Flag House Exhibit Information
The exhibit at the Flag House and Star Spangled Banner Museum will begin November 8, 2008 and run into early January. This is several weeks earlier than last year in order to avoid setting up during the Thanksgiving holidays. The museum’s exhibit room is no longer under construction, so there will be more lead time available for set up. Additionally, ceiling and track lighting has been installed.
To begin with, we need to find out what items might be available for display so that Eric can develop a theme for the exhibit. He is thinking along the lines of highlighting historical buildings, events, crafts, etc. from the local area, but is also open to using displays that reflect the culture of our area (for example, a crab feast). In addition, he has access to some ship models which could add a maritime flavor to the mix. (Remember Pirates of the Chesapeake?) Repeat exhibits from last year are acceptable if they are in keeping with the theme (for example, the Baltimore Row Houses). Please send a list with descriptions of any exhibits you would like to share to Romaine or Helen as soon as possible, or give the list to your club president to bring to the Retreat on September 28.
If you are considering participating in the exhibit, but are concerned about security, our experience last year was a very positive one. There was no problem with security and all exhibits were returned in good condition.
Another possibility would be for the museum to borrow exhibits from other locations. (Last year they borrowed several houses from the Maryland Historical Society.) If you know of an exhibit that might be available for loan, please let us know about that as well.
We will also need help with three workshops this year. The format will be slightly different as two of them will be tied in to programs already offered at the museum, so participants will register to attend. One of these workshops will be offered for preschoolers and the other for Girl Scouts. The third workshop will be an open one with several different activities for attendees to choose from, and we are planning to offer either one project that will appeal to both boys and girls or two separate projects.
Eric was not only enthusiastic about this year but indicated that it was a real possibility that this could become an annual event. If you have thought of reproducing the Flag House or another local historical site in miniature, this would be a wonderful opportunity, so start thinking about it now!
Memories of Last Year
We left the 2008 National Convention ready to prepare for a busy fall. This year’s convention in Nashua, New Hampshire was a lot of fun. Seeing friends we have made over the years is the best thing about Nationals, next to meeting new friends who will be old friends next year.
We are proud to tell you that the Board has worked hard this past year and has put the organization on a sound financial footing. Thank you to the Board for a great job.
Next year’s National will be a “Family Reunion” and will be held in Indianapolis, Indiana. This is close to Carmel, Indiana, home of the
NAME National Office. The office houses a wonderful museum that highlights the history of our organization. In addition, Carmel is also the location of the Museum of Miniature Houses. Grab a friend, save your pennies and look forward to attending next year.
The Board has approved convention sites for 2010 in Seattle, Washington and 2011 in Charlotte, North Carolina.
At the regional meeting 90% of our Region E-1 convention attendees were present. Much discussion was had about how we can expose miniatures to a wider community of hobbyists. One suggestion was to participate in craft fairs. Let your State Rep know of such events in your area, then plan to work with them to participate in the event. As a 501 C-3 organization we may be able to get space for free or at a nominal fee.
Several awards were presented to Region E-1 members. Sue Ann Ketchum, Tammy Semmens and Lavern Riggs received pins for their continuous years of NAME membership. Sue Ann and Tammy have been members for 20 years, while Lavern has been a member for 25 years.
The Spirit Award was won by Carol Ann Frost. The Spirit Award winner is drawn each year at the National Convention. When you attend a show you may enter the drawing up to three times if you are wearing your NAME pin and Region Pin and are carrying your membership card. You do not need to be present at the Convention to win.
The Regional Ambassador Award is given to one member within each Region for outstanding efforts in promoting NAME and the public awareness of miniatures and the miniature hobby. This year the Regional Ambassador Award for Region E-1 was given to Olivia Wall for all her work within the region over the past two years. Olivia initiated the Maryland Holiday Party and chaired the committee for the first two years. She served on two State Day committees and was the Gold Star Chair for the Reston Houseparty. She is president of Maryland Half Scalers and a member of both Maryland Miniatures Unlimited and Miniature Enthusiasts of Westminster. Congratulations, Olivia!
From Your Maryland State Representative
What a beautiful trip from Westminster to Nashua, New Hampshire! Two days of driving to N.H. with good friends added to the great time we had the rest of the week.
The food was great, the workshops that we took were the kind where you could finish the project “most of the way” and finish up at home.
While at Nashua, I attended the Regional Coordinator/State Representatives meeting, the State Representative/Club President’s meeting and the National business meeting.
Saturday evening’s banquet saw a few of us dressed in costumes fitting the theme “Castles and Cottages”. It was a lot of fun to see the creativity of attendees. There was a Ms. Burger King, Three Musketeers, three Fairies, numerous bards, lords and ladies, a dragon and even a castle walking through the halls.
I especially enjoyed the time spent at our table during meals with friends from our area that we don’t normally get to spend time with. Carol Ann Frost was a terrific hostess. We were lucky to have at our table a “newbie” from South Carolina who took home the Castle centerpiece - what a great ending to her first convention!
Save your pennies for next year’s convention as it will be held in Indianapolis, Indiana near the home of the National Organization. I am personally looking forward to a tour of the museum to see centerpieces from the past as well as those from more recent conventions.
I have just one reminder for everyone. There are still a few tables left for our yard sale on October 27th at Holy Comforter Church in Lutherville. This is a way to down-size your miniatures as well as earn money enough to buy some more. Everyone in the region is invited to participate, either as an attendee or seller. Please keep that date on the calendar. For further information, please contact me either by phone or by email. phone: 410-848-5412 Looking forward to a great turn out.
From Your Northern VA State Representative
Hi everyone! Hope you are having a great summer so far. We've had some nice things happening in Virginia this time
IGMA AWARDS ARTISAN STATUS TO BILL STUDEBAKER
Congratulations are in order for our very own Bill Studebaker, the latest IGMA Artisan (May 2008). Bill is one-half of the team that makes up Studebaker Miniatures. Pictured are the items Bill submitted for consideration: (1) An Arts and Crafts Table circa 1910. The plain edges of the top and tapered leg are hallmarks of the Stickley style. The drawer back and sides are a very fine-grained spruce, the drawer bottom a maple veneer. The majority of this piece is made from antique chestnut. The drawer pull is made of copper, a popular material of the period.
Miniatures by Bill Studebaker, IGMA Artisan
(2) An Adjustable Music Stand. The head of the stand grew from Bill’s sketches. The classical Greek lyre form was favored by Duncan Phyfe in chair backs and table bases. Bill used brass tubing and rods for the shaft for strength and durability, as well as adding an ornamental element. He made thumb-screws by threading a piece of rod and then hammering the end flat. All hardware is of his design and construction save the four pins which hold the upper bracket to the head. The piece is constructed of cherry. (3) Two Music Boxes: the "Konvalinka," circa 1890 (this music box plays!) and the "Grand Format” also circa 1890. (4) A Table or Music Box Stand circa 1890.
Visit Studebaker Miniatures at:
http://home.earthlink.net/~wstudebaker/index.html
ESTATE SALE OF RUTH BAUER Jane Schwarz and her team of helpers worked many long hours culminating in the greatest sale of miniatures on the 2nd of August at the Crowne Plaza in Old Towne Alexandria, Virginia. It was the estate sale of Ruth Bauer with proceeds from the sale going to William and Mary College. It was a wonderful sale and Ruth would have been proud! A wonderful amount of money was raised for her college. Ruth had many marvelous things, like the fantastic dolls shown here. Anyone who purchased items knows how wonderful these miniatures were. Her collection covered most scales and items from many countries of Europe and the US. Thank you Jane for all your hard work and for doing your friend proud!
SPRINGFIELD DAYS - THE SILVER DINER CELEBRATION STATION - 31 MAY [Children's Art Activity area]
Springfield Days is an annual community festival in the Heart of Springfield, Virginia. Events take place at Springfield Plaza, Springfield Mall, Lake Accotink Park and the American Legion Post 176. There are plays, parades, food festivals, movies in the park, an annual Cardboard Boat Regatta, Art Shows, and band concerts all free. So mark your calendars for next year. Also included this year was a Free Children's Workshop sponsored by the members of the Mt. Vernon Miniatures Club and Region E-1 of NAME. Mrs. Jane Zatkowsky of I play Children's Museum contacted Laurie Sisson to see if she knew of any organization that would like to participate. Laurie was scheduled to be out of town so contacted Jane Schwarz and myself. Jane Schwarz, Donna Lulchuk, George Pendergraph and I got together at my home to work out details of a project. We decided on the "Dog’s Yard" seen below. Children were able to paint their dog bed any color they liked, put in the padding and cover for the bed cushion and fold a one-piece paper dog house creatively made by George. There was clay for making a ball for their dog and each was given a dog leash they could put on their dog or simply lay on the ground. They received a dog dish, chew toy, a newspaper and, of course, a dog of their choosing!
Jane helps some of our young students pick a cushion for their dog beds.
Display of miniatures at the Springfield Days event.
Some of our intense little miniaturists busy painting.
Debbie Kelleher helps fold the paper dog house.
We were fortunate to get 10 kids finished with their project before the great storm hit sending everything flying including the tents. We did manage to get most of the displays put away before the sky opened. As seen above, Helen, Jane (and myself taking the photo) got soaked. I was surprised, but the restaurant let us in to dry off somewhat, so we ate lunch. After blotting ourselves with some 100 or so napkins, we walked down to Sports Authority and bought a change of clothes to drive home in. In spite of our rain storm we were pleased and so were the kids!
Club Happenings
Inch by Inch's Annual Pool Party
by Anita Myers
Inch by Inch Miniature Club recently celebrated their annual pool party/swap/flea market/pot luck, at the home of Anita Myers. It's always a day when our members relax and enjoy themselves. This year wewelcomed three visitors from our NAME Regional leadership: Romaine Eyler, Helen Sparks and Olivia Beard-Wall.
Festivities started out in the morning with a brisk round of shopping at the "Flea." Every available space in Anita's basement was converted into "sales space." And there were some real goodies to be had.
Shortly thereafter, the club swaps were put on display. This year, 10 members and one guest participated in the swaps.
Here is a photo of 9 of the swaps:
Also on display were some of this year’s club project... aBunkbed/Playhouse:
And then we adjourned to a wonderful pot luck lunch... and the pool...
Wee Friends Miniature Club
Of Annapolis, MD
By Kirsten Enzinger, President
The Wee Friends Club of Annapolis continues to keep busy. We have maintained our Blue Ribbon Club status for the third year in a row. We are very proud of this achievement since we only have 5 active members.
In 2007, we worked on “Ernie’s Shack”, a former Virginia State Day beach cottage that we turned into a bait and souvenir shop and donated to the regional in Reston as a Houseparty Helper. We had several meetings trying to finish previous projects, such as the Baltimore Rowhouse. We also made African Violets from Bonnie Lavish kits, and in November we made a holiday centerpiece and enjoyed the company of Romaine Eyler and Helen Sparks. We had items on display in October at the Bowie Library, and then several of us had row houses on display at the Flag House Museum.