Did you think everything gets quiet here when winter comes and we are only open on weekends?  You’d be surprised! Yes, of course we are still open for group tours and scout programs — but the Log House has been bustling with activity all week.  Volunteers are busily decorating for our annual Holiday Open House, taking place on the first two weekends in December.   During this event, the Log House will be decked out for the holidays in period style and with a focus on Stickley’s own ideas.  Utilizing holiday greens, pinecones, and the home’s forest palette, the decorations will bring nature indoors and spotlight the Arts and Crafts movement’s emphasis on finding beauty in simplicity and in simple materials.

For Stickley, a rich family life was a key part of his Arts and Crafts ideas, and this event addresses his values by providing a peek into Christmas preparations that would have been typical for a family like the Stickleys, including blending Victorian traditions — like making treat-bearing cornucopia and giving handmade gifts–with more modern trends. One vignette imagines Mrs. Stickley preparing to wrap a kimono, a fashionable gift–as was anything related to Japanese culture–for ladies at the time. The Christmas tree itself is a blend of Victorian and modern times, as it is wrapped with a short string of electric lights, which were the latest thing and quite expensive, but in a nod to custom, the tree also includes candles, which were traditional and still the most popular method for lighting a Christmas tree.

While celebrating the holidays, the Holiday Open House is also meant to provide respite during a hectic time of the year. On the porch of the Log House visitors will be invited to relax and enjoy hot cider and cookies, perhaps take a minute to work on a jigsaw puzzle or send holiday greeting to a friend.

 Join us for the Holiday Open House December 3-4 and 10-11 from 11 a.m. – 4 p.m.

Or come for a sneak peek at the holiday décor during our annual trunk show, which opens at 11 a.m. on Black Friday, November 25.

What’s Behind the Closed Doors? is a post from The Stickley Museum At Craftsman Farms

Join us in a lively old-fashioned harvest celebration which honors the time when Craftsman Farms was a fully-functioning farm. Now in it’s 5th year, Fall Family Day is the Museum’s biggest and best-loved family program. Bring a blanket to picnic on the grounds and take in the colorful autumn beauty of Craftsman Farms. Enjoy a hayride. Try old-fashioned cider pressing. Watch or try your hand at woodworking, pottery and other handicrafts. Enjoy live music when you try “Square Dancing with Sue.” In between square dances, enjoy the classic fun-filled group game “Simon Says.”

Pumpkin painting will be a part of this exciting afternoon, with all children invited to pick and paint a pumpkin to take home. Fall Family Day wouldn’t be complete without the ever-popular Balloon Cow Craft or old-fashioned children’s carnival-style games, like rubber duckie ring toss, and sack and 3-legged races.

Delicious goodies, including apple cider, cider doughnuts, and a variety of tasty boxed lunches will be on sale from Apple Spice Junction. Visitors will also want to check in at the Museum’s General Store, which will sell a variety of souvenir and sundries.

The event will also feature an Open House at the Stickley Museum, which was the Stickley family home and was designed by Stickley to be the centerpiece of Craftsman Farms.

Fall Family Day is made possible by a generous grant from the Kiwanis Club of Greater Parsippany Foundation.

When?
Saturday, September 24 from noon to 4 p.m.

Where?
On the grounds of Craftsman Farms

How Much?
$5 for Member Children and $7 for Non-member children
Adult admission is $7.
To defray the cost for entire families, adults accompanying children are admitted free.

More info?Call 973-540-0311

September 24 Fall Family Day to be the Best Yet! is a post from The Stickley Museum At Craftsman Farms

On Saturday, May 2 from 12 to 4 p.m., bring your lassies and lads to The Stickley Museum at Craftsman Farms for a traditional May Day celebration. After a long winter, this special afternoon will provide the perfect remedy for cabin fever!

Festivals celebrating the arrival of spring date back to ancient Rome and Medieval England. Our celebration, like Medieval English festivities, will feature a maypole and maypole dancing. Children and adults will be invited to take a red or white streamer and a turn dancing around the maypole. Maypole maven, Sue Dupre, returns for a second year to lead the fun and guide dancers in weaving complex patterns around the festive pole. In addition, inspired by May Day tradition, children will be able to make a flower or paper crown and crown themselves May queen or king of our festival. The event will also include a colorful pinwheel craft, games, and shopping for penny candy in our general store.

The highlight of the day will be the authentic Morris dancing by the Princeton-based Millstone River Morris Dancers. The troupe will perform traditional handkerchief and stick dances inspired by those performed at seasonal celebrations for the changing seasons in ancient and medieval England and Scotland. The renowned troupe performs internationally and across the United States, including at the Smithsonian Institution.

It’s an event you and your family won’t want to miss!

Saturday, May 2 from 12:00 – 4:00 p.m.
Member Children: $5
Non-member Children: $7
Unaccompanied Adults: $5
Adults accompanying children: FREE

Don’t Miss Family Day on Saturday! is a post from The Stickley Museum At Craftsman Farms

Low-tech, hands-on, old-fashioned fun awaits children age 6 – 9 enrolled in our Stickley Kids Day Camps. Led by experienced, professional, adult instructors, the morning day camps (9:00 a.m. – 12 noon) will include indoor and outdoor activities (as weather permits) taking full advantage of Craftsman Farms’ beautiful park-like setting.

Historic stories from The Farms will kick off each day. The week of August 4 – 8 is planned for HandCrafters, who will make a clay tile, marbleize paper, paint with watercolors, and more. In Builders Camp, the week of August 11 – 15, campers activities include making handkerchief parachuters, mini-sailboats, and a small model house. Both camps will feature their projects in an exhibition for family and friends on Friday.

HandCrafters Camp: August 4 – 8

Builders Camp: August 11 – 15

Member Tuition: $160 and Non-Member children: $180

Advance registration is required. Click here for Registration Form.

Stickley Kids Summer Day Camps is a post from The Stickley Museum At Craftsman Farms

Saturday, September 20 from 12 p.m. – 4 p.m.

Hayrides, apple cider pressing, butter churning, pumpkin painting, and more will await families at our upcoming Fall Harvest Family Day on Saturday, September 20 from 12 p.m. until 4 p.m. Plans are underway for this special event featuring activities that will give visitors a glimpse into farm life from the early 1900s. Fall Harvest Family Day is the final Family Day of 2008. If you haven’t experienced a Family Day this past year, be sure to mark your calendar. Activities are planned with children in mind, but old-fashioned fun doesn’t have an age limit. Guests of any age are invited to take a turn at the games table, join the hayride, shop for penny candy or simply stroll the grounds under the turning leaves. Craftsman Farms is a perfect place to spend a fall afternoon!

$5 Members and $7 Non Members

Adults $5 or Free if accompanied by a Child

For this and other upcoming events at Craftsman Farms, visit our website.

Fall Harvest Family Day is a post from The Stickley Museum At Craftsman Farms