President's Message
Dear Members and Friends,
I imagine that you are as invigorated and grateful as I am to see the sun, blue sky and colorful summer blooms! The honey bees (which need sun to fly) are busily collecting their pollen today! Yes!!!
Spring brought our April 8th Grand Opening of the Bar Mills Exhibit, which has elicited an abundance of positive comments and continues to draw many visitors! Sincere thanks to the volunteers who worked to prepare the room, create the exhibit and host the opening! Well done!!! Featured in the opening of the exhibit was the 1914/15 American LaFrance fire truck, the first motorized fire equipment in Bar Mills. It has been in the Bar Mills Fire Department since its creation. It was brought to our open house this spring by Roland Turgeon. Currently under rehabilitation, we hope to see more of it in the future.
In Late April, we were delighted to welcome sixteen Bonny Eagle High School Maine Studies students who toured BHHS headquarters and the impressive new Bar Mills Exhibit, along with their teacher, Chris Loeff.
I imagine that you are as invigorated and grateful as I am to see the sun, blue sky and colorful summer blooms! The honey bees (which need sun to fly) are busily collecting their pollen today! Yes!!!
Spring brought our April 8th Grand Opening of the Bar Mills Exhibit, which has elicited an abundance of positive comments and continues to draw many visitors! Sincere thanks to the volunteers who worked to prepare the room, create the exhibit and host the opening! Well done!!! Featured in the opening of the exhibit was the 1914/15 American LaFrance fire truck, the first motorized fire equipment in Bar Mills. It has been in the Bar Mills Fire Department since its creation. It was brought to our open house this spring by Roland Turgeon. Currently under rehabilitation, we hope to see more of it in the future.
In Late April, we were delighted to welcome sixteen Bonny Eagle High School Maine Studies students who toured BHHS headquarters and the impressive new Bar Mills Exhibit, along with their teacher, Chris Loeff.
ing also saw the arrival at various times of several sixth grade BEMS students to do research at BHHS on their various collaborative Social Studies (SS) and Language Arts (ELA) projects. We were honored to receive a message from their teacher, Kristin Klin, a 20 year teaching veteran at BEMS, who wrote in response to a thank you note to her from BHHS, “It is exciting to hear about their (the students) adventures at the Historical Society. One of my students even wants to volunteer there. Ahh... music to a social studies teacher's ears! :) Just having ONE student enter your doors was a goal for me. I have come to find out that my students have been out and about taking pictures, rubbing tombstones, and interviewing families via email or phone. I am so elated right now and so proud of this group of kids for stepping out of the box and learning how to be real historians! The internet can be wonderful—but nothing like the historical society building! Your site is also very amazing. I was very impressed. And all the videos through vimeo!! Wow—someone is so dedicated.” (Go to this link to view some BEMS history projects: http://bit.ly/BEMS-history-project)
The “All That Dance” Competitive Dance Teams welcomed spring 2017 by circling and weaving around the May Pole at the annual BHHS sponsored Victorian White Party held on the grounds of Quillcote in Hollis on May 21. Floral crown wreaths made by BHHS volunteers once again complimented dancers’ multi-colored costumes and added to the general festivities of the day, along with balloons, enticing cakes, pop corn and punch. Many thanks to Carla Turner for opening Quillcote’s grounds for the event and to our volunteers who worked to make the festivities possible. Special thanks to the Darcy Leavitt “All That Dance” Teams for participating during what is a very busy time of year for them! They are such a lovely and talented group of young ladies!!!
We have MORE exciting news, too! BHHS is very fortunate to have received a 2017 Narragansett Number One Foundation grant to complete a T. C. Hafford Basement Systems project to dry out our BHHS basement to preserve our historical collection!!! Volunteers have already begun this ambitious project to prepare the basement for a new wall system and cement floor! Our sincere gratitude to NNOF for their vision and generous assistance!!! If you would like to help, please contact Barry Plummer at 727-3345 to schedule a time to assist work teams with this worthwhile effort!
Last, we have wonderful upcoming summer programming you won’t want to miss! The Two Narragansett Townships, No. 1 & No. 7, a collaborative program with the Gorham Historical Society will have been presented on June 20th by the time this newsletter goes to press! You won’t want to miss the July 22nd Nature Walk to Indian Cellar with John Mattor. And we hope you have marked your calendar for the unique and entertaining Brewster Barn Benefit Bash (a lovely summer buffet followed by Bruce A. Buxton antique appraisals) on August 19 at 5 P.M. Be sure to check these program listings and more in this newsletter or on our website for details! We look forward to seeing you!
Happy Summer Everyone!
Jan Hill, President
Last, we have wonderful upcoming summer programming you won’t want to miss! The Two Narragansett Townships, No. 1 & No. 7, a collaborative program with the Gorham Historical Society will have been presented on June 20th by the time this newsletter goes to press! You won’t want to miss the July 22nd Nature Walk to Indian Cellar with John Mattor. And we hope you have marked your calendar for the unique and entertaining Brewster Barn Benefit Bash (a lovely summer buffet followed by Bruce A. Buxton antique appraisals) on August 19 at 5 P.M. Be sure to check these program listings and more in this newsletter or on our website for details! We look forward to seeing you!
Happy Summer Everyone!
Jan Hill, President