Posts Tagged ‘Memorial Opera House’
Monday, October 19th, 2009
Family Day at the Museum October 25 10a – 2p
Bring your entire family to tour a less-spooky version of the Porter County Museum during Family Sundays. A Halloween-themed story time will take place at 11a and 1p. Free admission.
Forgotten Images October 21 – October 30 6p – 8p
Explore the jail in an all new way—by black light. Long forgotten historical images have been displayed within the former barred fortress. Your mission: find 20 specific things within the pictures. The catch: you only have 15 minutes to accomplish this scavenging feat.
$10 donation per adult
$5 donation per student, senior, or child
No more than 13 participants allowed per time slot. Guests admitted every twenty minutes.
Three different image scavenger hunts available.
Haunted Museum Tours October 21 – October 24 8p, 9p, & 10p
Ever visit the Porter County Museum and think that it is haunted? Well, you thought correctly. Come learn about the haunted history of the building and its contents during one of our Haunted Museum Tours. You never know when you will have a ghostly encounter of your own in the former jail and Sheriff’s residence.
$15 donation per adult
$10 donation per student, senior, or child
Tours last approximately 45 minutes.
BoooBash Halloween Party for Kids October 24 11a – 1p
This entertaining and educational Halloween party for kids begins directly after the Saturday performance of the Witches Brew Ha! Ha! at the Memorial Opera House. Participants will be able to hear a spooky story, play themed games, decorate gourds, and have a frighteningly good meal inside the former jail and sheriff’s residence. With only room for 30 people, these tickets are going fast. $20/ donation per child.
Demons of the Jail October 27 – October 30 8p – 11p
The restless spirits of the former Porter County jail come to life for revenge during the final week leading to Halloween.
Come attempt to make it through both levels of the jail and the basement—areas normally off-limits to the public. Are you brave enough to escape the demons of the jail?
$10 donation per adult
$5 donation per student, senior, or child
With luck, it takes approximately 15-20 minutes to escape.
Ghoulish & Glam Costume Cocktail Party October 31 6p – 12a
Want to spend Halloween in two of the most haunted buildings in Northwest Indiana? Support the Porter County Museum and Memorial Opera House by attending this extravagant Halloween night fundraiser.
Learn of the haunted stories of the Museum and Opera House while enjoying endless hors d’ouvres, an open bar, and live entertainment all evening. Remember to wear your best costume to this eerie event.
$75 donation per adult
$55 donation per Historical Society members or Opera House season ticket holders.
Reserve your ticket at (219) 548-9137 or by the web at www.mohlive.com.
Tags: (219) 465-3595, (219) 548-9137, booobash, call, celebration, cocktails, demons, donation, event, exhibit, forgotten images, friday, fun, fundraiser, ghost tours, ghosts, ghoulish, glam, halloween, haunted, haunted house, Historical Society, Indiana, jail, kid party, Memorial Opera House, museum, october, october 31, odd, paranormal, party, porter county, saturday, scary, schedule, special events, special hours, spirits, spooks, strange, sunday, Valparaiso, weird
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Saturday, May 23rd, 2009
The Porter County Museum will be open to the public from 1p until 4p on Monday, May 25 in observance of Memorial Day. Please feel free to stop in for a visit before or after the free Memorial Day concert at the Memorial Opera House.
For more information on the Museum, please visit www.portercountymuseum.org or call us at (219) 465-3595.
Tags: 11a, 3p, 465-3595, concert, May 25, Memorial Day, Memorial Opera House, Monday, open, Porter County Museum, portercountymuseum.org, public
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Saturday, May 23rd, 2009
Come visit the Porter County Museum tonight before seeing Chicagoland’s premier doo wop acapella group Harbor Lights at the Memorial Opera House. For more information on tickets, feel free to visit www.mohlive.com or call the box office at (219) 548-9137.
Doors at the Museum will open at 7p and will remain open until the show begins at 8p. Come take a look at the Sioux Native American beadwork that just came into the collection two weeks ago–it is a must-see! For more information about the Museum, visit www.portercountymuseum.org or call us at (219) 465-3595.
Tags: 465-3595, 548-9137, acapella, artifacts, beadword, beadwork, collection, doo wop, exhibits, harbor lights, Memorial Opera House, mohlive.com, native american, open, performance, porter county, Porter County Museum, portercountymuseum.org, Sioux, tickets
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Tuesday, April 14th, 2009
Re: VIP Events at the Museum
Greetings from the Porter County Museum!
It is hard to believe Easter is behind us as we move closer to the warmer weather of spring (hopefully, right?) and eventually summer.
This Friday (April 17) is the second of several VIP opening night receptions to come in 2009—a collaborative effort of the Porter County Museum and the Memorial Opera House.
Friday’s VIP reception—which will offer a scrumptious selection of finger food and drink—is exclusive to season ticket holders of the Memorial Opera House and members of the Historical Society. Please save the following dates for our future VIP receptions:
Date Time Show VIP Location
Friday, April 17 6:30p—8:00p Swing! Porter County Museum
Friday, June 5 6:30p—8:00p Grease Porter County Museum
Friday, August 14 6:30p—8:00p Why Do Fools Fall in Love? Porter County Museum
Friday, October 2 6:30p—8:00p Godspell Porter County Museum
Friday, December 4 6:30p—8:00p Scrooge—The Musical Porter County Museum
Members of the String A Long Quilt Guild will be present Friday evening to showcase and explain a number of our beautiful, historic quilts. This special program is a must-see for any quilt enthusiast!
Why miss out on the fun? It is never too late to renew your Historical Society membership or purchase season tickets from the Memorial Opera House.
Please consider spending this Friday night at the Porter County Museum and the Memorial Opera House—you certainly will not regret it.
Best,
Kevin Matthew Pazour
Executive Director
Porter County Museum & Historical Society
Tags: Brian Schafer, easter, evening, fun, Godspell, Grease, Historical, Historical Society, kevin pazour, membership, Memorial Opera House, museum, Porter County Museum, Quilt Guild, quilts, reception, Scrooge, season tickets, spend, spring, String A Long, summer, Swing, time, VIP, Why do fools fall in love
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Friday, March 20th, 2009
Believe it or not, it is Friday already! It seems like my days get shorter and shorter as we continue to improve the Porter County Museum. There is still a lifetime of work to accomplish, but it gets better with every passing moment.
On Tuesday a group of 27 fourth grade students and chaperons visited the Museum from Mrs. Drazier’s class at Hebron Elementary School. The group was visiting several locations throughout the day, including the Memorial Opera House and the Brauer Museum of Art.
I received the estimate from Baumgartner’s Fine Art Restoration in regards to our Henry Cross (fish-man) painting of the Goliath Grouper and Murray Beach. It will cost a total of $9750.00 to fully restore the painting to its original splendor. It should make for a great Historical Society program in the coming months.
Lately, I have been researching a 1909 baseball team from the area known as the Valparaiso Standards. The team played a variety of other minor league teams from the surrounding area—even several from Chicago. The next version of the newsletter is going to have a story about the team that was written by The Stroller (a.k.a. William O. Wallace).
The notion of a good minor league team in the area sparked my interest to learn more. With a little bit of searching I was able to find a box of newspapers—once held by the recorder’s office—from July of 1909. I found several articles and advertisements about the Valpo Standards and their opponents. I currently have my VU intern (Megan Lamboley) searching microfilm in the library to find all we can about the team. It should make for a great spring program when we put everything together.
In the process of looking through the extremely fragile papers, I found one article from August 1909 that details an electrical storm that passed through the area. I thought you might enjoy this century-old story. It even contains a small bit about the building I am sitting in typing this—the old jail and Sheriff’s residence.
Porter County Vidette
August 4, 1909
Electrical Storm Visits Community
(From Friday’s Daily.)
Valparaiso and the surrounding vicinity was visited by a severe electrical storm yesterday afternoon about two o’clock, which left considerable damage in its path. A rainstorm came up from the west and as it continued the wind increased in velocity until it became quite threatening. The storm was accompanied by lightning, of the sharpest kind, and deafening thunder peals rent the air.
Hits Court House Flagstaff.
When the storm was at its height a bolt of lightning struck the flagstaff on the court house. The pole, which is eighteen inches in diameter, was completely shattered from top to bottom. Several large splinters were hurled to the ground, one of them being driven into the earth with such force that it required considerable effort to remove it. If any fire was caused by the lightning’s bolt it was immediately put out by the downpour of rain. The occupants of the court house, especially those in the clerk’s and recorder’s office, could plainly feel the shock, although they escaped all injury.
Stunned by Shock.
Mrs. Mae Wood, wife of Sheriff Wood, was knocked senseless when the lightning struck near. She was standing in an upstairs room at the jail residence, when the crash came. She was thrown clear across the hall into an adjoining room, where she was found unconscious by other inmates of the house. A near-by physician was hurriedly summoned and she was soon brought back to consciousness. Mrs. Wood is able to be about today and fortunately will suffer no ill results from her harrowing experience.
Barn and Contents Burn.
The large barn on the Gus Mitchner farm, 2 ½ miles north of town, was struck by lightning, and burned to the ground, together with the contents. J.D. Logan, who is the tenant on the farm, was standing in the barn when it was struck by the bolt. He was knocked down, but soon regained his feet and had barely time to get the two horses out of the barn when the building was enveloped in flames. Mr. Logan just finished putting up his crop of hay, which is estimated at 40 tons. A buggy and spring wagon was also consumed in the flames. The barn was 40X60 feet and has just recently been reshingled. The heavy loss is partially covered by insurance.
Wires Out of Commission.
Manager Ball, of the local telephone company, states that the storm was the most severe his company has yet suffered. Nearly all the lines in the west part of town were temporarily put out of commission, and the country service was badly crippled. The Western Union Telegraphy company reports that their lines were effected, but repairs have been made and messages are now gotten through without difficulty.
Minor Losses.
The residence of Mrs. G. A. Dodge on West Main street was struck, but fortunately only the chimney suffered. The damage is slight, fully covered by insurance.
The chimney at the home of Vernon Beach on North Napoleon street was tumbled down by the lightning. Here, too, the damage was slight.
The tower on the German Lutheran church at Wanatah was struck, but little damage resulted.
Well, that is all for now. Be sure to check out my blog again on Monday for another update. Have a great weekend!
Best,
KMP
Executive Director
Porter County Museum & Historical Society
Tags: 1909, august, baseball, baumgartner, baumgartner fine, Brauer Museum of Art, buggy, century, Chicago, chimney, court, court house, director, drazier, electrical storm, elementary school, fine art, fire, flagstaff, friday, G.A. Dodge, german lutheran church, goliath grouper, Gus mitchner, Hebron, Historical Society, horses, house, insurance, intern, J.D. Logan, lightning bolt, Mae Wood, manager ball, megan lamboley, Memorial Opera House, minor league, murray beach, North Napoleon street, old jail, painting, physician, pole, Porter County Museum, recorders office, Sheriff Wood, sheriff's residence, standards, Stroller, stunned, team, telephone company, Valparaiso, valparaiso university, valpo, Vernon Beach, vu, wanatah, western union telegraphy, William O. Wallace
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Friday, February 6th, 2009
Today was nothing short of an adventure—enjoyable, of course. Sitting here piecing together the day after-the-fact almost seems like a work out. It might be a bit better if I did not have to keep ignoring the ghost that appears and disappears in the bedroom across from my office. Even the paranormal want to take part in what is going on around here!
Hit the rewind button. Everything began with responding to phone calls and e-mails this morning at 8a. Two major things were set to happen during the day. The first was that Gregg Hertzlieb was coming from the Brauer Museum of Art at Valparaiso University to help stabilize the Cross painting in our collection. My second major event involved volunteers from the Historical Society and moving two hundred records from the basement of the county garage. Was I in for a huge surprise…
Gregg Hertzlieb, Phillip Brockington and Howard Reeve came from the Brauer to help give the Cross painting some much-needed TLC. Lucie Whitlow and Blaine Hilton—members of the Advisory Board and Historical Society—came to help as well. Blaine even video documented the morning, which will be available on the Museum site at www.portercountymuseum.org. If you have a moment, watch a few of the video clips. They are very interesting to say the least.
Phil and Howard completed some minor restoration work on the frame of our Silas Hazen Lincoln portrait. I honestly cannot say for certain if it is an original portrait. Phil and Howard think it was a Kurz and Allison lithograph that was colorized by Silas Hazen in the 1860’s. The strongest evidence in favor of their argument is two other similarly sized lithographs of George Washington and Thomas Jefferson from the Kurz and Allison studio. Either way, it makes a compelling story. I actually got Phil and Howard to go on video with me to talk about the work they had done aesthetically restoring the frame on the Lincoln. Check out the video on the website as well.
Back to the “Fish-man” painting… Gregg and I carefully took the Cross painting off the wall and set it on protective paper that Lucie placed on the floor. If any of you are familiar with the story (and the condition of the work), you know that there are two sizeable slashes across the canvass. This happened when the painting was originally displayed in the Conservation Club clubhouse on Route 130. A vandal (or vandals) broke in and practiced their swordsmanship on poor old Murray Beach and his Goliath Grouper. As a protective measure, the club voted to send the painting to the Museum. Fast forward several decades…back to the morning of Friday, February 6 at 10:30a…. Gregg applied very strong (and very temporary) linen tape to the back of the tears in the painting. Once the tape set, Gregg and I picked the painting up and set it back on the wall. For more information on the tape and the temporary stabilization process, watch Gregg’s video clip—it is very informative!
Full restoration is in order for the Valpo man and his large endangered fish. Gregg is going to get an estimate for professional restoration through his contact in Chicago. Phil and Howard estimated that total restoration would probably cost an upwards of several thousand dollars. Look for me to have a begging cup on a sidewalk near you soon. All joking aside, this project will be a major focus in the coming year.
In between the first major project and the second, Blaine and I had time to film a quick video regarding the mural that will be unveiled during the Friday, February 13 VIP party before the opening performance of Ragtime at the Memorial Opera House. It almost gave Blaine his first blooper reel for the Museum website. While explaining the mural and its history I almost took a tumble over one of the last remaining antique tools in the room… Would not be the first time I was on YouTube…
Sadly, I can sum up the final major project of the day with one sentence. I am not very good with math. What was supposed to be moving two hundred records from the county garage was just that—moving two hundred tin boxes of records. Too bad I underestimated the total number which is actually closer to 4,000 tin record boxes (among many other boxes of records from the early Twentieth Century).
Mike Spudic, Jason Trunick, Lucie Whitlow, Blaine & Trena Hilton, Stacey Hensley, and Michael Shaw made quick work of the tiny fraction of the records we moved this afternoon. Twenty banker boxes full of records to be exact. Once we secure more boxes the project will resume. Al Hoagland, the supervisor of the highway department, is just happy to see the records begin to move.
Well, I am getting tired and would bet money (not large amounts, though—remember, I am not good with math) you are growing tired of reading. Tomorrow morning I plan on writing more about the project of moving the records from the county garage to the Museum along with what our tentative plan is for the records once they are all (yes, 4,000 tins and then some) here.
Until next time, be sure to check the website to see if any videos are available. Blaine Hilton is doing some amazing things to bring our Museum into the technology age. It is exciting to have a support network of so many intelligent, enthusiastic people that think highly of the Porter County Museum and Historical Society.
Best,
KMP
Executive Director
Porter County Museum
Tags: 000, 1860, 200, 4, Abraham Lincoln portrait, advisory board, Al Hoagland, blaine hilton, brauer, Brauer Museum of Art, Chicago, Conservation Club, county garage, Executive Director, fish-man, George Washington, goliath grouper, gregg hertzlieb, henry cross, Historical Society, howard, howard reeve, jason trunick, kmp, Kurz, Kurz and Allison, Lincoln, linen tape, lucie whitlow, Memorial Opera House, Michael Shaw, mike spudic, mural, murray beach, museum, old, painting, phil, phillip brockington, porter county, Porter County Museum, portercountymuseum.org, Ragtime, records, restoration, Route 130, Silas Hazen, Stacey Hensley, technology, Thomas Jefferson, tin, tin boxes, Trena Hilton, Valparaiso, valparaiso university, video, video clips, VIP party, YouTube
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Thursday, February 5th, 2009
Good evening, everyone! Hope you all had a pleasant day (without shoveling or plowing, preferably). Today has been amazingly hectic, as I am sure happens to everyone after a snow day.
I had a fantastic meeting with Brenda Sheetz at the Porter County Community Foundation (PCCF) office regarding future grant opportunities for the Historical Society and Museum. Afterwards, Bob Kasarda from the NWI Times stopped by to talk about next Friday’s (February 13) mural unveiling. A bit later, I met with Brian Schafer, Lucie Whitlow, and Diane Cooley to plan for the Friday, February 13 VIP party before Ragtime at the Memorial Opera House. We also discussed the future of the VIP parties extending into 2010 and 2011, but that is a topic for another blog…
Enough about my day. Well, not really, but I will detail my schedule in future blogs. Getting back to the title of this blog…
The Porter County Museum is an amazing small Museum—one that gets better with every passing day. However, there are several other fine Museums and Historical Societies in our county. The Brown Mansion/ Westchester Township History Museum. The Alton Goin Historical Museum at Countryside Park/ Portage Community Historical Society. The Hour Glass Museum/ Historical Society of Ogden Dunes. The Kankakee Valley Historical Society. The Stagecoach Inn & Panhandle Depot/ Hebron Historical Society.
I feel it is my duty to promote every Museum and Historical Society within our county. We are all in the business of sharing history—why not work together to accomplish our common goal?
About a month ago I decided to call the Stagecoach Inn, which is located in Hebron, Indiana. Kathryn Wiltfang, a volunteer and member of the Hebron Historical Society, set up a time for me to visit. Both she and Betty Osby graciously toured me through the Stagecoach Inn and Panhandle Depot.
What an incredible local Museum!
The Stagecoach Inn was built in 1849 by Mr. McCune and is a “saltbox” style house. The preservation of the “saltbox” house was made possible by the pay, compensation, and life insurance of Donald Louis Alyea (1925-1944), a member of the Army Air Corps who lost his life in a bombing mission over Foggio, Italy. Mr. Alyea bought the house and opened the Museum in remembrance of his son.
(Pazour Point—The “saltbox” house was named for its resemblance to the wooden saltboxes used in early New England. This style of house was extremely popular in New England because of the relative ease to add more rooms. New England whalers brought the style to California with a slight variation known as the “Spanish saltbox”.)
I will continue to detail my visit—especially about the Panhandle Depot and its contents—in tomorrow’s blog.
Oh no! It is time for an unexpected HISTORY FACT BLAST!
Did you know that Hebron was known as the “Corners” until 1844? Were you aware that Reverend Hannon established the name Hebron, which was historically the name of the capitol city of King David’s reign? Know that Hebron had the LAST Carnegie Library ever built in the nation?
Did you know any of the facts listed in the HISTORY FACT BLAST! above? No?! Then it is time you make arrangements to visit Hebron’s Stagecoach Inn. You will not be disappointed (and you will learn more about the southern part of our county)!
Until you read again…
Best,
KMP
Executive Director
Porter County Museum
Tags: 1849, Alton Goin, Alton Goin Historical Museum, Army Air Corps, Betty Osby, Bob Kasarda, Brenda Sheetz, Brian Schafer, Brown Mansion, california, capitol, Carnegie, corners, Countryside Park, Diane Cooley, Donald Louis Alyea, February, Foggio, grants, Hebron, Hebron Historical Society, Historical, Historical Societies, Historical Society of Ogden Dunes, history fact blast, History Museum, Hour Glass Museum, Indiana, Italy, Kankakee Valley, Kankakee Valley Historical Society, Kathryn Wiltfang, King David, Library, lucie whitlow, Memorial Opera House, Mr. McCune, mural, museum, Museum1944, nation, new england, Panhandle Depot, PCCF, Portage, Portage Community Historical Society, Porter County Community Foundation, Porter County Museum, reverend hannon, saltbox, saltbox house, spanish saltbox, Stagecoach Inn, unveiling, Westchester Township, whalers
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