The Big Fish Exhibit will open Saturday June 30 at 9am at the Gateway Museum main street location.  The hard work is finally over.  The first floor of the museum has been painted, new carpet installed, artifacts collected and cleaned, and new graphic signs installed.  The exhibit is sensational!   It will be a proud day for the museum when we open our doors on June 30th.  Many people have worked hard to put this together.  Several local citizens are featured in the displays including Allan Bogardus the sturgeon fisherman and Jim Evans the muskie guide.  We look forward to showing off our newest project.

Our hiking trail opened to the public on May 26th.   The Morristown Highway Department spent several days building our new 300 foot long boardwalk through the marshy areas of the farm.  Boy Scout Troop 9 from Heuvelton worked all day June 16th to make trail improvements to create a first class hiking trail.  Evan Cosler from the Troup chose our location for his Eagle Scout project and led the boys on making these improvements.  As we have been reporting for the last several months, there are over 40 blue herons nesting in the trees at the back of the property and these magnificent birds can be seen in their nests from the trail (bring binoculars !). This blue heron rookery is just one of a few in the North Country and represents a very special experience for our hikers.  It is almost impossible to hike this trail without seeing deer.  One hiker reported seeing a turkey hen on a nest of nine eggs.  If you are quiet – you can see the beavers working to improve the third pond along the trail.  A few  of us attempted to re-establish Allan Bogardus's old garden near the farm house, but are losing our battle with all the critters out there.  We recently found a large snapping turtle laying eggs in a newly planted row of tomatoes!

We completed our fund raising garage sale June 16th.  Thanks to all the people who donated to our cause.  The money raised will be spent funding the many projects and activities sponsored by the museum

The barn quilt workshop will kick off June 18th.   It is not too late to sign up.  See our Events Calendar on the home page of our website for details on how to join this class.

Yoga classes start on Wednesday, June 27th.  There are two classes each week- beginners and intermediate.  Please see the Events Calendar for more information about how to sign up.

Our annual fund raising drive is underway.  We have sent a patron letter to our donors.  This is our largest fund raising event of the year.  Early response has been fantastic.  Several donors have targeted their donations to buy benches for the hiking trail at the Red Barn Preserve.  Another donor has requested their gift be spent on audio equipment to support the new fishing exhibit.  We thank our supporters for helping us provide the community with activities that we think will make a difference. We ask those that have not had a chance to donate to take a minute a send us a check or PayPal donation.

We have expanded the number of hours that the museum is open this year.  You can stop by
Saturdays 9am - 1pm
Sundays 1pm - 4pm
Wednesdays 9am- 1pm
 
Our volunteer organization continues to grow and we welcome anyone who would like to work a couple of hours for the museum.  There are numerous things that you could do for us.  If you like working outdoors- we have endless projects out at the farm.  A new volunteer recently explained he was good at maintenance and before long he was wiring the new electrical service in the pump house.  Others have asked if they could work on our hiking trail project- and the answer was yes!  We are currently looking for someone that has knowledge of computer and web cameras.  We have not given up on installing a web camera on the back of the museum building, looking at Morristown harbor- we just need help from someone that has the skills to do this.  We desperately need someone to help us catalog our artifacts.  If you have experience in fundraising- we need you!  If you know how to apply for a grant- we need you (and if you do not know how to apply for a grant- we will teach you)  The bottom line here is- we have a lot of fun and we think we provide a  great service to our community.  If you want to help- please call me on my cell phone at 614-205-8437

Dean Shelato
June 16, 2018

As the warm weather returns and flowers blossom with Spring-  the Gateway Museum springs to life preparing for another busy summer. 

Our Big Fish exhibit grand opening planned for June 30th is just around the corner and lots of work needs to be done.  10 very ambitious volunteers have painted the first floor of the building.  New carpeting covering the entire first floor of the building will be installed the week of May 14th.  THE HAND PAINTED MUSKIE SIGN AS ARRIVED!  New sign boards are being printed at the printers.  Our in-house display builder is busy in the shop preparing elaborate fixtures.  Our part time curator Hallie Bond is assembling the final pieces of artifacts to complete the exhibit.    Is our project manager nervous?  You better believe it !  Not to worry he says-   “We will be ready for the grand opening!”

After an incredibly long winter and cold spring our hiking trail project is back on track to open Memorial Day weekend.  The Morristown Highway department completed the new gravel parking lot installed along River Road East.  They intend to finish the 300 foot long boardwalk through the marshy area during the week of May 14th.  A boy Scout from Troup 9 in Heuvelton has agreed to complete his 100 hour Eagle Scout project at the Trail site by managing 30 scouts doing hiking trail improvements in June.  We will add new signage, bench seating, and possibly an observation tower in the next couple of months.  The Board of Trustees for the museum has approved the name “Morristown Red Barn Preserve “ as the official name for the Bogardus Farm Property.

We reported in our Blog last month that the Blue Herons were back.  Over 40 birds have been spotted in the Rookery at the back of the farm.  While it is difficult to see in these nests because of our commitment to remain 500 feet away- we think we have baby birds in the nests.  It is a beautiful sight to see the comings and goings of these beautiful birds.  Since there are so few Rookeries in the North Country- if you spot a blue heron in St Lawrence County- there is a good chance he/she lives in the nests at our Preserve.

Our Grant funding team has been working overtime to secure monies for the Museum Projects.  We have successfully received generous funding for the fishing exhibit from the Sweetgrass Foundation.  We have applied for three more grants and are awaiting approvals.  The first grant will fund an observation tower for the hiking trail:  the second grant will provide money to construct a second hiking trail at the farm as well as improvements to the Red Barn and the third grant will provide funds to install heating and cooling in the Museum building.

The annual drive to solicit funds from our museum supporters is underway.  The patron letter was mailed out last week.  Our generous donors contributed more than $5,000 in 2017.  As explained in the patron letter- the acquisition of the Bogardus Farm was a wonderful opportunity to provide the community with hiking trails and outdoor recreational activities but this acquisition also came with expenses such as heating, lighting, maintenance and landscape costs.  In addition to checks we are accepting donations by way of PayPal if that interests anyone. 

Please check our 2108 events calendar for updates and additions.  We just added Thomas E Brooking from the Sturgeons- For- Tomorrow non profit organization as a guest speaker for July 19th.  We think we will be adding another guest speaker for August 9th- please check our calendar regularly.

With the increased activities planned by the museum ( new Big Fish Exhibit, new hiking trail, guest speakers and concert series) the Museum has increased the number of days we will be open this summer.  Our new schedule is as follows:
Saturdays 9am 1pm
Sundays 1pm to 4pm
Wednesdays  9am – 1pm
 
We continue to seek volunteers to join the museum.  If you are interested in donating some time- we have many projects to do.  As we look at our ambitious agenda- we know we will be challenged to deliver on everything without more help.  Please reach out to a Board member if you have any interest in serving our community.

Dean Shelato
May 14, 2018

When the Gateway Museum took ownership of the Bogardus Farm last year- we discovered a Blue Heron Rookery with at least 60 nests located in trees along a large pond deep inside the 160 acre tract of land.  There was speculation about whether this Rookery was active or not.  If there were Blue Herons last year- they had left for the season when we started looking at the nests last July.  There is no longer any speculation- THE BLUE HERONS HAVE RETURNED!  We counted at least 40 birds on the nests late last month and there is reason to believe there are more.  A spectacular sight to see.  These giant creatures with 6 foot wingspans are beautiful and yet comical to watch as they fly in and out of the nesting area.  It is not easy for two of these birds to share a nest.  And amazingly enough they often tend to build the colony vertical.  Some of the tree sites appear to be 3 story apartment buildings with birds occupying each of the 3 floors of the tree.   For those of us used to seeing a single Blue Heron next to or in shallow water areas fishing by themselves- it is just incredible to watch 40 of these amazing birds nesting together in a relatively small area.  We will post pictures on this website in the next few days.

The Gateway Museum has worked closely with the Thousand Island Land Trust organization and others to develop a system of trails across the property that will enable hikers to see the Rookery from a safe distance that will not disrupt the birds.  Trail #1 is currently being built.  With help from the Town of Morristown highway department- a new parking area next to River Road East was built last fall.  When the weather warms up- the Highway department team will return and construct the 300 foot long boardwalk crossing through some of the marshy areas.  We hope the residents of Morristown and surrounding communities will take advantage of this outdoor experience and enjoy the extensive wildlife on the Bogardus Farm. The target date for opening the trail is May 26, 2018.

The Big Fish Exhibit continues to move ahead.   The museum is proud to feature an Exhibit that honors some of the local fisherman who made their living from fishing in the St Lawrence River.  Allan Bogardus was a well-known Morristown Sturgeon fisherman (and founding member of the Gateway Museum) .  Jim Evans was a successful Muskie guide and long time resident of Morristown.  The museum is very fortunate to have acquired excellent artifacts including Allan’s unique sturgeon fishing boat, boat motor, fishing nets and numerous stories and pictures of his catches.  Jim Evans’ family has provided outstanding pieces including Muskie mounts from his successful fishing trips. 

The museum is grateful to the Sweetgrass Foundation as well as donations from members of the Museum board for providing the money to make this Exhibit possible.

We are currently reaching out to have guest speakers lined up to provide talks about Sturgeon and Muskie populations in the St Lawrence River.  Please mark your calendars – the exhibit is expected to open on June 30th.

The summer concert series schedule is set.  The Shoes- Rock and Roll Dance Party kicks off the summer schedule on Saturday July 7th.  Dust off those dancing moves and join us for what will certainly be a memorable event.  The rest of the calendar can be seen on the “2018 Events” Tab on the home page of this website.

Members of our Board of Trustees have been active preparing Grant applications to seek funding for improvements at the Bogardus Farm Property.  If we are successful these Grants will fund a second hiking trail and improvements to the Red Barn.  We are also hoping to find a Grant assistance to fund building improvements at our Main Street Building.  We currently have no way to heat the building.  Other opportunities include new lighting, paint, and window air conditioners for the second floor.

We welcomed two new Trustees to the Board this month- Melanie Connor and Ellen Magee Copeman.  These two talented women bring strong business backgrounds to the team and we look forward to their participation in Museum activities in the future.

We continue to seek volunteers to join the museum.  If you are interested in donating some time- we have many projects to do.  As we look at our ambitious agenda – we know we will be challenged to deliver on everything without more help.  Please reach out to a Board member if you have any interest in serving our community.
 
Dean Shelato
4/15/18

Recently Hallie Bond- former curator for the Adirondack Museum and now consultant and project manager for the Big Fish Exhibit has presented the Board of Trustees a layout of the exhibit.  A designer has been hired to take the layout and convert it into museum pieces that can be displayed according to the plan.  On Saturday March 3rd – Museum Trustees and volunteers gathered at our location on Main Street to clear the first floor exhibit area of older collections of artifacts.  An ambitious team was dispatched to the basement to clear and build a storage area that would enable some of the valuable older collections to go into storage.   With less than 4 months to go before our opening the project team members are both excited and a bit nervous considering all that remains to be done. 

Our Bogardus Farm property and hiking trails project continues to hibernate as winter hangs on in the North Country.  The Town of Morristown Highway Department is ready to move forward with the construction of a boardwalk across marshy areas along the trail and the parking lot along River Road East- as soon as the weather breaks.

The Museum Board of Trustees has authorized several members to go ahead with a Grant Application to seek funding for a second hiking trail and improvements to the Red Barn at the Bogardus Farm.  The 100 year old barn could use some interior renovations and foundation repairs to make it suitable for future activities.  If the Grant is approved the work for this Phase 2 project could start later this year and be completed by mid 2019.

Last month we published a preliminary schedule for the Summer Concert Series.  Be sure to check the “2018 Events”  Tab on the Home Page of this website to see the latest schedule of events.
I am sad to report that the web camera set up to view Morristown Harbor has failed due to technical issues.  We hope to attack this project again later this year and we will be successful!

We are always looking for volunteers.  If you have some time and want to hang around some fun people –please reach out to a board member and offer your services.  We have lots to do and would welcome your help.
 
Dean Shelato
March 8, 2018

We are soooooo excited about our new fishing exhibit that we released the following Press Release to the Media:

“The Morristown Gateway Museum will open a new exhibit on “Big Fish” this summer.  The focus will be on fishing for Sturgeon and Muskie in the St Lawrence  River near Morristown.  The museum has contracted with Hallie Bond to research and manage the project.  She was at the Adirondack Museum in Blue Mountain Lake from 1983 until 2012 first as Education Director and then as Curator.  She brings a level of professionalism to the fishing exhibit that will be a step up for the Gateway Museum.

Funding for the project has been made possible by private gifts from museum trustees, the late Allan Bogardus, the Sweetgrass Foundation and several individuals.
The Museum plans to open the new exhibit to the public this summer with a formal opening on Saturday, June 30th.”
Much work has been done to gather information for this new exhibit and the Museum’s Board of Trustees is meeting later this month to discuss hiring a well-known exhibit designer that has done work for TAUNY in Canton. 
I can safely say there is a “Wow Factor” associated with this new exhibit !

Our summer series concert chairman Chris Coffin has published a draft of the 2018 summer concerts.  Mark your calendars for these events:
Saturday July 7  -  The Shoes-Rock & Roll Dance Party
Monday July 16- The Sacci Band- big band music
Monday July 23- Barb Heller and Don Woodcock- Family Sing-A-Long
Monday July 30- Steeling Country- Country and Western Swing
Monday August 6- Alex Smith- Adirondack singer and songwriter
Monday August 13- Jack Kelly’s little Big Band
Monday August 20- Northbound- rock music from the 60s,70s, and 80s
 
Be sure to check back with this website regularly- there may be some additions to this list as we finalize the list.

We are very pleased to welcome Jeff Swift to our museum’s Board of Trustees.  Jeff recently retired from BOCES and has been a longtime volunteer for the museum.   He brings valuable hands on skills to museum that are badly needed to help with our ambitious agenda.

Our Bogardus Farm trail building project has hibernated as the weather makes it difficult to do outdoor construction.  As soon as conditions improve the Town of Morristown highway department is ready move in and take the lead building a boardwalk across some of the marshy areas along the trail route.    We are also looking for returning blue herons to the property.  Late February/early March is nesting season for these majestic birds. We are hoping to see lots of activity in the rookery.

Please check out our website camera.  After lengthy problems we have finally got the camera stabilized and have a terrific view of the Morristown Harbor.  It was fun to watch three local fisherman ice fishing in the harbor last Saturday.  While I did not see any fish pulled out of those holes- the guys sure looked like they were having fun!

We are always looking for volunteers.  If you have some time and want to hang around some fun people –please reach out to a board member and offer your services.  We have lots to do and would welcome your help.

Stay Warm
 
Dean Shelato
February 8, 2018

There is not much I can say that hasn’t already been said about the cold weather that has swept over the North Country.  Insane, Crazy, Bizarre etc…….  The good news is that it is less than 3 months to Spring!
 
Our part time curator/ project manager Hallie Bond continues to put together the Fishing Exhibit that will open up around June 1, 2018.  She recently interviewed Lyle Woodcock who was a good friend of Allen Bogardus.  Lyle talked about taking out the anchors to hold each end of the sturgeon lines and about “pirates”- the people who snagged sturgeon without licenses.

The three quarter mile long hiking trail project at the Bogardus Farm is on track to open June 2018.
We have purchased the lumber for the 271 feet of boardwalk needed to cross the marshy areas .  Fortunately the weather was good in the early to middle part of December that enabled us to have the wood delivered and stored for this project.  As soon as the weather turns decent- the Morristown Highway Department is prepared to start work.
 
Once again the State of New York has been kind enough to fund the summer concert series.  The museum received a grant for $2,500.  This project is made possible with funds from the Decentralization Program, a re grant program of the New York State Council on the Arts, with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature, and administered by the St Lawrence County Arts Council. While we do not have the full schedule planned, this coming summer’s program will include a rock and roll dance party on July 7th with music by “The Shoes”; an outstanding North Country big band, “The Sacci Band”, on July 16th; Barb Heller and Don Woodcock with a FAMILY SING-ALONG on July 23rd; and Adirondack singer/songwriter Alex Smith on August 6th.

The webcam has been purchased and installed on the back of the Museum Building facing the Morristown Harbor.  When the camera is working there are high quality images of the St Lawrence River and shipping channel as well as the Morristown Harbor.  We have been struggling to keep the camera up and running and the cold weather has not helped the cause.  Check the home page of this website for access to the camera

It is never too late to volunteer to help the museum.  If anyone has any interest in donating some time- we have many projects to do.  Please reach out to a Board member if you have any interest in serving our community.

Dean Shelato
January 4, 2018
 
 
 

It is starting to get quiet in the North Country.  Most seasonal people have shuttered their homes and headed to warmer places.   The first snow has fallen and it is getting quite cold.

You would think the Gateway Museum would be done until next spring.  Not so!  While we have closed our doors to the public until next year- the Board of Trustees and Volunteers are working hard to prepare for next year’s activities and projects.  We have our Fishing Exhibit, the Bogardus Farm hiking trail, and web camera projects to plan and execute before the summer traffic returns to the area. 

As I mentioned last month- the Fishing Exhibit is off to a terrific start.  Our part time curator/project manager Hallie Bond has wasted little time in ramping up the project- poring over newspaper articles and exploring the Gateway Museum deep interiors to find artifacts that would support the theme of Sturgeon Fishing and Muskie Fishing in the St Lawrence River.  Hallie and two members of the board met with Maryann Evans to interview her about her famous Muskie guide fishing father- Jim Evans.  Click on the exhibits tab in this website to see pictures taken at that interview.  Did you know that Jim would retire each lure that he used to catch a Muskie?  And there were a lot of retired lures hanging in the Evans House!  On the sturgeon side of this exhibit we are beginning to see people coming out to support this project.  For example the Sturgeons-For-Tomorrow nonprofit organization in Syracuse has volunteered to provide information about sturgeons for our exhibit.  Local people are starting to tell us their stories about helping Allan Bogardus with his sturgeon business.  We think we may have found a map pinpointing where Allan caught his fish in the river.  A secret map showing where the big fish are located?  It does not get any better than this.  Our target date to open the exhibit remains June 2018.

The three quarter mile long hiking trail project at the Bogardus farm is on track to open June 2018.  The Morristown Township highway superintendent walked the trail site with us last month to determine what his team could do to improve the trail.  He had some good ideas about how to build a small parking area on the east end of the trail.  Estimates have been prepared for the materials needed to build the 275 feet of boardwalk across the marshy areas.  Our volunteers spent a day brush hogging the route.  The incredible natural beauty is seen in the pictures posted on this website home page.  We have also added a video on the home page to highlight the route. 

The web cam project is moving along nicely.  The camera has been purchased and installed on the back of the Museum building facing the Morristown Harbor.  The camera images are high quality and very cool.  One can see the boat launch, the St Lawrence River, ships and parts of Brockville.  That’s the good news.  The bad news is- it is taking a lot more time and effort to get this camera installed on our website and accessible to the public.   We are working with lots of technical people to make this happen.  Let’s hope it gets done in the near future.

I had the pleasure to meet and interview Hubert Richardson and Larry Kring this month.  Hubert recently donated an ice boat to the museum.  Back in the day- the boat was sailed on the frozen ice of Black Lake.  According to Hubert- it was possible to get that thing up to 60 miles per hour.  Larry told stories about how challenging it was to jump into the boat when there was a wind.  They had no brakes and very limited steering ability.  The Museum is looking forward to putting the boat on display.

We continue to seek volunteers to join the museum.  If anyone has any interest in donating some time- we have many projects to do.  As we look at next year’s ambitious agenda – we know we will be challenged to deliver on everything without more help.  Please reach out to a Board member if you have any interest in serving our community.

Dean Shelato
11/29/17
 

 If you were listening to North Country Public Radio on October 4th you may have heard the interesting piece about Dr. Morse’s Indian Root Pills.  The article reached back into Morristown History and told the story of one of Morristown’s largest employers- the Indian Root Pill factory in town.  The current Town Clerk- David Murray- narrated portions of the story.  Did you know that Dr. Morse was not a real person? To hear this amazing story click on the History Tab (on this Home Page) and you will find the link to the story.  Be sure to click on “Listen” when the link opens up to this piece.
 
What a difference a month makes !  Last month I wrote that the museum was talking about doing a fishing exhibit and that board members were out in the community seeking ideas and talking to Museum professionals about what it would take to complete such a project.  In 30 days we have moved from talking about it- to getting it done!  At the October meeting the Board has set aside funds to move ahead with the project.
 
Here is where we stand:
 
     A very talented well known North Country Museum Curator was interviewed and hired to lead the project
    The project will consist of two themes- Sturgeon fishing and Muskie Fishing
    Two important Morristown men and well known fishermen- Allan Bogardus and Jim Evans will be featured in the exhibit.
    The museum will seek grant funding to provide a top of the line presentation that is as professional as any museum exhibit in the area
    Our target date for the ribbon cutting ceremony is June 1, 2018.


We are excited about this project and hope that the community will support us by providing artifacts related to the theme- Sturgeon and Muskie fishing.  IF ANYONE HAS PICTURES, ARTICLES, OBJECTS OR PERSONAL STORIES RELATED TO OUR THEME AND/OR RELATED TO ALLAN BOGARDUS OR JIM EVANS- WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU.  Your items can be donated or loaned to the museum for this project.   Please reach out to us by filling out a note on the homepage of this website, or let a board member hear from you (board members are listed on the website)

Our second project – hiking trails on the Bogardus Farm is also moving forward. As I mentioned last month- we have talked to lots of professionals about how to utilize this property including members of the Thousand Island Land Trust (these guys are the real experts in establishing trails around the Thousand Islands), A SUNY Potsdam biology professor, a member of the New York State Department of Conservation, a member of the Army Corp of Engineers, and a private wetlands consultant.  Utilizing all of this advice- we have marked a trail approximately three quarters of a mile long across the property.  The trail crosses level land.  Nearly 300 feet pass thru a marshy area that will need trail improvements such as a boardwalk.  The views along this route are spectacular- wild life everywhere including ducks, geese, rabbits, fox, deer (too many to count), muskrats, and beaver.  The Morristown Town Board agreed this month to support this project with their highway department labor (as they have time) to brush cut and make trail improvements.  The Ribbon Cutting Ceremony is expected to happen around June 1st of next year.

Our third project is the web cam that we expect to install on the back of the museum facing the Morristown harbor.  This camera will provide people that look at our website an opportunity to watch the St Lawrence River and observe Ocean Ships passing by as well as see boaters moving around the harbor.  There have been more challenges than our technology guy (that would be me) realized and a lot more learning than anticipated.  With some good luck – we hope to get this camera up and running in November.
 
The museum received a significant donation this month- an ice boat.  Hubert Richardson was the donor (with help provided by Larry Kring).  We hope to gather information about ice boats and put this great piece on display in the near future.

Now is a great time to volunteer to help the museum.  If you have any interest please reach out to us- we would love to hear from you.
 
Dean Shelato
10/27/2017

We sadly closed the doors on another great year.  Concerts, Lectures, and benefit dinners are done.  In the spirit of Halloween, Clara Warren found time to decorate the Museum front windows.  Wayne Latham has been busy doing building maintenance on roof areas.  Our 100 old year building needs a little bit of attention.

Behind the closed doors of the museum- the members of the Board of Directors are putting in lots of hours gathering information and planning for next year.  Besides the regular planning events such as the Summer Concert Series, 4th of July parade, and benefit dinners we are working on projects related to the Bogardus Farm, building a new fishing exhibit and installing a new web camera on the back of the museum facing Morristown Harbor.

We may be years and many dollars away from deciding what to do with the Bogardus Property.  A committee was formed to explore the possibilities.  How about building hiking trails across the farm? Experts in the last 30 days have visited this amazing tract of land including members of the Thousand Island Land Trust, DEC, SUNY Potsdam and a Private Consultant that specializes in Blue Herons.  Why would a Blue Heron Expert visit this land?  Because there is evidence of Blue Heron nests on the property and this is a very very rare event!  All of the visitors said the same thing-“you have a very special property here”

We have scouted ideas for utilizing the famous Red Barn.  Members of the Board recently visited the Iva Smith Memorial Gallery of Fine Art in South Hammond.  If you live anywhere near South Hammond –I would highly recommend that you drive over there and see what these folks have done to take a regular North Country Barn and upgrade it to become an Art Gallery.  I am told that power washing and elbow grease is the secret.  This bright yellow building is visible from the highway and worth a look.  Perhaps our Red Barn on the Bogardus property could be upgraded in a similar manner.

I hinted in our write up last month about a fishing exhibit coming to the museum.  Actually the museum is investigating how we can take on such a large task.  Several museum members visited the St Lawrence County Historical Association in Canton.  These folks are housed at the Silas Wright House on Main Street.  The visit was very educational and informative about how to tackle a large project such as building a museum Exhibit.  We have a long way to go with this project but it is moving forward.

Our last significant project is related to the Gateway Museum’s website.  The website has been up and running for nearly two months now and we see steady daily traffic.  There have been weekly updates of pictures and content that keeps things fresh.  An idea was submitted to increase the website traffic by adding a web camera to the rear of the museum building looking at Morristown harbor and boat launch.  After talking to a computer consultant – it became apparent that it would be easy and affordable to add such a camera.  Look on our website for this installed camera in the next 60 days. 

All of the projects listed above take volunteer time and money to do.  We welcome folks to let us know if they have any interest in supporting the Museum.  Our contact information is listed here on the website.  We also welcome comments.  If you have any thoughts about the museum please click on the “contact” button at the top of the home page of the website.  You will be asked for your name, email and message.  You will not be contacted about your message unless you want to be contacted.  It’s just that easy!

What do Blue Herons, hiking trails, fishing exhibit and web camera have in common?  The Gateway Museum of course!!!!

Dean Shelato
9/28/17                    

 

Many of us fought the high water problems along the St Lawrence River until August when the waters started to recede.  Finally got to launch the boat and boom- its Labor Day already!
 
All this high water stuff did not seem to bother the fisherman- the Bass Master Tournament winner-Kevin Vandam caught 90 pounds of small mouth bass in 4 days and the Gateway Museum President Gary Alford managed to catch enough walleye to feed his 60 patron museum guests at the Annual Shore Line Dinner.

The museum’s Summer Concert Series ended last night at the Museum with the Jazz group Chipman Jazz All Stars.  We had nine talented groups play for the community this year.  The museum team can be proud that despite Mother Nature’s attempt to throw rain on some of these events- they all went on.  More often than not- playing at the Gazebo meant playing at the Museum or firehall.  Our patrons are very understanding!  The Board of Directors has already started to plan for next year’s Concerts.  If anyone knows any talented musicians in the area – we would welcome concert suggestions.  Many of our concerts feature local talent- and there is a lot of talent in the North Country....

Many of us fought the high water problems along the St Lawrence River until August when the waters started to recede.  Finally got to launch the boat and boom- its Labor Day already!

 All this high water stuff did not seem to bother the fisherman- the Bass Master Tournament winner-Kevin Vandam caught 90 pounds of small mouth bass in 4 days and the Gateway Museum President Gary Alford managed to catch enough walleye to feed his 60 patron museum guests at the Annual Shore Line Dinner.

The museum’s Summer Concert Series ended last night at the Museum with the Jazz group Chipman Jazz All Stars.  We had nine talented groups play for the community this year.  The museum team can be proud that despite Mother Nature’s attempt to throw rain on some of these events- they all went on.  More often than not- playing at the Gazebo meant playing at the Museum or firehall.  Our patrons are very understanding!  The Board of Directors has already started to plan for next year’s Concerts.  If anyone knows any talented musicians in the area – we would welcome concert suggestions.  Many of our concerts feature local talent- and there is a lot of talent in the North Country. 

Speaking of the Board of Directors- these folks have their hands full.  Allan and Loraine bequeathed their 160 acre farm to the museum.  While this is certainly wonderful news- it remains a challenge to figure out what to do with that property.  Lots of local experts are being consulted to solicit ideas.   The farmhouse needs significant repairs to make it usable space.  The famous Red Barn is in great shape and might very well become the centerpiece for the future of that property.  The large acreage with its three ponds and vast wild life are wonderful and could become future hiking areas or cross country skiing trails.   It will take some time before these ideas get sorted out.
The Board is also discussing creating a new Exhibit-perhaps a fishing exhibit.   With the world renowned Black Lake in the back yard and the Bass Masters Classic and other local St Lawrence River fishing tournaments- it seems only natural that a fishing exhibit would be something the community would support.  Hopefully this exhibit can be done in time for next year’s summer season. 

Our new website is working out well.   We have received nice notes from a few friends of the museum that moved away from the area.  We are excited about sharing our activities and plans with everyone and look forward to growing our audience over time as we continue to bring information about the museum to the internet.

I want to end this note by thanking everyone for supporting the Gateway Museum this year.  We could not do all the things we do- the summer concert series, guest lectures, fund raising dinners, yoga classes, website development  and more- without your support and generous contributions.  Thank you and we thank all of the volunteers for making all this happen!

Dean Shelato (8/29/17)
Gateway Museum Board Member