Actually there is nothing calm about the month of May as far as the Gateway Museum is concerned. Our volunteers have worked hard cleaning the Main Street building from top to bottom. With the opening day planned for May 25th- there are too few days left to get everything done. The Dr. Morse’s Indian Root Pills Exhibit is nearly complete, planning for the June 15th Garage sale is underway, and once again Clara Warren has created yet another beautiful window display. We are determined to be ready to open the doors for Memorial Day weekend!
Over at the Red Barn Preserve the team is also going crazy. The Town of Morristown highway department is preparing to install a 300 foot long boardwalk over marshy areas along trail #2. The rainy weather does not seem to be cooperating and it will be a challenge to complete this work in time to open the trail for Memorial Day weekend. We are also hoping to get the garden planted in the next two weeks. It takes 120 days to grow a giant pumpkin which means those seeds need to be planted now. The farm house renovation project is scheduled to kickoff June 1st. We hope to complete this work by Fall and have a new kitchen, bathrooms, hardwood floors, new ceilings and decorated walls throughout the house.
The blue herons have settled down in the rookery and are busy warming those eggs. Many visitors report seeing only one or two birds in the Rookery. Those that have powerful binoculars notice that all 60 bird nests are occupied and the female birds are so low in the nests that you only see the tops of their heads. Visiting the site in early morning and late evening improves your chances of seeing more herons.
We love, love, love the attention the Red Barn Preserve has been getting lately. This morning a key member of the Laurentian Chapter of the Adirondack Mountain Club (190 members) showed up at the Red Barn to look at the trail system that we are developing. The club is interested in doing a front page article on the Preserve in the near future. We have also been approached by an educator from the Frederic Remington Art Museum in Ogdensburg about offering a nature sketching class in late June. A BOCES teacher visited the Red Barn Preserve two weeks ago to explore a partnership with the museum that would enable students to work on projects at the Preserve. These students are learning to identify trees and plants and can build trails as well as locate property boundary lines. An agreement with BOCES would be very helpful to the museum and the students. All of these things are just way too cool !
Many of our supporters have received our patron letter this month requesting donations to the museum that will enable us to continue to provide services to the community. Most people understand that it requires funds to build museum exhibits or hiking trails. And I think most people think that the Gateway Museum does a good job providing these services. If you have not received a patron letter and would like to make a donation please send your donation to the Gateway Museum, Box 231, Morristown, NY 13664 or go to our website at www.morristowngatewaymuseum.org and make a PayPal donation.
Each month I end my Blog with a request for volunteers to step up and join the organization. You can imagine my pleasant surprised when I received this email this morning “I will be in Morristown for 2 weeks starting May 19th. Do you want any help with trails, the boardwalk or kiosks? I am handy and like getting my hands dirty to help a great cause.” Wow- you made my day ! If anyone else would like to volunteer- we have jobs at the Main Street location as well as the Red Barn Preserve that need to be filled. Volunteer Day at the Red Barn Preserve is scheduled for Saturday June 22nd. You can write an email to morristownmuseum@gmail.com or call me or text me on my cell phone at 614-205-8437
Dean Shelato
May 15, 2019
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