Museums for All

Please visit the April program page for info on upcoming events. I've highlighted some below, but there's always more to learn.

Earlier this month, some of the sites on the Pennsylvania Trails of History joined a national program called "Museums for All." Coordinated by the Association of Children's Museums, with funding from the Institute of Museum and Library Services, Museums for All participating museums provide free or discounted admission to people who present an Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) card and photo ID. Up to four people can be admitted per card. At participating Trails of History sites, the discounted price is $2 per person and is good for regular admission, not special events or programs. Card holders don't use their EBT card to pay the admission; they present it to show their eligibility for the Museums for All discount.

You'll find a list of PHMC's participating museums on our website. We decided for our initial participation to stick with sites that are connected to our Point-of-Sale admissions system. That will allow us to track Museums for All admissions more easily and to take care of quarterly reporting from our central office in Harrisburg (which also happens to be Trailheads HQ). Please share the information with folks you know who may want to make use of this new discount.

In PHMC's press release announcing our participation, Executive Director Andrea Lowery noted, “At PHMC, we believe a visit to a museum or historic site can inspire the development of new skills and interests, ignite creativity, and enrich social connections. By removing the financial barrier, Museums for All represents a long stride toward the goal of reaching more children and parents and inviting them to take advantage of the valuable learning resources of museums.”

Many people make use of discounts or reduced/free admission when they visit Trails of History sites, such as membership in the site Friends group or the Pennsylvania Heritage Foundation or membership in AAA. Reduced admission fees are always in place for seniors and youth, while young children are admitted free of charge (age varies, but it's 3 and under at most sites). PHMC sites participate in the Blue Star Museums program, which provides free admission for active duty military members and their families between Memorial Day and Labor Day; we offer that year-round.

Admission is free to all on Charter Day, the second Sunday of March each year. Individual sites also have free days from time to time, often in cooperation with local organizations or special events. Sites and museums in Erie, Lancaster, and Potter Counties participate in museum pass programs to make free admission available through their local and regional library systems.

Courtesy PA Military Museum

This weekend

Erie Maritime Museum and Flagship Niagara
April 14: National Water Dance Ripple Effect—the event begins at Dobbins Landing, then dancers and friends from Mercyhurst University will lead the audience on a performance path to the Erie Maritime Museum, which will host research presentations, poetry, music, dance, children's crafts, and refreshments (more info). Admission is free. Begins at 4 pm at Dobbins Landing.

Landis Valley Village and Farm Museum
April 14: Needle Felting—as of yesterday (4/12) there were still a few spots left, so call NOW if you're interested. Or see if there's room left in classes coming up the rest of the month (see the full list with registration info on Landis Valley's website).

Old Economy Village
April 14: Saturday Craft Programs—check the website for this week's program and others coming up.a variety of lectures, demonstrations, and hands-on learning will be presented. Costs and details vary, so check the website for more information.

Pennsbury Manor
April 15: Historic Trades and Open Hearth Cooking—check the website for details. Included in regular admission. Programming runs 1-4 pm, site open noon-5 pm.

Pennsylvania Lumber Museum
April 15: 3rd Sunday Series—two programs this month: "Trout Grow on Trees," with staff from the Potter County Conservation District discussing the impact of forest health on trout streams, and "International Dark Skies Week," with PA DCNR staff talking about Cherry Springs State Park and its remarkable dark skies educational programs (more info on both). Included in museum admission (free for members). Trout program starts at 1 pm, dark skies at around 3.

Pennsylvania Military Museum
April 14-15: The Great War Remembered—2018 marks the 100th anniversary of American combat troops fighting in France and the end of World War I. Today's program includes lectures, films, and a living history reenactment on the grounds (check the website for details and updates). 10 am-4 pm each day.

State Museum of Pennsylvania
April 13: Learn at Lunchtime—view the T.M. Fowler bird's eye view maps exhibit through the lens of historic preservation. Included in general admission. 12:15-12:45 pm.
April 14 and 15: Planetarium closed—see website for other schedule info.

Museum Memories

The May program page has info for this weekend and the remainder of the month. Please check it out if you're looking for something to do.

Everyday is "something" day on the Internet, usually many different "somethings." Tuesday, May 16, was Museum Memories Day (#MusMem). I tweeted that my earliest museum memories were of the Pink Palace Museum in Memphis (now part of a larger museum system in the city where I was born and where music pioneer W.C. Handy gave birth to the blues). I have many happy memories of my mother walking my brother and me there to see things that were familiar (we always followed the same route through the museum, as I recall), including the hollowed out log that had holes in it for you to stick your hand in and feel the taxidermied, I want to say, skunk (or weasel? or badger?). But there were changing exhibits, too - I remember a pair of red shoes from the Wizard of Oz (not the same pair the Smithsonian is conserving?). It was also a place that at an alarmingly early age (7, I think) I walked by myself to meet friends from school to wander around the museum and grounds. I felt at home there. It was my place. And although I have not been there in more than 40 years, I have no doubt that it helped to shape my sense of self, not to mention my career choice.

I have many other museum memories - museum visiting is both a cause and an effect of working in the museum field. Tons of visits to museums and historic sites with family and friends, rarely a vacation that doesn't include one or more. Some visits are milestones in my relationship with my husband ("marching bellhops" to see if he's reading). I won't bore you with all of them here. But all of this to say that sometimes a theme is in my head as I read through social media posts and newsletters from sites on the Trails of History. That was the case this week, so here are some of the things that stuck out at me.

Ephrata Cloister Student Historians 2009 (photo E Bertheaud)

Two items in the April issue of the Ephrata Cloister Associates newsletter spoke to the idea of museum memories and the lasting effects museums can have on our lives (even the lives of people who don't choose museum work as a career - shocking, I know). First item: Volunteers Randy and Jolene Newcomer celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary while helping visitors enjoy the buildings and exhibits on Charter Day (March 12). The two met while in high school when they were both Student Historians at Ephrata. That's a long-term commitment to history! Second item: While on their honeymoon in October 1983, Neil and Liz Cotter toured Ephrata Cloister. Their guide was a local student, volunteering on weekends while attending nearby Millersville University. Thirty-three years later, they visited again and were greeted by that same young man (I can say that because I am older than he), now Ephrata's museum educator and a seasoned interpretation professional. The Cotters recognized Michael Showalter as having been their guide and when they returned home, they sent along a picture of him that they had taken on their previous visit. (And Michael now leads the Student Historians program, so we've come full circle back to the first item.)

Inspired by my newsletter reading, I went looking for memories of our sites that visitors had shared on social media. Needless to say, there were many. I picked a couple to share:


And a third post that I'll use to remind you that from Memorial Day to Labor Day, PA Trails of History sites will be participating in the Blue Star Museums program, which provides free admission to active duty military personnel and their families. PHMC sites offer this all year round; participating in the Blue Star Museums program helps us get the word out to eligible families. In March of this year, Willy Paulino wrote a review on the Anthracite Heritage Museum's Facebook page noting that as a military spouse, he was able to take his kids to visit for free. "Great way to give back! Thank you guys for your support!" Thank you to the Paulinos and all the military families who serve our country.

And thank you to the museums and historic sites, on and off the PA Trails of History, who help people every day to create their own lasting museum memories.