Hello, fellow Twainiacs. Cindy Lovell here, saying hello and thanking you for stopping by the blog. We have so much going on, it's hard to know where to start.
Last night I spent a great evening speaking to Twain fans at the Missouri River Regional Library in Jefferson City, Missouri, and today I got to accompany a lovely tour group from POLIS at Quincy University out to Sam Clemens's birthplace in Florida, Missouri. They'll be joining us here at the Museum Gallery in a bit to hear local Mark Twain impersonator Jim Waddell perform as America's Greatest Author. While I was out today I missed a visit from friends in Oklahoma who come to the Museum every fall. We did get to speak on the phone briefly, so that was nice. They were generous in their praise for the changes that have occurred since their last visit. For instance:
- The "Rockwell Reunion" - We presently have on loan the missing whitewashing scene that Norman Rockwell had borrowed and then accidentally sold. (Thank you, Farnsworth Art Museum, for helping us reunite these paintings!)
- The new slavery exhibit in the Boyhood Home (a rug pallet indicating where Sandy likely slept)
- The "whitewashing bucket" that allows visitors to pose for some really fun photos!
- The completion of the exterior of the Becky Thatcher House, complete with its new (original) color, sort of a honey brown like the Lincoln home (thanks to computer analysis).
- The new webcam mounted on the Becky Thatcher House so visitors can wave at loved ones glued to their computer screens somewhere.
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| The Mark Twain Young Authors wave at the webcam so parents at home can "see" their kids. The young authors won scholarships to spend a week in Sam Clemens's hometown to work on their writing skills. |
That's the short list! If you haven't been to visit us during this "Year of Mark Twain," now is a perfect time with the changing leaves.
