|
Mandarin Museum News
October 2023
Embrace the Mandarin Experience
| |
|
Dear Friends,
September at Mandarin Museum proved to be a joyous month as we continued forward with our brand new exhibits, expanded operating hours, and additions to our event offerings.
We hosted our inaugural Summer Harvest Dinner presented by Farnham Dentistry at Blue Bamboo with Chef Dennis Chan. Chef Chan's expertly crafted and executed menu was based on the writings and recipes of Harriet Beecher Stowe and her sister, Catharine. Not only a sold out event, it was a wonderful evening celebrating Stowe's legacy, Mandarin Museum, and a community whose history continues to unite neighbors in the bonds of friendship in the present day. Thanks to our wonderful sponsors and guests, we raised over $7,000 in support of the Museum's programming and operations!
Closing out the month of September, we hosted a guided walking tour of the historic Mandarin Cemetery. More than 40 attendees enjoyed hearing the stories of individuals whose lives shaped Mandarin in the 19th and 20th centuries. Thank you to volunteer Brett Nolan for leading this tour!
The coming month promises more opportunities to engage with Mandarin's unique history, culture, and natural resources. We look forward to seeing you soon!
| | |
|
----Brittany Cohill
----Executive Director
| |
Music Under the Oaks
Sunday, October 1st
2:00 pm to 4:00 pm
Museum Front Lawn
Music Under the Oaks is back! Join Mandarin Museum and North Florida Folk Network for an afternoon under Mandarin's historic oak canopy. Bring your acoustic instrument and join the jam session OR bring your chair or blanket and enjoy a day in the shade, taking in the melodic sounds.
Mandarin Museum and the 1898 Schoolhouse will be open to visitors during the event.
Admission is FREE; donations support Mandarin Museum's programming and operations.
| |
| |
|
First Saturday at the Museum
Saturday, October 7th
| | |
|
Meet the Maple Leaf Divers
Saturday, October 7th
10:00 am to 12:00 pm
Maple Leaf Shipwreck Gallery
Meet the men who dove the Maple Leaf Shipwreck! This is an informal, conversational-style event. Drop in anytime between 10:00 am and 12:00 pm to hear about their story of discovery, recovery, and preservation of artifacts from the Union steamboat Maple Leaf that was sunk by a Confederate mine off Mandarin Point in the St. Johns River.
| | | |
|
Mandarin Frog Painting
Saturday, October 7th
10:00 am
Museum Front Lawn
Mandarin Museum will host its monthly Mandarin Frog Painting on the Museum's front lawn. Paint your very own Mandarin Frog (or turtle or squirrel) and take it home with you same day! Registration is required. Limited spots remain. Please email info@mandarinmuseum.org to sign-up.
| | | |
|
All Historic Buildings Open
Saturday, October 7th
10:00 am to 2:00 pm
Walter Jones Historical Park & Mandarin Store & Post Office
All historic buildings will be open in Walter Jones Historical Park. Stroll through the park and step inside the 1898 St. Joseph's Mission Schoolhouse for African American Children, the 1875 Webb Jones Farmhouse, the 1876 Barn, and the Losco Winery.
The Historic Mandarin Store & Post Office, located at 12471 Mandarin Road, will also be open.
Museum volunteers will be inside each building for guided tours.
| | |
Admission to Mandarin Museum, Meet the Maple Leaf Divers, and the historic buildings (on the first Saturday of each month) is FREE! | |
Volunteer Interest Meeting
Saturday, October 14th
10:00 am to 11:30 am
Mandarin Museum will host a Volunteer Interest Meeting on Saturday, October 14th at 10:00 am. The Museum offers many regular volunteer opportunities including positions at museum guest services, as a docent, and at special events. It’s the perfect place for retirees looking to make new friends while giving back to their community! Attendees will receive a guided tour of the museum (including behind-the-scenes) and learn more about the volunteer program and its benefits. Please email Brittany at director@mandarinmuseum.org to RSVP or for more information.
| | | |
Don "Frogman" Bowden loves experimenting in his workshop. His newest creation? A mold for a Mandarin Alligator. While he's fine tuning his process, visit Mandarin Museum during the month of October to enter for a chance to win the very first one! It's FREE to enter; one entry per person. | |
 |
Artist Brenda Councill: Celebrating 50 Years
Thursday, November 9th
6:00 pm
Mandarin Community Club
Mandarin Museum is pleased to host an evening with artist Brenda Councill on Thursday, November 9th. With a career spanning 50 years, Councill made a name for herself in Jacksonville with her popular series of limited edition prints and drawings of historic Mandarin homes and sites. Since, she has explored diverse mediums including painting, sculpture, and mixed media. Now internationally known, her work is in corporate, private, and public collections in the United States and around the globe. As a longtime former resident of Mandarin, her heart has remained with the community she holds dear. Her current project focuses on creating the first and only life-sized sculpture of Harriet Beecher Stowe to be installed in Walter Jones Historical Park. A scale model of the proposed bronze sculpture is currently on display in the Stowe Gallery at Mandarin Museum. Please join us on November 9th to celebrate Brenda Councill's 50 years of work!
Cocktails & hors d'oeuvres will begin at 6:00 pm; the program will begin at 7:00 pm. This program is hosted in partnership with and will be held at Mandarin Community Club, 12447 Mandarin Road.
| |
|
Dr. Ian MacKenzie Farnham
by Paula Suhey
"I would like to learn more about the museum and the history of this community," said MacKenzie Farnham as he completed an application to become a volunteer at Mandarin Museum in 2021.
“And," he continued, “I would like to give back to the Museum."
Dr. Mack, as his patients call him, is the son of dentists. Farnham Dentistry has been in Mandarin since 1983. “I saw how satisfied my parents were in helping people and it was not a difficult choice for me to do something similar." He graduated Cum Laude with a bachelor of science degree in integrative biology from the University of Florida before earning his doctorate in dental surgery from the University of Maryland where he graduated with the Dean’s Award for Outstanding Community Service. Dr. Mack then completed an extra year of training at the Jersey Shore University Medical Center, earning a general practice residency degree.
Because of his love for helping others, Mack has volunteered around the globe, as well as here in Duval County, with organizations offering pro-bono dentistry for those in need. Mack is an active member of the Rotary Club of Mandarin and became a member of the Mandarin Museum Board of Directors shortly after becoming a volunteer.
Mack can often be seen early in the morning riding his bike on Mandarin Road with his black lab, Nugget, close behind.
| |
|
Mandarin Newsline
Read 2023 current and past issues of the Mandarin Newsline online now!
This free newspaper allows Mandarin Museum to share history, events, and programs with the public. The newspaper remains free to readers due to the robust local advertising. Please visit, shop, and eat at those businesses who support the community in this way.
| |
Explore all our community has to offer. | |
More ways to stay up-to-date! | |
|
Thank you to our all of our community partners!
Mandarin Museum is funded in part through the Cultural Council of Greater Jacksonville and the City of Jacksonville.
| |
|
MISSION: Mandarin Museum & Historical Society shares the stories of Mandarin's history, culture, and natural resources by providing engaging programs that educate, entertain and inspire.
VISIT. JOIN. VOLUNTEER.
Mandarin Museum & Historical Society
904-268-0784
info@mandarinmuseum.org
| | | | |
