Nickelodeon News Fall 2009
Our busy season is about over, so I can give you a report on how this summer went.
Serving our Community
1) Our attendance was 3159 for 2008, and this year to date it is 2562. It appears annual attendance will be down from last year.
2) The Mini-Event program of free one hour presentations was strengthened by a grant from the Rees Trust which allowed us to pay for things like transporting the Greenville Steel Drum Band to perform. Attendance was up from just over 200 last year to 351 in 2009, with one event still to go
3) Music storage space for the Franklin Silver Cornet Band was established.
4) We repaired 8 machines for the public.
5) We appeared at several public events with one or another of our self playing machines, and established a new program for assisted living facilities which we took to 3 locations.
6) The free fourth grade tours were continued, but the emphasis on teaching to the test for no child left behind cut attendance this year and it seems this program will continue at a reduced level in the future.
Progress on updating the building:
1) The new elevator installation which was completed in 2008 has been used to make the Ballroom accessible for our mini events and other gatherings. The Ballroom, which was redone by the Franklin Rotary Club last year, has undergone detailing with drapes and trim refinishing, and has turned out to be quite acoustically friendly.
2. The third floor bathroom has been put back into service through volunteer labor.
3) The third floor back hall is in the process of rehab.
4) The third floor elevator lobby and the second to third floor stairs were cleaned and painted with our own volunteer help and lots of assistance by a work detail from St. Marks Episcopal Church of Storr, CT.
5) The last three old windows in the building were replaced by new insulated ones.
6) We are still removing unused piping and other items from the building and estimate about another ton was disposed of.
Progress with the collections:
1) We received and repaired a Kohler & Campbell Tom Thumb player piano built in 1925 from Patricia Vrankovich.
2) Ed Bottegal completed the repair of the Duo-Art/Aeolian grand piano and it was moved to the main floor.
3) Member Wally Venable helped us get a 1920 barrel piano last year. This year he bought us a wagon for it that was built in London ca. 1900. We went to West Chester, PA and got it, along with a Chiappa barrel piano that was alleged to belong with it. The piano was in many pieces. Greg Chandler is putting it back together.
4) Our Link 2E orchestrion which has been in storage was put in the basement where it can be played for 25 cents by visitors.
5) We received over 46 separate items ranging from Reed Organs to radios, all of which are suitable for use in our exhibits.
6) Through Rachel Ashbaugh and Bill Black we received 2 large lighted display cases from the Meadowcroft Rockshelter and Rural Life division of the Carnegie Museum. One now contains the Silver Cornet Band display.
7) Tory Smith, one of our volunteers, and her brother William, got us two manikins which now wear the Silver Cornet and Franklin High School band uniforms.
The Financial Situation:
As expected this has been a difficult year for non-profits, and we are no exception.
1) Our sustaining membership dropped from 171 to 150 due to the economic situation.
2) Most of our grant requests were denied, again due to the economy.
3) Utility costs were down for 2009 compared to 2008 due to a cooler summer and our efforts to tighten up the building
3) We did generate an operating surplus, but all of it was used to pay down the remaining loan taken to pay for the elevator
Current Needs
As our main financial goal is to pay off the loan there are several improvements we would like to make that we cannot afford right now that you might help us with.
1) If you have a manikin or 3 hanging around we have five more band uniforms we would like to display.
2) We need to replace our dehumidifiers used in the basement during the summer with more efficient models.
3) The ballroom will not be usable in midsummer or winter until we can insulate the ceiling. The only thing between the ballroom and the vented attic space is a single layer of tin. It will cost about $8,000 to properly insulate it so we can heat or cool the third floor properly.
4) Our future plans do not require getting back into debt, so once the elevator loan is paid off we can devote our budget to restoring instruments, ongoing programs, and building improvements as we can afford them.
Please consider cutting off the bottom portion of this page, filling in the appropriate blanks, and returning your fully tax deductible donation in the enclosed envelope. Thank you for your past interest and we look forward to hearing from you. You may contribute via Visa or MasterCard if you prefer.
Yes, I’d like to help you out with the debt reduction so you can eliminate the interest payments and use that money for longer range purposes
Name
Address
City State Zip
Phone email
Card Type (Circle one) M/C or Visa Card Number
Expiration Date Cardholder please sign here
Security Code (from back of card)