Celebrate local history at Museums and More Day
Stop by the Northeast Classic Car Museum during Museums and More Day to check out their collection of more than 170 classic and vintage cars and 28 motorcycles, or visit the NECCM event room for an antique show. (Photo by Dustin Genter of 5th Dimension Photography)
NORWICH ― The Museum District in the City of Norwich will be celebrating the second annual Museums and More Day on Saturday, October 12 with a variety of historical programming. The event is hosted by the Friends of the Museum District on Rexford Street.
The Chenango County Historical Society (CCHS), the Northeast Classic Car Museum (NECCM), and the Bullthistle Model Railroad Society will all be open to the public and will each have something unique for visitors to enjoy.
"The whole thing is a group effort. It’s the whole district," said Museums and More Day Organizer John Antonowicz. "No other town has a museum district like we do ... It’s just to celebrate what we have here in Norwich."
The Northeast Classic Car Museum, located at 24 Rexford Street, will kick off the day's festivities with the last Cars and Coffee Cruise In from 8 to 9:15 a.m. Parking for the event will be in the parking lot across the street from the museum.
Antonowicz said historic cars will be parked up and down the street throughout the day, and anyone is welcome to bring their classic cars down to be a part of the event.
The NECCM will be open to the public from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., with regular admission prices for the museum. Visitors can check out the museum's variety of exhibits, including pre- and post-war vehicles, Fabulous Franklins, Made in New York, Vintage Motorcycles, WWI and WWII Airplane Engines, Tribute to Bennett-Ireland, and Back to the 80s.
Also at the NECCM will be an antique show in the event room from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., with vendors from Chenango County and the surrounding areas selling high-quality antiques.
Admission to the show is free. Those who are visiting the antique show only should enter through the State Street entrance. For museum entry, use the main entrance on Rexford Street, which also provides access to the antique show.
"We’ll probably have about a dozen vendors set up selling some of these high-quality antiques," said Organizer Anthony Testani. "You’ll probably find a variety of antiques, from primitives to glassware. You name it, you’ll be able to find it there, I’m sure."
For more information on the NECCM, visit ClassicCarMuseum.org or the Northeast Classic Car Museum Facebook page.
The Bullthistle Model Railroad Society, located at 33 Rexford Street, will be open for the day, and they will have train whistles available for visiting children. Visitors can also check out the many exhibits of O-scale, O27-scale, and N-scale model trains depicting how the railroads effected the people and economy of Chenango County throughout history.
For more information on the Bullthistle Model Railroad Society, visit BMRS.org or the Bullthistle Model Railroad Society Facebook page.
For the first time, Friends of the Museum District will be partnering with the Chenango Greenway Conservancy to expand Museums and More Day with a "History Hike."
"It's a hike up to the Stone Quarry, it starts at noon on that Sunday. We’re leaving from the Wheeler Avenue entrance and going up to the quarry," Antonowicz said. "It’s the history of the quarry, which I think is pretty cool. So that’s to kind of expand and make it family friendly and all that good stuff. There will be some refreshments at the top of the quarry."
CCHS Executive Director Jessica Moquin said Museums and More Day overlaps with the state-wide Paths Through History weekend. To celebrate these two events, CCHS will be hosting a wide array of programming, performances, and presentations from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., all for free.
"We actually have a lot of our Oneida neighbors who will be part of this weekend’s commemorations. This was their homeland, so there’s a lot of really neat tie-ins," said Moquin. "Our Oneida neighbors, they were considered, and still are to this day, America’s first ally. Of the six Haudenosaunee nations, they were the ones who supported the colonists, the patriots, in their fight for independence."
To celebrate the area's history of partnership with the Oneidas, the Oneida Indian Nation will be in attendance with a Haudenosaunee Beadwork presentation by Dolores Elliot, Chris Thomas and the Haudenosaunee Smoke Dancers will be performing at 11 a.m., the “Journey Through Chenango: Land of the Oneidas” presentation with a book discussion by the Otselic Valley Fishing and Heritage Association, a lacrosse stick-making demonstration, and the chance to try throwing an atl atl, or indigenous spear, with Birchwood Archaeology.
Historic Interpreter George Cummings will be giving a presentation on 18th Century Living, and the Chenango Canal Association will be in attendance with their "Life on 'The Lillie'" presentation about "The Lillie," a packet boat used on the Chenango Canal, which ran from Norwich to Binghamton, along with a working model of the boat.
At 10 a.m., CCHS will be hosting a preview of the play "Toliver and Wakeman" by Playwright Kyle Bass, who is currently in residence at Colgate University. The play follows the story of Bass' ancestor, Toliver, who fought in the Civil War before moving to Chenango County to live out his life, as well as Sarah Rosetta Wakeman, a woman from Afton who enlisted in the Civil War as a man.
"[She] was trying to raise money for her family. They were not very well off so she disguised herself as a man and worked on the first Chenango Canal and then later the Erie Canal, and then realized she could earn more for her family by enlisting as a man in the Civil War," Moquin explained. "The play is the reenacting of if Toliver and Wakeman met in the great room of history. We’re going to get a preview of that."
Also included in the day's events will be Airplane Tales with Jim Coulthart, Maple Sugar Heritage Collaboration with Friends of Rogers, Wooly Wonders’ Fiber Arts demonstrations, The Purple Mums with an industrial heritage toy "make and take" station, and Curious Kids 4-H with agricultural activities, as well as some furry and feathered friends.
The CCHS "Chenango County in Fifty Stories exhibit refresh will also be unveiled on Saturday, and at 3 p.m., guests can enjoy a performance by the Real Time Jazz Band.
Additionally, the Chenango Valley Amateur Radio Association will have a special event station for the day: W2RME 1400Z-2000Z.
Food will be available from Joe's Food Shack, Melissa's Delicious, and Knuckle Down Coffee Co. during Museums and More Day. Moquin said Knuckle Down Coffee Co. will also be unveiling their new Old Chenango coffee, a brand new blend inspired by the Old Chenango brand originally sold at Victory Markets.
"What’s the rationale for bringing all these folks together? It’s so that our community can have the chance to connect with their past to envision their future," said Moquin. "These are narratives of the people who came before us, and they were people just like we are, and so understanding some of the challenges and some of their highs and their lows and the joys that they experienced and the challenges that they overcame, that’s what history is."
For more information on CCHS, visit ChenangoHistorical.org or the Chenango County Historical Society and Museum Facebook page.
The Chenango County Historical Society (CCHS), the Northeast Classic Car Museum (NECCM), and the Bullthistle Model Railroad Society will all be open to the public and will each have something unique for visitors to enjoy.
"The whole thing is a group effort. It’s the whole district," said Museums and More Day Organizer John Antonowicz. "No other town has a museum district like we do ... It’s just to celebrate what we have here in Norwich."
The Northeast Classic Car Museum, located at 24 Rexford Street, will kick off the day's festivities with the last Cars and Coffee Cruise In from 8 to 9:15 a.m. Parking for the event will be in the parking lot across the street from the museum.
Antonowicz said historic cars will be parked up and down the street throughout the day, and anyone is welcome to bring their classic cars down to be a part of the event.
The NECCM will be open to the public from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., with regular admission prices for the museum. Visitors can check out the museum's variety of exhibits, including pre- and post-war vehicles, Fabulous Franklins, Made in New York, Vintage Motorcycles, WWI and WWII Airplane Engines, Tribute to Bennett-Ireland, and Back to the 80s.
Also at the NECCM will be an antique show in the event room from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., with vendors from Chenango County and the surrounding areas selling high-quality antiques.
Admission to the show is free. Those who are visiting the antique show only should enter through the State Street entrance. For museum entry, use the main entrance on Rexford Street, which also provides access to the antique show.
"We’ll probably have about a dozen vendors set up selling some of these high-quality antiques," said Organizer Anthony Testani. "You’ll probably find a variety of antiques, from primitives to glassware. You name it, you’ll be able to find it there, I’m sure."
For more information on the NECCM, visit ClassicCarMuseum.org or the Northeast Classic Car Museum Facebook page.
The Bullthistle Model Railroad Society, located at 33 Rexford Street, will be open for the day, and they will have train whistles available for visiting children. Visitors can also check out the many exhibits of O-scale, O27-scale, and N-scale model trains depicting how the railroads effected the people and economy of Chenango County throughout history.
For more information on the Bullthistle Model Railroad Society, visit BMRS.org or the Bullthistle Model Railroad Society Facebook page.
For the first time, Friends of the Museum District will be partnering with the Chenango Greenway Conservancy to expand Museums and More Day with a "History Hike."
"It's a hike up to the Stone Quarry, it starts at noon on that Sunday. We’re leaving from the Wheeler Avenue entrance and going up to the quarry," Antonowicz said. "It’s the history of the quarry, which I think is pretty cool. So that’s to kind of expand and make it family friendly and all that good stuff. There will be some refreshments at the top of the quarry."
CCHS Executive Director Jessica Moquin said Museums and More Day overlaps with the state-wide Paths Through History weekend. To celebrate these two events, CCHS will be hosting a wide array of programming, performances, and presentations from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., all for free.
"We actually have a lot of our Oneida neighbors who will be part of this weekend’s commemorations. This was their homeland, so there’s a lot of really neat tie-ins," said Moquin. "Our Oneida neighbors, they were considered, and still are to this day, America’s first ally. Of the six Haudenosaunee nations, they were the ones who supported the colonists, the patriots, in their fight for independence."
To celebrate the area's history of partnership with the Oneidas, the Oneida Indian Nation will be in attendance with a Haudenosaunee Beadwork presentation by Dolores Elliot, Chris Thomas and the Haudenosaunee Smoke Dancers will be performing at 11 a.m., the “Journey Through Chenango: Land of the Oneidas” presentation with a book discussion by the Otselic Valley Fishing and Heritage Association, a lacrosse stick-making demonstration, and the chance to try throwing an atl atl, or indigenous spear, with Birchwood Archaeology.
Historic Interpreter George Cummings will be giving a presentation on 18th Century Living, and the Chenango Canal Association will be in attendance with their "Life on 'The Lillie'" presentation about "The Lillie," a packet boat used on the Chenango Canal, which ran from Norwich to Binghamton, along with a working model of the boat.
At 10 a.m., CCHS will be hosting a preview of the play "Toliver and Wakeman" by Playwright Kyle Bass, who is currently in residence at Colgate University. The play follows the story of Bass' ancestor, Toliver, who fought in the Civil War before moving to Chenango County to live out his life, as well as Sarah Rosetta Wakeman, a woman from Afton who enlisted in the Civil War as a man.
"[She] was trying to raise money for her family. They were not very well off so she disguised herself as a man and worked on the first Chenango Canal and then later the Erie Canal, and then realized she could earn more for her family by enlisting as a man in the Civil War," Moquin explained. "The play is the reenacting of if Toliver and Wakeman met in the great room of history. We’re going to get a preview of that."
Also included in the day's events will be Airplane Tales with Jim Coulthart, Maple Sugar Heritage Collaboration with Friends of Rogers, Wooly Wonders’ Fiber Arts demonstrations, The Purple Mums with an industrial heritage toy "make and take" station, and Curious Kids 4-H with agricultural activities, as well as some furry and feathered friends.
The CCHS "Chenango County in Fifty Stories exhibit refresh will also be unveiled on Saturday, and at 3 p.m., guests can enjoy a performance by the Real Time Jazz Band.
Additionally, the Chenango Valley Amateur Radio Association will have a special event station for the day: W2RME 1400Z-2000Z.
Food will be available from Joe's Food Shack, Melissa's Delicious, and Knuckle Down Coffee Co. during Museums and More Day. Moquin said Knuckle Down Coffee Co. will also be unveiling their new Old Chenango coffee, a brand new blend inspired by the Old Chenango brand originally sold at Victory Markets.
"What’s the rationale for bringing all these folks together? It’s so that our community can have the chance to connect with their past to envision their future," said Moquin. "These are narratives of the people who came before us, and they were people just like we are, and so understanding some of the challenges and some of their highs and their lows and the joys that they experienced and the challenges that they overcame, that’s what history is."
For more information on CCHS, visit ChenangoHistorical.org or the Chenango County Historical Society and Museum Facebook page.
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