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

As many of you know, The Craftsman Farms Foundation will be celebrating its 20^th anniversary with a black tie fundraising gala, entitled the Celebration Ball,  at the Mountain Lakes Club on Saturday, October 3.  The Honorary Co-Chairs include CFF founding member and US Congressman Rodney Frelinghuysen; NJ Senator Richard Codey; and California philanthropist, Max Palevsky.  The event will include a live auction led by David Rago, and dancing to the music of Elite Syncopation.

The Museum will produce a commemorative souvenir program in conjunction with the celebration which will contain historic photographic and essays of the past two decades of restoration and preservation of this National Historic Landmark.  The program will be distributed to all attendees, mailed to supporters, and will be included in the Museum’s archives.  A proclamation from the NJ legislature, plus letters of congratulations from Governor Corzine and other dignitaries will also appear in the program.

Would you like to be included in this historic document?  If so, you can submit a booster ad (Click for details on sizes and costs, and an order form) with your congratulations on this occasion of the 20^th anniversary, or with a tribute to an individual who had an impact on saving or revitalizing Craftsman Farms or the Museum, or with a reminiscence, or a special thought you have about this historic occasion.  We would be happy to lay out and design your text, or you may submit a finished design in digital format.  Please let us know if you’d like sample wording or if we can answer any questions for you.

Hope you will be a part of this joyous celebration!

Be Part of the History! is a post from The Stickley Museum At Craftsman Farms

The Education Program at The Stickley Museum at Craftsman Farms is seeking experienced teachers for a variety of programs, including classes for adults and children of all ages, workshops for Girl and Boy Scouts, birthday parties, etc. For consideration, please email your resume to vgivens@stickleymuseum.org

Experienced Teachers Sought for Education Program is a post from The Stickley Museum At Craftsman Farms

A studious group of volunteers have begun docent training at The Museum. Working with weekend site manager, Pete Mars, and director of education, Vonda Givens, these docents have been attending training meetings, shadowing well-practiced docents and studying the life of Gustav Stickley and the history of Craftsman Farms. The training is set to continue through the end of the year, and these new docents are expected to be ready to join our dedicated docent crew in early 2009.

While becoming a docent requires study and practice, all of this work is rewarded with the enthusiasm of visitors who discover Craftsman Farms through guided tours. By introducing visitors to the site and engaging them in its history, docents perform a vitally important part of the mission of The Stickley Museum at Craftsman Farms.

Potential new docents may contact director of education, Vonda Givens at 973-540-0311 at any time for more information. As volunteers sign up, a new docent class will be set up.

Docents-in-Training is a post from The Stickley Museum At Craftsman Farms

Are you looking for a way to get involved with the Stickley Museum at Craftsman Farms? Have you thought about volunteering in our gift shop?

Shopkeeping is a fun and gratifying volunteer job and a great way to get involved at The Stickley Museum. Shopkeepers interact with visitors, handle transactions, help maintain inventory, provide customer service, and assist with general upkeep of the shop. Training is provided, and shopkeepers are encouraged to train at their own pace, shadowing practiced shopkeepers until they feel they are ready to be added to the schedule. If shopkeeping sounds like the job for you, call director of education, Vonda Givens at 973-540-0311. Shopkeepers are needed on weekends year-round and on weekdays April through November.

Be a Shopkeeper At Craftsman Farms is a post from The Stickley Museum At Craftsman Farms

We have almost 100 pictures of Craftsman Farms in our interactive photo album on Flickr!

Our Flickr pool is a group picture project, where members, friends and visitors can contribute pictures of the museum. Anyone can join, and you can add your photos, discuss the pictures, or look around and get inspired for your next visit to the Stickley Museum.

There are many different ways to connect with our photo album. Some people have submitted a whole day at the Farms in pictures, others have submitted just one perfect shot of the grounds. We even have a watercolor of the Log House! Even if you haven’t taken any pictures yet, you can tag photos, browse by tag, leave comments, or browse our pictures, and see Craftsman Farms through someone else’s eyes!

If you don’t have a Flickr account, I’d really encourage you to get one. Without an account, you can still see most of the photos, but you’re missing out on some of the features. Flickr accounts are free and sign-up is fast and easy, and a Flickr login offers you more ways to interact with our album.

Our Photo Album is a post from The Stickley Museum At Craftsman Farms

Here are our gala co-chairs, Marti Weinstein and Laura Reilly, dressed up for our By the Light of the Silvery Moon gala! If you have a great gala picture to share, please add it to our Flickr group!

Thanks again to Marti and Laura for all your hard work making this year’s gala a success!

Gala: Photos is a post from The Stickley Museum At Craftsman Farms

Are you going to our gala on Saturday night? Don’t forget to bring your camera, and share your photos of the night in our Craftsman Farms photosteam!

Gala Reminder! is a post from The Stickley Museum At Craftsman Farms

The Stickley Museum at Craftsman Farms offers contributing members many special privileges. One especially nice feature for members at the $250 level is reciprocal membership privileges at over 300 museums throughout the North America! These privileges include free museum admission and discounts in their gift shops, check out the listing of participating museums!

Contact us at info@stickleymuseum.org for more info about becoming a contributing member or the benefits of upper category membership,

Thinking About Becoming a Member? is a post from The Stickley Museum At Craftsman Farms

Docent Information Meeting is a post from The Stickley Museum At Craftsman Farms