Welcome Message
Welcome to Issue 3 of the Centennial Heritage Museum Updates Newsletter. The museum staff wishes all of our members and friends a very happy holiday season. We also offer a special welcome to all our new subscribers.
The Victorian Tea Society's Hollyberry Tea was a smashing success. The planned event sold out so quickly that the Society added an unprecedented second seating which also sold out by early November. The event raised $3000 for the benefit of the museum's educational programs. If you missed out on this wonderful event like I did, you can look forward to the VTS's Mother's Day Tea. Read all the details below.
Our next dinner event,"Titanic: Voyage to Oblivion," has been rescheduled from April 15 to April 29. Unfortunately, the mystique of scheduling the dinner on the actual anniversary of her sinking lost out to the realistic consideration that the scheduled date was the night before Easter. You can read the details of the event below, along with announcements for other events planned for the upcoming months.
By the way, there is still time to see the Kellogg House in its lavish Christmas finery. We will be open for our regular 1:00 pm to 5:00 pm weekday public hours on December 21 and 22 and on December 28 and 29. We will be closed Friday through Sunday of both holiday weekends to give our staff some much-deserved time off.
January is also a wonderful time for a nostalgic look at the simpler life of the nineteenth century. The clear air and bright sunlight that are typical of our winter months add sparkle to our historic buildings and to the brilliantly-colored fruit adorning out citrus trees. Many of our flowers also bloom in the winter, and the seasonal rains bring new green life to our nature park.
So read on, but don't stop there. Visit our Web site at centennialmuseum.org and then come and visit us for real. We're open to the public on Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays from 1:00 to 5:00 and on Sundays from 11:00 to 3:00.
-- Sharon Brown
Webmaster
Special Events
A CHM Dinner Theatre Event
Titanic: Voyage to Oblivion
Saturday, April 15, 2006
Book your passage on the grandest ship in the world and experience the crossing of the Atlantic with the rich and famous of the Edwardian era.
Enjoy a gourmet meal served in the First Class Dining Salon. Tour the famous ship and experience first hand the events which made this night a true "Night to Remember."
Details will be available soon. Please mark your calendar for this event.
Proceeds will benefit The Centennial Heritage Museum
Victorian Tea Society Invites You To
A Mother's Day Tea
Saturday, May 6, 2006
The Victorian Tea Society will host an afternoon tea in the Historic Kellogg House. Please join the Tea Society for this fundraising event.
For further information please call (714) 540-0404 x8.
Proceeds will benefit The Centennial Heritage Museum
Program Spotlight - Gold Rush
Eureka! California or Bust!
On January 24, 1898, James Marshall spotted something yellow and sparkling in the water flowing out of John Sutter's new sawmill. Gold! He picked it up and from that moment on, California would never be the same. By 1849 word of his discovery had spread around the world and the Gold Rush was on.
Our Gold Rush program is a fast-paced interactive look at the journey to California, life on the trail and in the gold camps, and the consequences, both good and bad, of this defining period in California history.
"Welcome to Independence, Missouri," says our wagon train outfitter and trail guide."Are ya ready to embark on this great American adventure?"
"If you're goin' to survive the trip to the gold fields, you'd best know a few things. If you're a-goin' by wagon, you'll need to stock up on provisions. You'll be travelin' for at least four months with nary a shop in sight. You'll climb high mountains and cross burning deserts afore you see a particle of gold. So you'd best look to your wagon and pack animals and pick yourself a good guide like yours truly."
"Now I can get you across the country, but it's a mighty tough trip. P'raps you'd do better to sail around the Horn or down to Panama and take the shortcut through the swamps. Only problem is, it might take you too long and all the gold'll be gone. So mebbe you oughta stick with me."
"'Course, once you get to them gold fields, you're on your own. You can probably pick up the rest of what you need to know at Sutter's Fort. Old Sam Brannon will be happy to sell you a gold pan, and you'll soon be gettin' rich on Centennial Gold."
Gold Rush comes in three different "flavors."
- Classic Gold Rush is a two-hour educational program geared for schools and other interested groups. It places particular emphasis on the historical, cultural, and geographic aspects of the period. The program is geared for the 4th grade public school curriculum, but can be enjoyed by children in other grades as well.
- Adult Gold Rush is a variation of the gold rush program modified for active adults who enjoy interactive history experiences.
- Summer Gold Rush is a four-hour program offered only during our summer season. It adds exciting games and extra activities, including making "buffalo chip" candy and experimenting with hydraulic mining methods.
New Museum Telephone Numbers
We recently installed a new telephone system that centralizes everything under a single main number. The main CHM number is now 714-540-0404. We have the following list of extensions:
- Ext. 1 - Recorded general information about the museum
- Ext. 2 - Program information and scheduling (Jane Van Dyke)
- Ext. 3 - Weddings and facilities rentals (Denise Baker)
- Ext. 4 - Finance, operations, and human resources (Colleen Mensel)
- Ext. 5 - Marketing and fundraising (Kathy Williams)
- Ext. 6 - Ecology department, nature center, Eagle Scout projects (Ralph Whitford)
- Ext. 7 - Executive director (Cheryl Brothers)
- Ext. 8 - Victorian Tea Society
- Ext. 9 - Orange County Blacksmith's Guild (recorded information)