the Museum by writing and requesting them. Remember to use one of the special cards when you renew, also.

Yankee makes a great gift. Ask your doctor or dentist to subscribe, too. When done on one of the cards, an $8 gift goes to the Museum for each subscription.

Memorial Donations

The following Memorial Donations were made during the current operating year. These contributions go a long way in helping to improve the Museum.

George R. Hague

Staudt Memorial

Dr.Irwin H. Gawley

Marian Markey

John K. Koob

Remember a loved one or honor someone special by making a special contribution to the Museum in their Memory/Honor. A permanent memory book will be on display in the Museum.

Business Membership

The Constitution provides for a special class of Museum support in the form of a Business Member. This annual fee of $25 provides 25 free passes to visit the Museum during the year. The passes may be used by employees, family members or customers. The cards should be presented at the door.

Mic-Mac Market

Consumer Water Company

Union Farm Equipment

Athearn Enterprise

Lewis W. Merrifield

Damariscotta Bank and Trust

Our special thanks to these supporters of the Museum and its programs.

Other businesses have given of their time and resources, too. The Damariscotta Bank and Trust and the Camden National Bank, both in Union, have helped us with our mailing costs. The Common Market helped us by receiving Moxie shipments. Hammond Tractor has made a donation.

Educational Outreach

One of the major goals for the Museum is educational outreach. Local school groups are encouraged to take field trips to the Museum while studying relevant topics of Maine culture and heritage.

A special field trip is planned for September bringing local students to the Museum to learn about Maine Heritage. Encourage your schools to utilize this unique facility for their studies, too.

If your school might be interested in running a field trip to the Museum contact us at P.O. Box 582, Union ME 04862 c/o Irene Hawes.

Museum Wish List

By Irene Hawes and Archie Mitchell

The Museum displays hundreds of items of Maine Heritage and History. The day to day operation of the Museum relies on the generosity of the public and members. From time to time certain items are needed to make operations run more smoothly.

Needed:

• photos
• wall kerosene lamps
• wastebasket
• broom
• pitch pipe
• snow shovel
• oil can

Dues Renewals

Dues may now be paid for the up-coming year, 2004. In order to save expenses of postage and printing a renewal form is attached to this Matthews Musings for your use. Please renew your annual membership and consider an additional donation to help us continue our growth efforts. A mailing will go out later in the year to those who have not already renewed their memberships. Mail your dues and the enclosed form to the address given.

Life Membership

Life membership in the Museum has been set at $100 per person/family. This one time fee entitles you to all privileges of membership for life including free attendance at the museum and all special programs.

George Gross

Internships a Booming Success

The Museum had two interns this summer. Sarah Mc Dermott served for eight weeks and Donna Vander Ploeg served for one.

Cataloging, repairing, cleaning and displaying of items already in the collection and recently donated took priority throughout the summer. Interns also learned about the history of the items in the Museum and helped with tours and visitors when needed. Sarah also spent time on the restoration of the Moxie Bottle Stand.

They utilized the new equipment purchased with a grant from MBNA for the project. The activity will continue next summer as well. Items are being photographed, catalogued, tagged, cleaned and described as part of the program. Several thousand items were catalogued.

Special thanks to Irene Hawes and Judy Grinnell for providing housing for the interns during their stay in Union.

If interested, or you know someone who might be interested in serving as an intern for the 2004 summer months, contact Irene Hawes or Archie Mitchell by mail at the Museum, P.O. Box 582, Union ME 04862

Hodge School News

Hodge School windows were replaced utilizing special contributions to the Hodge School Fund. The new windows are more weather proof and permit easy opening for ventilation.

Thanks to Archie Mitchell who spearheaded the project and saw it through to completion.

Additionally, the Hodge School book collection was re-organized and cataloged by Diane Purkey.

Tentative plans are being discussed for a Hodge School – One-room School House Reunion. People who attended the Hodge School or a similar school will be invited to a reception next summer to reunite or revisit memories of their experiences with others who had similar schooling and to share them with those who never had such experiences.

We hope a significant number of Hodge School graduates will be able to be located and willing to participate. If you know anyone who attended Hodge School or one of the many other one-room schools, inform them and watch for further details.

Bottle Stand Fund

- $40,000

- $30,000

- $20,000 August, 2003

- $10,000

Follow our progress toward our goal to build the Bottle Stand Building and Moxie Museum at the Museum.

Governor’s Proclamation

In case you did not attend the Union Fair and did not get to see it, we have enclosed a copy of the Governor’s Official Proclamation making August 20, 2003 Moxie Day in Maine. We celebrated it duly with festivities throughout the day. Over 1000 free samples of Moxie were distributed at the Museum Table that day as well.

Contributions Mounting for Moxie Museum

Contributions are mounting for the Moxie Bottle Stand Building Project. Major contributions through August 27, are as listed below:

BENEFACTOR - $1000

Will Markey, Jr.

Mel Ellis

New England Moxie Congress

Merrill Lewis

SUPPORTER - $500

Kurt D. Kabelac and Penelope Evans

CONTRIBUTOR - $250

Millyard Museum, Manchester NH

Ralph Blackington, Jr.

William H. Blake

DONOR - $100

Hammond Tractor Co.

Patricia E. Oski, Memorial

Wayne Gebhardt

Jen Svihra Maksel, Memorial for Edward Svihra

L.F. McManus Co.

Damariscotta Bank and Trust Co.

Don and Clara McEdward

If you would like to make a tax deductible contribution please use the enclosed Capital Campaign brochure.

Board of Directors

The following people serve on the Board of the Museum.

Ben van der Schaaf, President

George R. Gross, Vice-President

Judy Grinnell, Secretary, Membership

Judy Gross

Dick Tracy

Janice Harriman

Gay Bogard, Treasurer

Archie Mitchell, Curator

Irene Hawes, Curator

Isabel Abbot

Dave Shaub

Julia Hunter

John Crabtree, Fair Committee

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Membership Renewal Form for 2004

Membership dues are payable for 2004 beginning October 1, 2003. Please renew your membership early so financial planning is made easier and projects and improvements may be in place before the Museum opens next July.

Please pass this form on to a neighbor or friend who might be interested in becoming a member of the Museum. Better yet, use it to give a gift membership to someone. Feel free to make copies!

.__________________________________________________________

Please make checks payable and mail to: Matthews Museum of Maine Heritage, POBox 582, Union ME 04862. Thank you for your membership and interest in the Museum.

Matthews Museum of Maine Heritage

P.O. Box 582

Union, ME 04862

ATTEND OUR ANNUAL MEETING, SATURDAY. September 27, 2003 IN THE Hodge School AT 9:00 AM. Bring a friend.

B.J. Moody of Coopers Mills ME winner of First Prize in the Design a Moxie Hat Contest.

B.J.’s hat actually had a battery powered light inside.

Fred Goldrup is "Taurus".

Shown here at the Union Fair on Moxie Day. Taurus wowed young and old alike and entertained attendees as he strolled among them during Wednesday, Moxie Day.