New opera about McKinley assassination

We're excited to announce that we're planning a bus trip to Buffalo in June to see the new opera SHOT!, based on McKinley's assassination.

The cost includes premium orchestra level tickets, dinner, and transportation.  Don't miss this unique event!

Contact Chris at 330-455-7043 to sign up.

New Sheila Markley Black donation

Last week Sheila Markley Black brought in another donation of gorgeous vintage clothing and accessories!  We recently featured an entire gallery of her vintage and designer clothing in the Keller Gallery.  There are so many lovely options to choose from, we can certainly showcase her collection again in the future.

Here are a few highlights from the latest batch (photos courtesy of Kathleen Wieschaus):

 

Easy Bake Oven

Look what we just got!

It's an original-style Kenner Easy Bake Oven from 1963!

When I was a kid, I LOVED my Easy Bake Oven.  I got it for my 8th birthday in 1983.  It was the yellow one with brown, pink, and orange trim.  It was so much fun!

This one came with the original "cookbook" as well, which I have scanned for your viewing pleasure:

If you'd like to learn more about the history of the Easy Bake Oven, click here for a very thorough article from Collectors Weekly.

Halloween Party is NEXT FRIDAY

Children's Corner opens tomorrow night!

Join us for a FREE opening reception for 

Children's Corner

October 16 at 6:00 PM

Here is a peek at what you'll see:

Mountain feedback

Yesterday a museum member sent Chris this link to a blog post written by Paul Werth Associates about how I handled the McKinley/Denali debacle a few weeks ago.  It is called "Unexpected Civility Is Great PR."

I wanted to share it here because I was shocked and humbled by the words that were written about me.  He said my response was "pitch perfect," and he concludes with this:

If President McKinley were here today, he might be disappointed that he lost his mountain, but he'd surely appreciate the media-savvy curator running his museum.

Thank you to Paul Werth Associates for writing this piece!  The entire experience was quite a whirlwind, filled with some of the best compliments and nastiest comments I've ever received.  I very much appreciated your viewpoint of how I handled myself and represented my president.

A "new" McKinley artifact

We are thrilled to announce that a "new" McKinley artifact is now on display!

A few weeks ago, David Lyons donated a chair that had belonged to President McKinley.  It had been in his family for many decades, but he had no written documentation.

Last year his family had seen this photograph at the McKinley Grand.  They were convinced it was the same chair that they had at home:

The photo was from our collection.  Our archivist, Mark Holland, located the photo, and we examined it with a magnifying glass next to the chair, looking for small, unique details that would tell the chair's story.

We compared the placement of the screws on the rocker, a few scratches, and other minute details that proved to us that this WAS McKinley's chair!

It is now on display on the "front porch" along the exterior wall of the McKinley Gallery.  Come see it!  The photo is also displayed next to it:

Mr. Lyons donated the chair in memory of his mother Helen Janson Lyons.