GREAT CRANBERRY ISLAND HISTORICAL SOCIETY

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Great Cranberry Island Historical Society Museum Memos
Volume 3		July 2003
Our New Exhibit Home Sweet Home- this year's new Museum theme Island Home life remembered, 1900-1945 Thanks!  to the many members who loaned their antiques and household items for this great display. Have you seen our new ship captain (Joseph Elwood Spurling) created by Karin Whitney?	Preservation Grant for Video Editing This spring, MBNA awarded a $1000 Historical Preservation Grant to the Society to edit the videos collected by Bruce Komusin and Wini Smart. Price quotes from several professional film editors proved to be too expensive for the grant.  Then Allison Garoza, a talented student recently graduated from College of the Atlantic, came for an interview, visited the Museum, and agreed to work on two videos at a reasonable price. Her first effort, Fishing with Wesley Bracy, Jr., features "Junior Bracy" and his son Scott, working hard aboard their boat, the Crustacean.  Bruce and Wini accompanied the men on a 3-hour hauling trip and later interviewed Junior at his home, where he explained the ins and outs of being a lobsterman. Lobsterman "Junior Bracy" It took Allison 80 hours to edit the raw video and reduce it to a polished 10-minute production.  (The complete 55-minute home interview is also included for historic purposes.) The video is now available as a DVD.  It can also be viewed at the Historical Museum.
Don't miss the Art Show following the Annual Meeting	Annual Meeting -- August 13th The Historical Society Annual Meeting will be held Wednesday, August 13th., 7:30 p.m. at the Church.  A short business meeting will include the election of officers and three Trustees. Our program will feature a 2001 video interview with Charles "Waddy" Wadsworth, touching on his life and his art, his marriage to Jean, their publishing business, and the artist friends he introduced to the island.  Edited by Bruce Komusin, it has music by Waddy's son, Geoff, and a special narration by Waddy's daughter, Laurie, speaking her mother's words. A Retrospective Art Show of Wadsworth';s paintings and prints will be shown in the Community Center following the meeting.  Refreshments will be served.

New Publication The Multimedia Center is happy to announce a new publication "Surf, Stone, & Spruce" by Ted Harlan Poetry and Photos of Great Cranberry Island Copies of the book will be available at the Museum and The Whale's Rib Great Cranberry Island Historical Society P.O. Box 12 Cranberry Isles, ME 04625 We're on the web at gcihs.org

A Note from your President: I hope you've all seen and enjoyed the new exhibit at the Museum.  Even this week more items were added. Thanks to all who've sent in your memberships.  To keep the nuseum open all summer, we have continuing expenses - payroll, insurance, and utilities.  The grant money we received can be used only for video editing. We count on your support.  Please, if you haven't renewed your membership, do so this month. Besides the videos, we've published additional copies of the book, "Cranberry Road" and hope to have the "House Histories" ready for publication before the end of the year.  Your Board of Trustees are working now towards plans for next year.  We try to keep the Museum growing and interesting-- fun for our visitors and you. Wini Smart

Spinning Sheep Tales Our season began with an Open House on July 3rd.  The featured speaker was Gail Grandgent, a spinner and former sheep owner.  She brought two friends, who demonstrated spinning techniques, using sheep's wool. Gail told many interesting stories of her sheep adventures, when she lived at the Coast Guard Station on Islesford.  In order to feed the increasing flock, she boarded them on the outer islands.  The Wyeth family took them one summer.  Gail also explained the method of preparing and dying wool, and the superiority of island-grown wool. Before the talk, Naomi McShea entertained the assembly with lively piano music. Pictured (left to right): Leslie Pew, Gail Grandgent, and Penelope Olson.

Missed the program? We have DVD videos available at the Museum for a nominal charge -2003- *Spinning Sheep Tales *Fishing with Wesley Bracy, Jr. *Manset Ribbon Cutting Ceremony *Karl Wedge Boat Processional -2002- *Interview with Marjorie Phippen *Ralph Stanley & Friends *Night of Poetry & Music -2001- *Carrie Richardson of Big Cranberry

 

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