Our Restoration Project Moves Forward

by Jackie on October 31, 2012 · 0 comments

In 2004 we began the work to ensure that we could properly care for our historic building.  Thanks to grants from the Bergen County Historic Trust and from the Fred J. Brotherton Charitable Foundation we were able to have our building evaluated by a preservation architecture firm and a formal Preservation Plan was written.  Although this was an expensive step, it was none the less a required step to make us eligible to receive future grants to have work done on our historic home.

Now, thanks to grants from the Bergen County Historic Trust and from the 1772 Foundation were were able to begin Phase I of our Preservation Plan.  This work emphasizes getting the outer shell of our building sound; replacing the roof, the gutters and moldings and replacing exterior shingles and framing that are no longer sound.

  The work began with the removal of 5 layers of roof which included the original cedar shake roof, a metal roof and multiple layers of asphalt shingles.

A layer of plywood was then placed on the whole roof.  The roofers then put ice dam and tar paper coatings, as well as a breathable  substrate that will allow the new roof cedar shakes to “breathe”.

Now cedar shakes are being placed on the roof.  The rotten wood at the back of the building has been replaced.

The original gutters were removed and new cedar boards replaced the old rotten wood.  New gutters (that replicate the original gutters have now been built on the front of the building.

We are excited about the progress on our restoration project and very grateful to all who have helped us to begin this work.  We are also extremely grateful that Hurricane Sandy was much kinder to us than Hurricane Irene.

We are still doing fund raising for our restoration work and all contributions are gratefully accepted.

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Family Scarecrow Day

by Jackie on September 25, 2012 · 0 comments

Family Scarecrow Day, 2012 – Canceled

Sunday, October 7, 2012

It has started to rain (10:45) so we are canceling Scarecrow Day.

Because of the possible rain -  we will call those who have registered IF the day is canceled.  Please call on Sunday BEFORE you come – if you are not registered.  Space is limited this year because of our building restoration project.

On Sunday, October 7, 2012, at 2:00 PM, the Meadowlands Museum will sponsor its annual Family Scarecrow Day.  Participants sign up to make a life-size scarecrow for the Museum grounds.  This is a great activity for families, scout troops or groups of friends.  Get together with your “group” (up to six people) and decide what type of scarecrow you want to make.  The Museum supplies the scarecrow frames and a head made of muslin.  There will be old clothes and accessories for participants to use, but you may also bring items of your own.  There will be straw to use for stuffing to give the scarecrows some “body”.  All scarecrows will stay on the Museum front lawn through rain and sunshine, adding to the autumn atmosphere of the Museum grounds.

If you have never participated before, why not make this the year to come.  We serve donuts and cider and have a wonderful afternoon.  This activity is for all ages, but mostly for the young at heart.  Scarecrow making begins right at 2:00 PM and registration is required.  There is a ten-dollar per group registration fee to help defray costs. If registering on the day of the event, please call to check for availability of space.

Community members are encouraged to drive by the Museum throughout October to see our scarecrow maker’s work.

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A Celebration of the Honey Bee

by Jackie on August 5, 2012 · 0 comments

On Sunday, August 12, 2012, from 6 – 8 PM, the Meadowlands Museum will sponsor a celebration of the honeybee.  The Museum’s home and property were once the site of an early farm that depended on the bees.  In celebration of our farm heritage the Museum will sponsor a time for people of all ages to learn about bees.

Jim, one of our Meadowlands area beekeepers will come and show us how honey is  removed from the hive and then processed into the honey that we use at home. A beekeeper uses a machine called an extractor to get the honey out of the combs. The extractor spins the combs very fast and extracts the delicious honey.  Jim will have his extractor at the Museum so that you can watch as he extracts the honey. He is also bringing a glass-enclosed working hive.

There will be bee stories and crafts.  Participants will take home a honey bear with local honey.

We will also be joined by Jennifer Burns Katafigiotis, author of the soon to be released children’s book Belinda Bumble Bee who will use her storybook character, Belinda, to teach children about the importance of bumble bees and their relationship to our environment and food supply. Children will learn how bumble bees help our plants grow and develop into healthy foods … including peanut butter and jelly sandwiches!

Find out how the environment is impacted by our everyday actions, the effect on bees, and how we can help the earth as good citizens of the world.  Simple pollination will be demonstrated using silk flowers, talcum powder and a bumble bee puppet.  Each child will be given a packet of bumble bee friendly seeds to plant at home to help our fuzzy, buzzy friends.

The Museum as a Farm in 1928

All funds raised during our bee celebration will be put toward the Museum’s building restoration and our new roof.  We are asking adults to contribute $10 and children $5.  There is no registration required.

The Meadowlands Museum is a local history museum located at 91 Crane Avenue in Rutherford.  The Museum is currently closed to regular visitors while we do repairs from the damage caused by Hurricane Irene and prepare for our new roof.  To register, or for information, call the Museum at 201-935-1175 or e-mail to meadowlandmuseum@verizon.net.

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Breakfast For Dinner

by Jackie on May 24, 2012 · 1 comment

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Victorian Tea This Sunday

by Jackie on May 2, 2012 · 0 comments

Our Famous Annual Spring Event:

On Sunday, May 6, 2012 from 3:00-5:00 PM the Meadowlands Museum will host its 9th annual Victorian Tea Fund Raiser for the benefit of the Museum and its programs.

The Tea is held at the Lyndhurst Presbyterian Church, (Corner of Ridge Road + Page Avenue in Lyndhurst, NJ)

Light Refreshments + Pastries + Tea

Music:
The Jazz Stylings of
Guitarist Joseph Frame

Speaker:
Kim Hendrickson, Cookbook Author
Kim has written three cookbooks. She embraces her lifelong passion of food history by preparing food, specifically desserts. Hear Kim’s unconventional story of how she began writing.

Tickets are $30 per person. Seating is limited.
Please call the Meadowlands Museum:201.935.1175  or e-mail at meadowlandsmuseum at verizon.net to ensure your seat today.

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Palisades Amusement Park this Sunday!

by Jackie on April 25, 2012 · 0 comments

Join us this Sunday at the NJMC Environmental Center, 1 DeKorte Plaza in Lyndhurst at 1PM for a FREE program for young and old alike.   Help us create a pop-up Museum about Palisades Amusement Park and to learn more about NJ’s favorite playground!

Bring your Palisades Amusement Park memorabilia with you.  We will have tables set up and help to create labels.  We will display your items just for the duration of the program, creating a pop-up museum for the pleasure of those attending our program.

Then hear our speaker, Vince Gargiulo, executive director of the Palisades Amusement Park Historical Society, and author of the book Palisades Amusement Park: A Century of Fond Memories,” and Producer of the PBS documentary of the same name.

“Program Description: In 1898, a New Jersey picnic grove became the catalyst for one of the greatest amusement parks of the century. What would later be known as Palisades Amusement Park, started out as an attraction for the local trolley company, designed to increase weekend ridership. It grew to be one of the world’s most famous fun centers, achieving national prominence throug h the Freddy Cannon song, “Palisades Park”. The lecture is a comprehensive history of the Park beginning with its inception in the late 1800s, continuing through its rather checkered history, until its ultimate demise in the early 70s. For those who ever visited Palisades Amusement Park, this lecture is sure to bring back those cherished remembrances. And for those never lucky enough to have entered its colorful gates, the Palisades Amusement Park lecture will recreate the thrills, laughter and joy that was Palisades.” (from their website)

Join us.  The total program will last about 1-1/2 hours.

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Museum Annual Chocolate Tasting – Save the Date- February 10, 2012

by Jackie on January 13, 2012 · 0 comments

The Meadowlands Museum will hold its annual chocolate tasting on Friday, February 10, 2012 from 7PM to 9:30 PM.

Because of the preservation work at the Museum we will not be able to hold the event in our building.  Aylin Colieri, artist and Museum supporter, who owns the eARTh Gallery and CISArts in Rutherford, has graciously offered her space to use for this year’s Museum fundraiser.

EARTh Gallery is located at 333 Union Avenue, Rutherford,  a store front just up from Union School in Rutherford.  Her gallery houses an art school and exhibit space where she features the art work of many NYC artists.  During our chocolate tasting event, the shaped metal wall reliefs of NYC artist Katinka Mann will be displayed.  “For over 20 years, I have been cutting and shaping sheet metal, using it as the backbone for my previous work.  Changing my  set up in the studio to gain more space, I put the cut out metal in a different area.  As I entered the studio the next day, the cut metal forms were bathed in sunlight, sparking a different look.  ….. They have the appearance of an enameled metallic surface.  The light emanates from the highly reflective surface……” Katrina Mann.

Although the gallery space is smaller than the Museum, it will still feature a large selection of chocolate as well as a chance to get to know Rutherford’s newest gallery space.  Enjoy and get to know the work of Katinka Mann who be at the gallery for our event.  We will also be treated to the music of jazz group “The John Hughes Trio”.

The funds raised for this event will be used to benefit the Meadowlands Museum programs.  Adults: $20, Children$10.  Pay at the door.

We hope you will join us.

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Our Thank You

by Jackie on November 23, 2011 · 0 comments

  At this time of Thanksgiving, our Museum would like to extend our thanks to our community for its support during this past year.  We want to thank those who have financially supported us and our preservation project and those of you who have visited and attended programs and fundraisers.

We are especially thankful for those who came out last Saturday to support our “Coins for a Cause” fundraiser that was sponsored by Boiling Springs Savings Bank.  People came to the bank and brought their bags and jars of coins and thanks to them we raised an extra $902. toward our preservation project.  Additionally some of our neighbors and friends dropped off or mailed in an extra check toward the roof restoration.

Our thanks also to the 1772 Foundation who have given us a $15,000 donation toward our new roof and to Boiling Springs Savings Bank who gave us an extra $1,000 donation and the Community Chest of Rutherford and the Lyndhurst Historical Society who each gave us $500 after hearing about the damage that Hurricane Irene had added to our already leaking roof and now to our water logged basement.  Also this year we received a $750 donation from the Lions Club and a $250 donation from the Boiling Springs Masonic Association toward our restoration project.

We are blessed to live in an area where our community is so supportive and in spite of tough economic times still support our local non-profits.  So, thank you all.  Whether you gave us a few dollars or you gave us a larger donation.  You are all important to us.  We still have a way to go with our restoration fundraising, but thanks to all of our donors this year we are closer to our goal.

Happy Thanksgiving!

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Coins for a Cause- November 19, 2011

by Jackie on November 3, 2011 · 1 comment

The Meadowlands Museum is located at 91 Crane Avenue, Rutherford and is housed in a 200-year-old farmhouse that is listed on the National Register of Historic Sites, the State of NJ Register of Historic Sites, the Bergen County Stone House Survey and the Historic American Buildings Survey.   We are in desperate need of a new roof.

Museum Roof

Although we have received grant money, we still need to raise more money to help with the extensive building repairs that are a result of extensive water damage. The damage at the Museum is a result of both the age of the building, a long term leaky roof, and the rains from Hurricane Irene.

Abandoned Office

Boiling Springs Savings Bank has begun a new program called “Coins for a Cause”. We are asking area residents to save the coins left over in their pockets each day, and to put them in a container.

On Saturday, November 19,2011 you can bring your container of coins to Boiling Springs Savings Bank branch office at 280 Union Avenue in Rutherford between 9 AM and 1PM.  The bank will use their new coin counter to count your coins and that money will then be deposited in the Museum’s Preservation Account.

This is an easy way to make a donation to help to preserve one of South Bergen’s valuable historic buildings so that we can continue to preserve area history and to provide programs for area community members.

For further information or for questions, please contact the Museum at 201-935-1175 or by e-mail at meadowlandsmuseum at verizon.net.

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Upcoming Program

by Jackie on October 31, 2011 · 0 comments

On Tuesday, November 1, 2011 at 2:00 PM the Museum will sponsor another in our series of NJ Meadowlands History programs as part of our partnership with the New Jersey Meadowlands Commission. The program is held at the NJ Meadowlands Commission’s Environmental Center, Richard W. DeKorte Park, One DeKorte Park Plaza, Lyndhurst, NJ.  You can reach them by calling 201-460-1700.

Tim Adriance

This year marks the 150th Anniversary of the Civil War, which has been called the gravest war in American history.  Our presenter, Tim Adriance is a popular lecturer and tour guide .  He has been active in historic education, preservation and interpretation since 1983.  He is recognized as a leading authority on early architecture and history in Bergen County and the surrounding region and his knowledge and experience with the unique Dutch houses of this region are widely known.  Since 1991 Tim has owned and operated Bergen County’s only historic restoration and consulting firm.

His much-acclaimed one-man living history program, “A Soldier’s Life: The Life and Times of a Civil War Soldier,” has been performed by Tim for thousands and on November 1st he will help us to understand what life was like for one of our area’s own Civil War fighters.

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