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PET POLICY
Our furry family members that are able to be carried at all times may come into the museum and the store.
"Certified Service Dogs are always welcome."
We are pleased to announce that a total 34,347 people visited the Nutcracker Museum in 2022, including children under 5 and active military with their families who receive free admission. This is the record number to date, and would have been higher except for the extremely cold weather in November and December which kept the mountain passes closed many days.
The museum has had
visitors from every state in the Union, every province in Canada, and from
over 100 other countries. Many international visitors
will find specimens from their countries, and those from India find a
display of betel cutters larger than any in their own country! We
also have a display for students to identify nutcrackers in the costumes of
different countries.
The Nutcracker Hunts (our version of the scavenger hunt) create much excitement for all ages from 3 to 93, and the adults are having as much fun as the kids New hunts have been made for various animals, different Steinbach designs, and for the numerous hats that nutcrackers wear. We also have hunts written in Spanish for the many visitors who come our neighboring countries. Reread the January 2019 quarterly newsletter and you will see examples of how the hunts vary with age. Here is one example that shows while a student looks for a man with long nose, the adults will congratulate themselves for finding a bird biting a man’s nose.
KILROY
The
phrase “Kilroy Was Here” and the distinctive accompanying doodle became
associated with GIs during World War II displaying a bald-headed man with a
prominent nose peeking over a wall with his fingers clutching the wall. Servicemen
adopted the slogan and would draw the picture and the text on the walls and
other places where they were stationed, encamped, or visited. An Ad in ‘Life’ magazine noted
that WWII-era servicemen were fond of claiming that “whatever beachhead they
stormed, they always found notices up ahead of them that “Kilroy Was Here”.
Historians point to James
J. Kilroy (1902–1962),
an American shipyard inspector who worked at the Fore
River Shipyard in Quincy,
MA as the author of these posts. During the war, Kilroy marked
work he had inspected and approved with the phrase "Kilroy Was Here" in
durable crayon. Later he added the drawing. Many of
these figures remained on the ships as they landed in foreign ports.
NEWS FOR ANTIQUE NUTCRACKER COLLECTORS
If
you collect antique nutcrackers, you will be interested in knowing about the
Nutcracker Collectors Club under the direction of Susan Otto of Chesterland,
Ohio. The group includes collectors from every part of the US and several
foreign countries. A modest yearly fee brings 4 newsletters a
year full of information about carved figural nutcrackers as well as other
types of nutcrackers in various materials and from various locations. This
includes all kinds of nutcrackers except the
wooden toy soldiers so popular at Christmas time. An
annual convention hosted by a prominent collector gives you a chance to view
their collection, meet other collectors, learn more about your own
collection, and even buy or sell pieces. For more information
contact Susan Otto directly at nutsue@roadrunner.com
COMING IN THE NEXT
NEWSLETTER
We
will give news about NUTCRACKER DAY to be held on June 1 with
free admission and a chance to win a prize. On this day we
will also be cracking nuts with antique mechanical nutcrackers like your
grandparents used.
The
Second Quarter Newsletter will also list all information about the contest
we have for kids to make anything that will crack a hazelnut. Judging
for the contest will be June 24, and cash prizes will be awarded to those
with winning designs. If you want a head start, all
information for the contest is already online at KidsLoveNutcrackers.com
|
Arlene
Wagner, The Nutcracker
Lady |
Open Daily 11-5
We suggest visitors arrive at least 30 minutes before closing.
"To foster and encourage the interest of the general public of the importance of nuts in the diets of humans throughout history and in the evolution of the nutcracker. No other tool or collectible has shown such a wide diversity of material and design as the implements used to crack the hard shell of a nut".
