August 2016 - Herschell Carrousel Factory Museum

THE
Volume XX VII
“Once Around is
Never Enough!”
2016 Hours
June 18–September 11:
Summer Hours
10:00am – 4:00pm,
Mondays – Saturdays;
12:00pm – 4:00pm Sundays
September 14–
December 30:
Fall/ Winter Hours
12:00pm – 4:00pm,
Wednesdays – Sundays;
Closed Mondays and Tuesdays
December 30–March 31:
Closed for the Season
The museum is closed Easter,
Thanksgiving Day, Christmas
Eve, Christmas Day, New Year’s
Eve, and New Year’s Day.
Thank you to everyone for your support over the last few months! It
has been a whirlwind at the museum!
After 100 years of creating memories for generations, our 1916 Allan
Herschell Number One Special carrousel had 2 major parts crack over the
winter. Due to the specialized nature of carousel manufacturing, we hired an
expert to work on our carousel. Todd Goings of Carousels and Carvings in
Marion, Ohio is considered to be a carousel whisperer. Unfortunately, his
highly specialized work does not come cheap.
We reached out to the community to help us get the carousel running
again, and you did not disappoint us! We were pleasantly surprised at the
response to our GiveGab campaign. Your donations and letters of support
were truly touching. We raised $41,000 and the carrousel is back up and
running better than ever!
Our 100th Birthday Celebration for the Number One Special was held
on Saturday July 16th and Sunday July 17th. It was an incredible success! We
transformed the Children’s Gallery into a carnival midway full of fun games
and prizes. Squiggly Art Face Painting and Balloon Sculptures were fantastic
entertainment. Everyone enjoyed celebrating with King Billy!
Carrousel Chat: The History of the
American Carnival Sideshow!
Thursday August 25, 2016.
Presentation begins at 7:00PM
From the first “Dime Museum” owned by the famous P.T.
Barnum in the 1800s to the 20th century carnival
sideshows that have all but totally disappeared. This
presentation will trace the lineage of this slice of
Americana from the “Ten-In-One” to the “Single O,” the
bally, and some of the unique “carny lingo.” Discover the
origin of these fascinating events and the circumstances
that led to their demise in the latter part of the 20th
century. See one of the most prolific sideshow acts of the
20th century presented live onstage for you enjoyment!
Mark Your Calendars for Our Upcoming Events!
October 14, 2016
5:30pm—8:00 pm
Halloween
Spooktacular
November 26,
December 3, 10, and
17
11:00am Lunch;
12pm-3pm activities
Santa on the
Carrousel
PRESIDENT’S REPORT
DIRECTOR’S REPORT
To all our Friends and Carrousel
Family- This has been an exciting
year with the opening of our new
Education Center.
Over 500
students benefited from instruction,
especially in the Science and
Technology of the carrousel and
other rides. It was a busy Spring for
Megan Hahin, our Museum
Educator.
Megan and Fletcher
School in Tonawanda even won an
award from the Erie County
Association of School Boards
(ESCAB) for their collaborative
efforts.
Then there was the breakdown of the carrousel, requiring that it
be totally dismantled in order to remove and replace the broken
parts. While it was disassembled, we took the opportunity to
clean, repair and repaint all of the parts, as well as rewire the
lights. This extensive work took many volunteer hours, but the
carrousel is fresh and shiny once again. It also has new LED lights
that look like the original but are more vibrant and will save 90%
of the electricity formerly used.
I wish to thank again the over 250 individuals and the East Hill
Foundation that contributed to the campaign to raise $41,000 for
the carrousel repair. The notes you wrote with your donations
were heartwarming. They were appreciated as much as the funds.
As excited as we are about these new improvements, we are never
finished with the work of growing the museum to more fully serve
our visitors. We have additional projects planned for the future
and will be asking you to help as much as you are able. I know we
can count on you, as you have never failed us in the past.
For now, we ask that you continue to spread the word about the
museum to friends and family, and to help us find volunteers to
operate the rides or assist with special events. We have lost so
many wonderful volunteers to illness that the museum is in great
need of replacements.
Hoping to see you “around” often.
Summer is winding down and it
has been a HOT one! The education
center project is almost complete and
looking great and Kiddieland has been
open another successful year.
When the 1916 carousel broke earlier
this year we embarked on our first
crowdfunding campaign with GiveGab
and thanks to you and this great
community we were able to raise the
funds to have the carousel up and
running in time for the 100th birthday
celebration. This would not have
happened without you and all those
who donated and volunteered their time
to get this done.I can't thank you
enough!
As we work our way into fall, I hope to
see you at one of our events including
the Spooktacular or a Carrousel Chat.
Yours,
Reanna Darone, Board President
Rae Proefrock, Museum Director
We need Volunteers!
Our museum depends on the dedicated, loyal volunteers who donate their time to help us stay open. We
are looking for ride operators, admissions clerks, tour docents, restoration team members and building
crew members.
To apply please call (716)693-1885, email info@carrouselmuseum.org, or stop into the museum to fill
out an application.
100th Birthday Celebration of the Allan
Herschell 1916 Number One Special
Carrousel!
We had an incredible time celebrating the Carrousel’s 100th Birthday with you.
King Billy and his horse pals loved taking you for a spin. We are truly lucky to have
such an incredible gem to share with the community. Thanks to all our volunteers
for making this event possible. We couldn't do it without you! Thanks you to our
event sponsors, Seneca Niagara Casino and the Wurlitzer Industrial Park.
Squiggly Art Face Painting and Balloon Sculptures by Joe did an incredible job
keeping the kids entertained. The Niagara Frontier Woodcarvers displayed some
show-stopping skills and work. The Amherst and North Tonawanda Y.E.S (Youth
Engaged in Service) were marvelous carnival midway operators. Lastly, thanks
Volunteer Spotlight:
Phyllis Dubickas has been volunteering with us
for around a year. She is a world class envelope
stuffer and carrousel box maker.
According to Phyllis, the Carrousel Museum is
“a fun place to volunteer. Whether you are a 2 or 92,
everyone loves it here.” Thanks for all your hard work
and dedication Phyllis!
Don’t forget to follow us on Twitter @CarrouselMuseum and
Like us and check in on Facebook at
www.facebook.com/herschellmuseum
For all of the latest news and upcoming events!
Gift Shop Spotlight: Colorful Carrousel
Tote Bags
These brand new tote bags are tote-ally perfect for holding
all your gift shop purchases! They are a steal at only $14.95! Not
only can they be used at the museum, you can take them with you to
the farmers market or grocery store too! Stop horsing around and
buy one today!
Book a Tour Today!
Guided tours are available for groups of 10 or more with advance reservations. They may
be scheduled almost any day and time throughout the year, even when the Museum is not
open to the general public. The price for guided tours is $5.00 for adults and $2.50 for
children ages 2-16.
Guided tours last approximately 1 hour. Our docents lead visitors throughout the public
spaces in the factory complex, explaining the history of carousel and band organ
production in the Tonawandas, and the operation of the Allan Herschell Company
factory.
All visits end with a ride on either our 1916 #1 Special adult carousel or our Kiddie
Carousel in the Children’s Gallery!
To book a tour call (716)693-1885 or email info@carrouselmuseum.org
St. Patrick’s Day Celebration
We loved celebrating St. Paddy’s Day with
you! Our scavenger hunt turned up lots of
pots of gold. The Kickin’ Rhythm Cloggers
sham-rocked and kept the crowd
entertained. Even St. Patrick himself
couldn’t stay away. We were so lucky to
have such a fantastic event!
Carrousel Chat: BUFFALO
BEER
Ethan Cox wowed the crows with his Carrousel
Chat on his book Buffalo Beer: the History of
Brewing in the Nickel City. He discussed the surge
of breweries that entered the area during the
1800s. The former breweries of Simon Pure,
Iroquois Beverage, and the Magnus Beck Brewing
Company became successful business ventures.
His talk brought back lots of nostalgia about
Buffalo and Western New York’s colorful brewing
past.
VICTORIAN TEA
Our annual Victorian Tea was a “tea-riffic”
time! The ladies enjoyed a lovely traditional
three-course tea at the museum. Denise
Reichard soared as Amelia Earhart. She
impressed us with incredible stories from
Amelia’s past. We loved seeing everyone’s
traditional dress and favorite tea cups! We
hope you will join us again next year!
Carrousel Museum Receives ESCAB Award
Over the past few months, we designed and delivered lessons to Fletcher Elementary students based on the academic goals of
the district. “This collaboration had a unique opportunity to allow students to learn about both old and new technology, tools
and careers related to carrousels,” said Renee Sossong-Brady, the district’s elementary STEAM coach. The curriculum we
created complimented what Fletcher Elementary fourth and fifth grade students were already learning in class. We were
honored to win the Excellence in Collaboration Award from the Erie County Association of School Boards for our “T-NT
(Tonawanda – North Tonawanda) STEAM is Dynamite!” program.
The lessons helped to excite students about their field trip to the museum, and opened their eyes to the simple machines
used to build and operate a carousel. As students toured the museum, they were given the opportunity to see and use simple
machines. They viewed the back of band organs to see what makes them play, and learned how they were programmed (very
similarly to the coding they were doing in their Enrichment class). They got to try their hand at using a chisel and mallet, or a
simple machine known as a wedge, to carve wood. As a grand finale on the tour, they rode our complex machine: the 100
year old carousel! Lastly, a workshop in our education center allowed them to build their own complex machine, a moving
carousel animal. They used the animals they designed in their art class to top their machines.
In post visit assessments, students not only expressed an interest in museums they said they felt museums were important to
their community and expressed an interest in returning to the Herschell Carrousel Factory Museum with their families. Our
partnership gave students with a variety of skills and abilities an opportunity to excel at learning, and be creative in the
process.
Thank You to Our Generous Sponsors and Donors
The Herschell Carrousel Factory Museum would like to sincerely thank the sponsors and donors for
their many contributions. Your support is invaluable to the museum and our programs. Thank you for
your continued contributions!
Education Center Sponsors:
Programming Sponsors:
Empire State Development
Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor
Grigg Lewis Foundation
The Margaret L. Wendt Foundation
M&T Bank
New York State Thruway Authority
Niagara County Legislature
The Western New York Foundation
Thank you to our 2016 Free Wednesday Sponsors:
Buffalo Pumps, Greater Niagara Federal Credit Union, United Insurance Agency, Twin City Ambulance, Eastern States
Sentinel, DeGraff Memorial Hospital, Senator Robert Ortt, North Tonawanda Mayor Art Pappas, City Clerk/Treasurer Dan
Quinn, City Attorney Kathryn Alexander, and Thomas Turtle Opticians.
180 Thompson St.
North Tonawanda, NY 14120
Phone: 716-693-1885
Fax: 716-743-9018
info@carrouselmuseum.org
www.carrouselmuseum.org
NON-PROFIT
PERMIT
NO. 111
N. TONAWANDA, NY
HERSCHELL CARROUSEL
FACTORY MUSEUM
“Once Around is Never Enough!”
Proud to be a member of the
Cultural Alliance of Niagara (CAN)
CHANGE SERVICE REQUESTED
http://www.facebook.com/herschellmuseum
http://www.twitter.com/CarrouselMuseum
Our Mission
The Herschell Carrousel Factory Museum, operated by
the Carousel Society of the Niagara Frontier, is a premier
national historic site and community resource for family
recreation that fosters an appreciation for the unique
heritage of the carrousel and related industries in the
Niagara Region.
Carousel Society of the Niagara
Frontier Board of Trustees
Reanna Darone, President
Jay Wilcox, Vice President
Lindsay Bozek, Secretary
Edward Janulionis, Treasurer
Douglas Bathke Ward Bray Doug Herschberger
Robert Leteste Andrew Matione Wayne Nestark
William Nichols Glen Pittman Charles Proefrock
Rae Proefrock
Nancy Roggge
Ilene Strober
Ian Summerville Shawn Swartz Laura Tulylk-Rossi
Jake Woodward
Herschell Carrousel Factory
Museum Staff
Raphaelle Proefrock, Director
Shirley Burgess, Office Manager
Maureen Schumacher, Gift Shop Manager
Megan Hahin, Director of Education
Mary Eichler, Housekeeper
Rosanne Nero, Office Assistant
Enjoy a year’s worth of fun with a
museum membership!
Membership not only helps support the museum’s
operations, but is also a great value for YOU! Check
out all the great benefits you’ll receive:
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A year of free admission to the museum (excludes
some special events; rides are 50¢ each)
Electronic subscription to The Carrousel Courier
10% discount in the museum gift shop
Discounts on class fees and most programs
Invitations to members only events and parties
2 one-time guest passes (family and sr. couple only)
There are many great membership options to fit
everyone’s needs:
Adult: $35
Family: $55 (Two adults and four children ages 2–16)
Senior Adult (age 65+): $25
Senior Couple (age 65+): $40
Student with current ID: $10
Call the museum at 716-693-1885 to
join today!