Ida dress blog post

Betsy Butler was here this week to look at our collection of Ida McKinley dresses for an article that will appear next year in PieceWork magazine.

She wrote a fantastic blog post about her visit, complete with detailed photographs of some of the dresses.  Click here to take a look at it!

Also, if you would like regular updates about the restoration project, like our page on Facebook.  I've been posting Ida-related tidbits there, as well as information about each dress in our collection and photos of Ida. 

Stock-Music.com credits for Street of Shops

 As part of the "free non-commercial use" agreement with Stock-Music.com, we are required to give them credit for the music we downloaded for the Street of Shops audio tour button project.  The music under each track is PERFECT!!

Here are the clips we used:

Pioneer Cabin

Free Background Music titled "Cluck Old Hen" provided by Geoff Groberg and Stock-Music.com

Print Shop

Free Background Music titled "Shadow Dancer" provided by Geoff Groberg and Stock-Music.com

Hotel, Pharmacy, Dentist and Lawyer's Office

Free Background Music titled "Long Ride Home" provided by Geoff Groberg and Stock-Music.com

Saloon

Free Background Music titled "Old Western" provided by Geoff Groberg and Stock-Music.com

Blacksmith and Dannemiller Store

Free Background Music titled "Mournful Banjo" provided by Geoff Groberg and Stock-Music.com

Gas Station

Free Background Music titled "Lazy Gumbo" provided by Geoff Groberg and Stock-Music.com

Schoolhouse 

Free Background Music titled "Just Us" provided by Geoff Groberg and Stock-Music.com

Demolition in Discover World

Here are some behind-the-scenes photos of the demolition of Space Station Earth!  We're all very excited about its replacement - Fascination Station!  Some of the old hands-on exhibits are going to be included in the new design, which features all kinds of great science interactives!

Ida McKinley dress project continues...

Even though I haven't said much about it recently, the Ida McKinley Dress Restoration Project continues!

A few weeks ago we received treatment proposals from Chandra Obie, our textile conservator.  I was pleasantly surprised with the estimates!  They were at or below my expectations, which is fantastic!!

Our tentative plan is to complete some of the simpler -- and less expensive -- treatments so we will be able to display one or two of the dresses right away in the McKinley Gallery.  We hope to use those dresses to encourage donations so we can complete some of the more complicated conservation work.

Today Betsy Butler, a freelance writer who is working on a story for Piecework magazine, is coming to look a the Ida McKinley dress collection.  Her story will appear next year.

We are currently exploring grant opportunities to fund the project.  If you have any suggestions, please contact me!  This is an important project to the museum, and we're really looking forward to the day when we can share these gorgeous gowns with the public.

If you haven't "liked" our page for the project on Facebook, please check it out.  I have been posting updates about the project, including photos of the dresses we're working to restore.

Space Station Earth

Space Station Earth is now closed.  Steve and his crew are busy dismantling the old exhibits in that area to make room for something new!

Lynette, our science director, is working with Split Rock Studios (who designed The Stark County Story exhibit in the history galleries) to create a new, fun, and exciting hands-on space called Fascination Station!  Highlights include:

• A Digital Green Screen Weather Center!

An improved space for visitors to broadcast weather reports

• Cybermatrix Tic Tac Toe!

Try your skills against a robot

• A new Eco-Living exhibit!

Learn more about how we can all do our part to improve the environment

• A Solar Race Car from Stark State!  

Solar Race Car from Stark State

There's lots more in the works for this exciting new space in Discover World!  Please pardon our dust as we move forward!

In other news....

Freddie installing the new buttons in the Print Shop

While I've been busy with Movie Camp, Steve, Freddie and Gary have been hard at work installing the new buttons in the Street of Shops!


We recorded the last two scripts this week for the Blacksmith and Gibbs Manufacturing.  Since we've been swamped with Movie Camp, we haven't finished the editing process for them yet.  That will be completed next week.

Right now, the buttons aren't labeled.  I will be ordering small metal signs next week so people will know what they will hear about when they push each button.

We think they are so much more interesting than the buttons that used to be up there!  Hopefully more people will take the time to listen to the entire script, since most are only 30-45 seconds long.

Movie Camp - Day 5

And.........IT'S A WRAP!

We actually finished filming for Movie Camp with 4 minutes to spare on the last day!  In the past, we've stayed over an hour or more to finish up.

We still have some scenes to film without the kids.  We'll do that in the next month or so.  There were 390 scenes filmed.  It might be one of our longest movies ever!

Stay tuned for more information about the WORLD PREMIERE this fall at Great Escapes Theater in Massillon!