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Summer 2011 Newsletter
Thank you, Chrissie and Dave Hall!
The Board of Directors of Sandcastles extends
a heartfelt thank you to Chrissie and Dave Hall
for their extraordinary $50,000 donation to our
capital campaign. We also greatly appreciate
your interest in and support of Sandcastles from
our earliest days in borrowed spaces through our
current endeavors to make the new Sandcastles a
“must” for hometown families and visitors alike.
Special Display of Steinbach Nutcrackers
Sandcastles has received a wonderful gift from
former Ludington residents Doug Wilson and
Tom Reinberg. They have donated 300 Steinbach
nutcrackers handmade in Germany. They intend
that the nutcrackers will help us generate funds
to update our building, beginning with a new roof.
The collection includes both large and small nutcrackers that portray a great variety of charac-
Lily and Fig’s Curiosity Room
Soon our upper level will have a name: Lily and
Fig’s Curiosity Room. Lily and Fig are the cats
who live with Chrissie and Dave Hall. Because of
their extremely generous donation to our capital
campaign, the Halls were asked to name the
room of their choice. They decided to name the
upper exhibit hall after their very curious cats who would probably enjoy the museum as much
as the children do. Watch for our new sign and
for more information about Lily and Fig.
ters, including many from literature and folklore,
people from the Bible, various careers, and even
movie icons.
The entire collection will be on display for the
public from 6:00—8:00 p.m. on Thursday, August
11 at Sandcastles. Doug and Tom will be present
to tell us about the collection and to answer
questions. Tickets are $10 each. Guests will also
have the opportunity to adopt a nutcracker for
$100—$250, depending on size.
This event is our only planned showing of the
Consumers Energy Grant
The Board also extends a sincere thank you to
Consumers Energy for its substantial grant
award to Sandcastles. At our Sneak Preview,
Consumers officials presented us with a check
for $20,000 for our capital campaign. We were
further impressed that three busy company
officials took the time to attend the Sneak
Preview to meet us and to see for themselves
what their grant funds helped us to accomplish.
entire collection. After this event, small groupings of nutcrackers will be displayed at the museum. (See related story on page 3.)
Music with Dianne Baker —
always a popular program
Benjammin and Analisa
Capital Campaign Update
In September we will broaden our campaign to include businesses and
corporations in addition to individuals. We owe $98,409 on the building and
have spent $60,566 on renovations. We have two immediate renovation
needs: a new roof and an ADA compliant restroom. Future needs include an
elevator to improve access and to enable use of the second floor.
Please show your support for Sandcastles by donating to our Capital
Campaign Fund within the Community Foundation of Mason County (CFMC).
Checks may be written to the CFMC and sent to Sandcastles at PO Box
595, Ludington, MI 49431. You may also go on line (mason-foundation.org)
to make a credit card donation directly to the Sandcastles Capital Campaign
Fund. A donation of any size will help us achieve our fundraising goal!
A permanent donor board, which identifies levels of giving, credits those
who give $100 or more. Also, donations of $25 by or on behalf of children
On July 7,
educational
musicians
Benjammin
and Analisa
returned to
Sandcastles.. Near
the end of
their fine interactive TT program,
they had an exciting surprise for us.
They performed for the first time a
song they wrote about Sandcastles!
are featured on our Pavers for the Future Board. Both are located in the
foyer of the museum. Donations of $50,000 or more qualify for a naming
opportunity at the museum. Call Kristin Korendyke (231-690-6735) for
more information.
Scottville Optimists’ Donation
Sandcastles has received $1439.56 from
the Scottville Optimists. The money was
raised at the recent Wild West Dinner and
Dance. Thanks to the Optimists and to all
who purchased tickets! It was a great event!
That Michigan corn sure is tall!
Sheepshank Sam,
Old-Time Michigan
Lumberjack, and
Sandcastles helpers
Badger Day: Children in the first session
presented by Tom Woodruff lined up for
this signature on their Badger drawings.
PARTIES Now you can hold your birthday party or other event at Sandcastles during the hours the museum is
open. Our new party room in the basement has tables and chairs, a serving area, and plenty of space for
games. Call Marcia Olmstead at 843-4363 to schedule your event.
Birthday Parties during open museum hours: $80 non-member/$70 member for use of the museum &
party room for 2 hours for up to 12 children. $15 added for each additional hour reserved; $4 for each
additional child. Adult chaperones are free. Birthday Parties when museum is closed: $125 nonmembers/$110 member for use of the museum & party room for 2 hours for up to 12 children. $50/
each additional hour ; $4/each additional child. Adult chaperones are free.
For more information and to see rates for other events, see our website: www.sandcastleschildrensmuseum.com
Summer 2011, Page 2
.
What are Steinbach Nutcrackers?
Thank You to West Shore Bank
Sandcastles is deeply grateful for the
Data
gift of $25,000 donated for our Capital
Campaign by West Shore Bank. We are
delighted and thankful that an established homegrown institution has shown
such faith in Sandcastles, its board and
volunteers, and our goals!
Those who have never before seen or heard of a Steinbach
nutcracker are in for a real treat!
Steinbach nutcrackers are wooden nutcrackers handmade
in northern and eastern Germany. They originated in the
Erzgebirge, a mountain range in eastern Germany with
hundreds of beautiful castles and lots of winter snow.
Translated, Erzgebirge means Ore Mountains, and the area
was mined extensively from the 16th to 18th centuries.
Miners enjoyed woodworking during their spare time, and
Great Lakes Energy People Fund
Sandcastles has received grants from Great Lakes
Energy, and the cooperative also funds many other
worthy organizations both locally and throughout
the GLE region. Money for their grant-making
comes from donations to the People Fund. To
participate, Great Lakes members agree to have
their bills rounded up to the next dollar amount.
If you are a Great Lakes member, please consider
this worthy cause. 100% of the money collected is
returned to the Great Lakes communities.
when mining declined, woodworking became a primary
source of income.
Classical nutcrackers from the Erzgebirge are portraits of
policemen, kings, soldiers, or other 18th-19th century
authorities. The Steinbach family’s nutcrackers portray a
much wider range of characters, including characters from
fairy tales, literature, and folklore. Others portray famous
people and various kinds of workers.
The Steinbach family has been producing nutcrackers for
most of two centuries and through seven generations.
Steinbach nutcrackers are collected around the world
because of their whimsical features and the quality of the
Comments and Suggestions
workmanship in each one. They are still made much like the
Please take a few minutes the next time your
family visits Sandcastles to drop a suggestion
or comment in the box at the front desk. The
Board discusses the comments/suggestions,
acts immediately on some, and allocates others
for further study. Your feedback helps us
meet the needs of our young visitors. It also
helps us build an even better, stronger
Sandcastles.
first Steinbach nutcracker—with over 100 steps in the
making of some models. Most are made from fir which has
been dried for several years. Models are produced in
limited editions, which makes them even more sought after
by collectors. Each year new models are introduced.
Steinbach nutcrackers were introduced to the United
States in quantity when soldiers returned home after
World War II. Many brought Steinbach nutcrackers home
with
them.
At
the
same
time,
the
popularity
of
Tchaikovsky's ballet "The Nutcracker Suite" surged in the
U.S., adding to interest in nutcrackers.
The collection donated to Sandcastles is incredible, and
the stories behind the nutcrackers add to their appeal.
Beach Party at
Friday Night Live
Summer 2011, Page 3
Volunteer Opportunities
Munchkin Mondays and Thrilling Thursdays
Programs for MM and TT begin at 10:30.
Munchkin Mondays
August 8 Kindermusik—2 sessions
up to 18 months; 18 months +
August 15 Painting & Printmaking (Carrie Jeruzal)
August 22 Building Blocks
August 29 Homemade Play Dough
Thrilling Thursdays
August 11
“Luuanappi” Stories, Poems, & Songs
August 18 Art with Mrs. Kanine
Like all other non-profits we are always looking for
additional volunteers. Some opportunities are:

working a 2.5 to 3 hour shift during museum hours

doing simple maintenance or repairs on exhibits

working on a committee

assisting with special programs and/or fundraisers

offering your own special area of expertise, since
our volunteer needs often change
If you are interested in volunteering, call or email
Volunteer Coordinator Darlene Ponko (843-3323 or
[email protected]).
August 25 Crafting with FloraCraft
2011 Hours
May 14 through September 3
9:30 a.m. —5:00 p.m.
Monday—Saturday
September 9 through
December17
10:00 a.m.—3:00 pm.
Candy Construction
A Thrilling Thursday Event
Bears, Bears, Bears with Patty Gottwald
A Munchkin Monday Event
Friday and Saturday
Admission
$4/ person
What do Board Members Do? (Continued….)
They Record and Store Data for Future Use
Until our newest board member, Mary Ann Ferguson, joined
the board, each of us kept track of the data from our own
committees and assignments. In addition to her other
jobs, Buffy Nagle had begun the process of centralized
data collection and storage when Mary Ann volunteered to
take on all data recording. She is currently organizing storage to make retrieval for projects, grants, and correspondence much easier. Data collected includes members, Good
Neighbors, capital campaign donors(and all addresses and
emails), zip codes of visitors, attendance, and whatever
else we decide to collect. Volunteer Shirley Kolb is assisting Mary Ann by taking on responsibility for data related
to zip codes. We’re glad that we now have the information
and records we need to keep up in our data-driven society!
Summer 2011, Page 4
Babies under 1 year are free
Annual Family Membership $75
(same as last year)
Sandcastles Board Members
Kristin Korendyke, President
Michal LaCombe, Vice President
Darlene Ponko, Secretary
Buffy Nagle, Treasurer
Pat Carney
Marsha Barter
Mary Todd
Mary Ann Ferguson