HEARTHSIDE HOUSE MUSEUM NEWSLETTER
"The House That Love Built"             Vol. 11, Issue 7   July  2017
  
Something big is happening this weekend at Hearthside....the 1904 World's Fair Tribute!
   
And I hope you will be among them!  It's this Sunday, July 23rd.  Gates open at 11 a.m. and the action continues all day till closing at 5 p.m.  The action takes place both on the grounds surrounding Hearthside as well as inside the museum.

Head over to Chase Farm Park to leave your vehicle and hop aboard our World's Fair pedicab, similar to the rickshaws at the St. Louis World's Fair.  Be sure to make a stop at the Hannaway Blacksmith Shop to watch a blacksmithing demonstration before or after you enjoy the Fair.

In 2015, the last time this event was presented, it was THE BIGGEST EVENT Hearthside has ever presented, and it's likely to be the BEST ATTENDED once again, based on the publicity already received in local, statewide, and regional publications.  And it seems wherever I go, there's alot of buzz about the event.

Our goal with this event is to bring many pieces of what fairgoers to the 1904 World's Fair would have learned and experienced at the world's greatest exposition.  While it took nearly 3 weeks to see everything at the 1904 World's Fair, we think that in one afternoon you'll certainly get a good idea of just how amazing this spectacle was. 

So bring the family, or come alone, and enjoy the nostalgia of a turn-of-the-century summer afternoon.  And you just may learn a bit of history too!
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 NEW FEATURES AND RETURNING FAVORITES
So what's new this year?  Plenty of additional features, plus some of the favorites from previous years in both the educational and entertaining portions of our exhibit.  

We've added a tent to the front yard where  various presentations   will be given on topics related to the Fair, whether it is a historical speech, information about our industries at the turn of the century, vintage baseball, the sculptures of the fair, or what it was like to grow up in the building used for the Rhode Island pavilion, the presentation tent offers points of interest to many who love history.   

For exhibits, there will be a display of  1904 RI license plates  and information about who owned them.  There will be an extensive display of  1904 phonographs and recordings  from World's Fair award winning Columbia Records.  Tunes will be played throughout the day on these antique pieces, including the  original recording of "Meet Me in St. Louis."   We will have a  sculpture demonstration , using the same material (known as staff) that the sculptors of the 1,000+ sculptures at the Fair used.  A statue may even come to life!   Watercolor artists  will set up their canvases to capture the scenes before them.

Our sponsor  CW Lanes and Games  has made sure our  arcade offers kids a good old-fashioned fun time playing simple games that were around before video games.  And yes, there will be prizes to win.  Another area to encourage a bit of creativity is our  Kid's Activities  with a coloring and paper doll station.  
The popular  Jim Key, the World's Smartest Horse , is back for entertaining the young and old with demonstrations of this horse's amazing abilities to spell, write, answer questions from the audience, and do math.  Of course, ours is only a puppet show since we haven't found a horse that smart yet. And speaking of animals, Dave Marchetti returns with his 
Animal Experience, offering those who are brave enough to handle some of his exotic creatures.

We've partnered with even  more organizations this year in a collaborative effort to bring this history to life for you. 

Blue Hill Observatory will feature an exhibit about their weather balloon at the World's Fair and have  vintage kite making for kids.  See a steam engine at the  New England Wireless & Steam Museum exhibit. Feast your eyes on  automobiles from the early 20th century, with a  1909 EMF car , a  1914 truck, and a  1904 Buick.

Learn about the Talbots living at Hearthside in 1904 and starting their handweaving business. See some spinning and weaving demonstrations alongside the antique truck from the American Textile History Museum. 

RI Manufacturers Association, a major sponsor, will have a display about manufacturing in RI today and the training opportunities offered to boost our workforce in various industries. Since RI was recognized for its educational programs at the World's Fair, we have school representation at our Fair too. Both D avies Vocational School and  CCRI, both neighbors of Hearthside, will showcasing some of their programs.

More cultures are offered....this time the  Native Americans  will be represented with the Eastern  Medicine Singers  bringing their music and stories to the stage and exhibits.  The  Confucious Institute of Bryant University  will  demonstrate calligraphy and the art of paper cutting, and their   Dragon Dance  team will perform their colorful dance on stage and throughout the grounds.  The  belly dancers, a most popular attraction in 1904  ,  are back, as well as  Maurice and his Circus Dynamics  spellbinding stunts and tricks.  And some stiltwalking too!

Mary Poppins and Bert the Chimney Sweep  will grace the grounds, as will the 
Generations Barbership Quartet.   Brass music from  Sultans of Sax  will kick off our Fair and provide lively tunes from the past.

1904 was the first time that the Olympics were in the U.S. at the St. Louis World's Fair.   Archery  was the only sport women were allowed to participate in.  So there will be a woman archer to demonstrate her skill.  A  Bronze Award for the Men's Sculls competition (rowing) was won by Constance Titus.  His grandson will have an exhibit of his award, swimsuit, and other artifacts and stories about his grandfather's experience at the 1904 Olympics. 

The wireless and early electricity exhibit has expanded this year, and will be located out of our garage.  Wireless communication will be done to radio operators elsewhere in the world from our Fair.  On display is an original Edison lightbulb taken from one of the World's Fair palaces when it was torn down after the Fair, an early x-ray machine, and lots of other cool stuff from Rich Langlois' collection .      

Who doesn't like photographs?  You can either sit down and get a keepsake professional old-time portrait done by Krystina, the professional photographer from Vintage Girl Studios (and all proceeds donated to Hearthside!),  or take a silly self photo in the Snap-a-Photo area.  Go into the house and see the early 1900s box camera owned by noted photographer David Davidson (who exhibited at the 1904 World's Fair and whose early hand-colored photographs included pictures of Hearthside).   See the extensive collection of hand-colored stereoscope cards from the St. Louis World's Fair, and learn how 3-D photography has evolved.  Try a virtual reality experience by viewing through the headset and get an experience of "it's like I am there" such as the Fairgoers had when looking through a stereoscope.
 
And looking into the future, visit  Lady Natasha's Fortune Telling Tent to get advice or a glimpse into the future through a stack of cards. Or visit the RI Genealogy Association table to learn how to go back in time to find your ancestors.

Inside the house, there are  new exhibits ,  new fashions being shown and  new informational panels to further the understanding of the impact of the Fair.  Featured of course is our Rhode Island Ro om where you'll learn more about the Rhode Island Building and the many areas where our state earned recognition.  The  Silver Award given to  Wheeler School for their artwork is on display along with one of the paintings done by a student that was part of the award-winning exhibit. The Rhode Island Visitor Log is featured in this room.  It is where every Rhode Islander who visited the Fair and the Rhode Island Building signed in.  

The centerpiece is the model of the great  Observation Wheel , situated in the Music Room.  This working model is a great way to imagine what it must have bee n like to be a passenger on the Ferris Wheel among 60 others in one car, and being lifted 272 feet into the air and seeing a birds-eye view of  the massive fairgrounds.

The  Grand Prize Award given to  Poland Springs is on display, along with a group of souvenirs from the St. Louis Fair.   There are loads of images to help transport you back to that time, and information to learn from in many, many topic areas.  

If there's something I've missed here, then don't fear, because we have a  team of "newsies," a group of newspaper selling boys who will be roaming the fairground to announce the latest news.

It's a lot to fit into one day...so don't miss a minute!  And all of this for a very reasonable admission.

  $10 for adults; $5 ages 10-17; ages 9 and under free.  Members receive 10% discount.

1904 WORLD'S FAIR
SCHEDULE OF ACTIVITIES  
  SUNDAY, JULY 23, 2017
 

A FULL DAY OF LEARNING & FUN
11 am - 5 pm

 Entertainment Tent Schedule:
 
11:15 AM                Opening Remarks & Overview of the Fair
11:30 AM                Sultans of Sax performance
 NOON                    Middle Eastern Traditional Belly Dancing
12:30 PM                 Circus Dynamics Magic Show
  1:30 PM                Sultans of Sax performance
  2:00 PM                 Middle Eastern Traditional Belly Dancing
  2:30 PM                Eastern Medicine Singers Native American Drumming
  3:00 PM                 Confucius Institute Dragon Dancers
  3:30 PM                 Eastern Medicine Singers Native American Storytelling & Singing
  4:00 PM                Confucius Institute Dragon Dancers
  4:30 PM                   Closing Announcements      
  5:00 PM                Event Closes

Presentation Tent Schedule:
 
12:10 PM                 Getting Started in Genealogy - Helen Smith
12:45 PM                 Old Time Baseball & the Providence Grays - Tim Norton
  1:10 PM                 Sculpture at the Fair - Kirk Hindman
  1:45 PM                 Gorham:  World Giant in Silversmithing - Rhonda Chadwick
   2:15 PM                Growing Up in the Rhode Island House - Laura Murch
   2:45 PM                Historical Speech Given by Samuel Nicholson at 1904 Fair-Stefan Pryor          3:30 PM                Rhode Island's Manufacturing Opportunities Today - RI Manufacturers 
                                                                                                                     Association
  
And There's More.......
   Featured Attractions in the yard:

Dave Marchetti Animal Experiences - 11 to 2 PM
Arcade Games with Prize Tent 
Jim Key: The World's Smartest Horse Exhibit (Check for Presentation Times)
Kid's Activity Center
Archery Demonstration
Lady Natasha Fortune Telling Tent
Food Tent & Ice Cream from Scoops Ice Cream
Antique Cars, truck and bicycle displays
Generations Barbershop Quartet
Old Fashioned Photo Session with Vintage Girl Studio
Spinning & Weaving Demonstrations
1904 Olympics exhibit with Bronze Medal display
Chinese paper cutting and calligraphy demonstrations
Sculpture Demonstration with Living Statue (statue between 1:30-2:30)
1904 RI License Plate Display with owner information
Live Wireless Telegraph Demo & Electricity Display
Providence Kettle Corn & Mumma's Real Lemonade
Native American Exhibit and Storytelling; handcrafted jewelry for sale
Blue Hill Observatory display with Weather Balloon 
Build Your Own Vintage Kite
Mary Poppins, Bert the Chimney Sweep & Fairgoers in Period Attire
Business Gift Baskets & Raffles
Chinese paper cutting and calligraphy demonstrations
Water Color Artists
RI Organizations Tables
Stilt Walker, Juggling & Card Tricks
Newsboy Stand
Sol Chariots Pedicab service
Fair Foods
 
Inside the Hearthside Museum:
Exhibits & Artifacts from the 1904 World's Fair
Rhode Island Stories & Connections to the Fair
Working model of the World's Fair Ferris Wheel
1904 Victor Phonographs and Columbia recordings - played
Presentation panels and articles 
Images and slide shows from the 1904 Fair
Fashions from the Fair
Gift Shop
 

THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS!

Sponsorships for the World's Fair event has far surpassed previous year's.  We are so grateful for every dollar that helps us meet our mission.  But it's not just the financial support that is so appreciated, but the fact that our support has come from across the community and from every size business and organization.  

 

Navigant Logo                                         

 

The 1904 World's Fair event is made possible through support from our Platinum Sponsor Navigant Credit Union, and Gold Sponsor The Valley Breeze.  Also from Cinemaworld, Alphagraphics Providence, and a very generous friend of Hearthside. The RI Manufacturers Association, Twin River Casino, Luxury Cleaners, Lincoln Shopping Center, Pawtucket Credit Union, Interbuild, Inc., Dupois Oil,  Beta Inc., Ballard's Farm, Kirkbrae Realty, Community College of RI,  Chinese Christian Church of RI, and the Town of Lincoln.  Also, Conklin Limestone, Lincoln Animal Hospital, Douglas Lumber, Lena Salina Legacy Preservation, Hercules Pizzaworks, Sowa Chiropractic Associates, Best Little Hair House, Shanna's Country Kitchen, Ronnie Dee Entertainment, and RI Novelty, as well as dozens of other local businesses who have supported the event through program ads, gifts and donations.  


 Our very special thanks to American Beauty Signworks for the construction and installation of our signature archway over the driveway entrance to Hearthside for this event and to the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair Society for providing their help with background for our exhibits.  Also for hosting our Volunteer Coordinator, Michelle Scully, while on her visit to St. Louis last month.  Michelle has also put together a slide show of her images from the trip to share at the Fair.   

 

And without the help of so many hard working and dedicated volunteers for putting this all together. It's a real pleasure to work with you all!
See you at the Fair!
  
Sincerely,
  
  
Kathy Hartley
Founder, President & CEO
Friends of Hearthside, Inc.
 
The mission of the Friends of Hearthside, Inc. is to preserve, protect, promote, and interpret the heritage of the Hearthside Homestead (b.1810) and the Great Road Historic District through living history programs and events.