Lew Wallace's 183rd Birthday Party

Lew Wallace's 183rd Birthday Party, originally uploaded by WallaceStudy.

General Lew Wallace, and a dead-on homemade dough facsimile, skillfully crafted by one of our visitors for Lew's birthday!

Happy Birthday & Wildflowers

Let the parties begin!!!

In celebration of Lew Wallace's 183rd birthday, the Museum will be having a party. On Saturday, April 10th, the museum will play host to a variety of activities. In the Study, all visitors will get an opportunity to build their own study using Legos. They may also choose to color a replica of the stained glass that is in the Study's atrium. Build Ben Hur's chariot, sculpt with playdough and make a fan are activities taking place in the Carriage House.

The lawn area will be host to 1800's games. Croquet, wooden hoop rolling, tug of war and learning to walk on stilts are just some of the games planned. Cookies and punch will be served and admission is free!

While visitors are celebrating with birthday games and goodies, the wildflowers will be in full bloom. Warm weather has forced the wildflowers to bloom, seemingly, all at once. Some of the flowers in bloom are: blue violets, harbinger of spring, cutleaf toothwort, spring beauty, myrtle, pansies, tulips, daffodils, hyacinth, trout lilies, and the magnolia trees are in full regale. Stop by for a visit and enjoy the day of fun and activites and nature at its best.

City of Crawfordsville Easter Egg Hunt TODAY!

The Hunt is on! The Crawfordsville Easter Egg Hunt is proceeding as scheduled on the grounds of the General Lew Wallace Study and Museum at 1:00 p.m. today. The rain is lessening and all of the candy and prizes are in eggs this year, so nothing's getting soggy. Come join us this afternoon!

Representing Indiana

March 23 was Museums Advocacy Day organized by the American Association of Museums, and I represented not only the General Lew Wallace Study & Museum but also the entire Indiana museum community to our elected officials in Washington, DC. Advocacy Day started with a day of training, including a briefing on federal issues pertaining to museums, a working lunch to connect with other museum advocates, and a role-playing session to get a feel for how meetings with congressional staff work - perfect for a first-timer like me.

The second day was actually on "the Hill," meeting with senators, representatives, and their staff. Because I was the only advocate from Indiana, I felt the pressure of getting the message across, but the training day had prepared me for what to expect. For instance, the staffs that run Congressmembers' offices are all about 21 years old, a far cry from the middle age you might expect on Capital Hill. While this group is young - many just out of college - they hold quite a bit of power in that they prepare the briefs and convey constituent priorities to elected officials. A bonus to meeting with a staff person and not a Congressmember is that winning over the staffer gets two people on your side: the one that prepares the brief and the one who reads and votes from it.

Even though I'm not certain that Senator Bayh, Senator Lugar, or Representative Buyer will sign the letter supporting the requested funding level for the Intitute of Museum and Library Services, Museums Advocacy Day was a great experience. I learned a lot, representated the Museum and the state, and the museum field coalesced for a cohesive effort advocating for issues that affect the people we serve. We are definitely louder when we speak with one voice!

Spring Visitor

Spring is on its way. The grass is getting greener, the weeds are sprouting and the museum is being graced with more visitors. For the last 3 weeks, a loud 'screeching' noise has permeated the neighborhood around the museum. A pair of hawks has appeared, hunting and scouting the area. Visitors wander the grounds, looking towards the treetops, wondering what is making that 'screeching' sound. Then the hawks are spotted and the fun begins.

The hawks, currently have 2 nests they visit. One nest in the top of a white oak, is filled with twigs and leaves. The other nest, in the largest ash tree on the grounds, is constructed of twigs and is located near our parking lot. The hawks are very people leery and fly away at the first sight of visitors. They can be seen soaring above the grounds and around the immediate area.

We will be keeping an eye on the nests, from a distance, in hopes of hatchlings.

In the past, sharp shinned hawks have built nests and raised their young. The 2010 hawks appear to be the red shouldered hawk. There is a Nature Backpack available to all museum visitors and comes equipped with a bird identification book and binoculars!

Member Sneak Preview Party, 3/3/10

Member Sneak Preview Party, 3/3/10, originally uploaded by WallaceStudy.

Larry Paarlberg, Director of the General Lew Wallace Study and Museum, greets guests to the Member Sneak Preview party for the opening of the Museum's new exhibit, "Sanctuary: Preserving the Legacy of Lew Wallace."

Member Sneak Preview Party, 3/3/10

Larry Paarlberg, Director of the General Lew Wallace Study and Museum, greets guests to the Member Sneak Preview Party for the opening of the Museum's new exhibit, "Sanctuary: Preserving the Legacy of Lew Wallace."

Member Sneak Preview Party, 3/3/10, originally uploaded by WallaceStudy.