 Museum Foundation at the Angels Camp Farmer’s Market
The Museum Foundation had a presence at the first farmer’s Market held on Friday, June 9, and had a front-row seat to view its success. Being held for the first time at the Angels Camp Museum since Utica Park is under construction for the exciting redesign. It appeared to foundation members Gina Milani and Jamie McMurray (in photo) that everyone heartily approved of the new venue! We spoke with many people and helped them understand what the foundation does and how we work with the museum, and we promoted the upcoming lecture series and the new summer youth education program as well. It helped that the weather was beautiful; families brought the kids, everyone enjoyed the food and music, and people had full bags when they left! Museum Director Martin Huberty said that the museum enjoyed a significant increase in traffic the following Saturday from people who came to the market and saw how big the museum really was, then returned to more fully explore the museum during operating hours. If you haven’t been to the museum lately, you’re OVERDUE!
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 2022–23 Lecture Series Wrap!
On May 7th, the Calaveras County Historical Society & Museums Executive Director, Kristopher Mandell, presented an excellent lecture on the Art of the Gold Rush. Mr. Mandell has an international art education. He received his education at San Francisco State University, the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology in Australia, and John Cabot University in Rome, Italy.  We came, we learned, we made frog rocks, and some kissed the frogs! It was a beautiful, cool morning, perfect for learning about the famous Angels Camp Jumping Frogs. Our local frog Jockeys and Frog mobile joined us for a fabulous time. We were surrounded by many past winners who shared the secrets to winning at our local Jumping Frog Jubilee. A big thank you to the Kitchells and Ron Dwellys crew.
 On May 7th, the Calaveras County Historical Society & Museums Executive Director Kristopher Mandell presented an excellent lecture on the Art of the Gold Rush. Mr. Mandell has an international art education. He received his education at San Francisco State University, Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology in Australia, and John Cabot University in Rome, Italy.
New Children’s Summer Education Series We’re excited to introduce our new Children’s Summer Education Series - an extension of our Adult Lecture/Education series geared towards children 6-13. It will focus on children who have an accompanying parent wanting to learn more about Angels Camp history through fun, hands-on activities and experiences. Registration is now open and you can sign up here. For this first season, we’re offering one program per month starting in May:
May 10, 2023 “Jump into the Museum” Education Details: Children will get to enjoy 3 stations, a 20-minute story of Mark Twain, 20 minutes of interaction about the famous jumping frog, prepare to touch frogs, and create an art piece. June 14, 2023 “Join the Fire Brigade” 20-minute stations will include: Education about carriage house fire truck, learn about working as a community fire brigade, explore fire equipment and science. Prepare to get wet, water will be involved. July 12, 2023 “Strike it Rich” Gold Rush Fever Children will have 3 stations to work through, 20 minutes hands on gold panning instruction, 20-minute informative story about rock formations, 20 minute geode exploration. August 9, 2023 "The Real City of Angels" Children will gather for a 30-minute Education on Henry Angell and learn about fiat currency and bartering. Next, they will use their skills to purchase goods with fake money. Each program will have a maximum of 30 participants; cost is $5.00 per child if the family is a member of the museum, and $10 for non-members. Scholarships are also available. Participation and donations for this program are fully tax deductible under the Museum Foundation 501c3 Status.  New Online Museum Membership Renewal Option!
We’re excited to share that, working with the Museum staff, the foundation has added a page to our website that makes it super easy for people to renew their museum membership! If you visit our new membership page you’ll find a drop-down menu under “Support” with an option that says “Become a Member.” Just fill out the form! Also, you can choose to auto renew which makes it even easier to stay current. We are offering Individual, Family, a new Patron/Corporate level that, with the Lifetime membership includes an engraved brick and/or tile that will be a permanent fixture at the museum. Lectures are once again included in membership and we look forward to seeing you at our next lecture February 5 when author Lynn Downey returns to tell a vivid story of the Arequipa sanatorium in Marin County and its cure that doctors and their talented team of Progressive women made available to and possible for hundreds of working-class patients. She’ll also talk about a similar sanatorium located in nearby Murphys. Museum Membership as run by the Angels Camp Museum Foundation is tax deductible to the fullest extent of the law. Don't forget to sign up for our newsletter too!!! Join or renew today!
 What do you think?
Many of us have walked by our beloved Sierra Railway Exhibit with a warm place in our heart for how it was created, and regret that it no longer functions. I'd like to put out a plea to the community regarding this model train display at the back of the Pole Barn here at the museum. Having checked with Chuck Schneider and Jim Miller, our museum historians, to the best of our my knowledge the display has sat in an inoperative state for at least the last fourteen years. The foundation has recently conducted a formal assessment and, we are in agreement that if we wish to have a Sierra Railway Exhibit that operates, educates and excites our visitors – we need to start from scratch. That said, I'd like to dismantle the current display – retaining any essential parts that could potentially be reused in a reimagined exhibit, and use this new space to display artifacts that are currently boxed and shelved. The result would be new exhibits to see each time you visit! I want to assure the community that we still will have a Sierra Railroad display, but it might be a couple of years off. As you read earlier, the foundation has taken the formal steps necessary to potentially tap in to federal funds to build a new, engaging, and interactive exhibit that connects with today’s museum audiences in a way that will really bring the Sierra Railway innovation and achievement to life! If anyone has any objections to us dismantling the old display, please contact us as soon as possible. Thank you for your continued support and enthusiasm for the Angels Camp Museum. Pole Barn Campaign & Giving Tuesday Results
Money In: The Pole Barn campaign launched in 2021 and concluded with a final push on Giving Tuesday this past November, 2022. We set a goal of $25k. During the final push during Giving Tuesday we raised $4,100 for a total raised of $21,105 over the course of the campaign. Money Out: So far the foundation has contributed $2,250 to pole barn stands, $1,016 on signs and $13,580 on concrete for pole barn pathway expansion/improvements. If you haven’t visited the Mining & Ranching exhibits in the Pole Barn recently, you should! You’ll be delighted at the amazing work of Museum Staff! Spring 2023 Fundraiser Want to know what it was really like in Angels Camp in the 1856? The Museum Foundation is working on a story about a man who came to Calaveras County from Massachusetts with the hope, like so many others, of finding gold and striking it rich. His name was Andrew Galliardo. It’s an account of what life was like then as told through Andrew’s eyes, a prospector who hailed originally from Rehoboth, Massachusetts. This story draws on letters generously shared by the Pierce family, which they had received from Andrew between 1856 and 1858. Keep an eye out for our invite! We're targeting April! Reimagining the Old Sierra Railway Exhibit There have been numerous efforts to reinvigorate the museum's Sierra Railway exhibit. The most recent effort was done by the Angels Camp Museum Foundation which started in August 2021. Working with several train enthusiasts both in the surrounding area and the Bay Area and completing a thorough assessment, it was finally determined that while the exhibit was one of the more interesting models, it was so aged that it really needs to be rebuilt from the ground up. Major findings include:
We have identified a vendor in Fresno, Monster City Studios, as a resource to build the exhibit (they even have a train enthusiast on staff) and will work with them on a scope of work to attach to a planning grant application the foundation plans to write requesting federal funds from the National Endowment for Humanities. Once a detailed plan and budget are in place, we would apply for the implementation grant. Clearly, this is a multi-year effort; it will be worth it. If you’re interested in helping to write the grant (next round due in August), develop specifications, or help with any other aspects of the project, please apply here.
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