Mid-November 2014 eNews

FROM THE
Twain House in Fall
Fall leaves frame the sun-drenched  Mark Twain House.


EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

 

"Thanksgiving Day. Let all give humble, hearty, and sincere thanks now, but the turkeys. In the island of Fiji they do not use turkeys; they use plumbers. It does not become you and me to sneer at Fiji."

- Mark Twain
in Following the Equator  

 

 

 

 

 

Dear Friends,

 

We have good reason to "give humble, hearty, and sincere thanks" to our friends and supporters this Thanksgiving season. We have seen an increase in attendance and membership, and we are hoping to say the same for annual giving with the recent mailing of our Fall Appeal letter. More supporters are donating online, and we are grateful. Thank you!

 

As the end of the year approaches, will you please take time to make a tax-deductible donation if you have not yet done so this year? Any amount is appreciated and goes toward preserving the home and legacy of America's most beloved author. 

 

We are planning a special event for November 30 - Sam's birthday - so please mark your calendar and keep an eye out for this news. I hope to see you there to celebrate Sam Clemens's birthday in style!

 

And again, my sincere thanks to you for your continued support of "the loveliest home that ever was." We count on you, and you never let us down!

 

Cindy Lovell
Executive Director


MID-NOVEMBER EVENTS

For more details on all our events, please visit our website.

Graveyard Shift Ghost Tours

November 14; at 6:00 p.m., 7:00 p.m., 8:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m. 

 

We reprise our popular Graveyard Shift Ghost Tours for spooky fall chills. The Mark Twain House has been featured on Syfy Channel's Ghost Hunters and the Biography Channel's My Ghost StoryOn these tours, participants will hear about these investigations -- and learn about Mark Twain's own interest in the supernatural. Filled with haunted history, dark tales and Victorian traditions surrounding seances and spiritualism, these nighttime tours are as educational as they are goosebump-inducing. Ghost tours sell out fast, so be sure to call soon to make your reservations!  The tours are tsponsored by Tsunami Tsolutions, with additional support from the Department of Economic and Community Development, Office of Tourism.

 

$22 with discounts available for members and children. Please call (860) 280-3130 for more information & ticketing or click here.

 

 

Write in Mark Twain's Historic Library
Sunday, November 16, 8:30 - 11:00 a.m.

Writers will be given uninterrupted silent time to write in the historic first-floor library of Twain's mansion. Writers will be given chairs and tables arranged throughout the historic library and will be allowed time to write either on laptops or with pencils and paper (no pens are allowed in the historic home). The program costs $50 and is offered on a very infrequent basis.

Space is extremely limited--only fifteen people are allowed for this event. Register by calling (860) 280-3130.


Nook Farm Author Talk: 
Pro: Reclaiming Abortion Rights with Katha Pollitt
Wednesday, November 19, 7:30 p.m.

In this urgent, controversial book, Katha Pollitt reframes abortion as a common part of a woman's reproductive life, one that should be accepted as a moral right with positive social implications. In Pro, Pollitt takes on the personhood argument, and reaffirms the priority of a woman's life and health. It is time, Pollitt argues, that we reclaim the lives and the rights of women and mothers. Nook Farm Author Talks are presented in partnership with the Harriet Beecher Stowe Center.  

PLEASE NOTE: The Mark Twain House & Museum and the Harriet Beecher Stowe Center do not take a position on this topic, but invite the public to participate in the discussion.


This is a free event. Reservations are recommended. Please call (860) 280-3130.


An Evening with Nell Bernstein - BURNING DOWN THE HOUSE
Thursday, November 20, 6:30 p.m.; light supper reception at 5:30 p.m.

One in three American school children will be arrested by the time they are twenty-three. Many of these youth will spend time in detention centers that do not incorporate everything we know about how to rehabilitate young offenders. In a candid examination of the American juvenile justice system, award-winning journalist Nell Bernstein shows that there is no right way to lock up a child.  Join Bernstein and WNPR's John Dankosky for a conversation that explores this controversial issue and discusses alternative community programs that support the child and their family.
Sponsored with Community Partners in Action, Connecticut Juvenile Justice Alliance & the Harriet Beecher Stowe Center.

Tickets are $20 which includes a light supper reception from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Please call (860) 280-3130 or click here.


The MOuTH with Chion Wolf: "I Quit!"

Friday, November 21, 7:30 p.m.

The Mark Twain House & Museum continues "The MOuTH," a storytelling series with WNPR personality Chion Wolf--and invites stories about quitting---your job, a relationship, smoking, and more.The event is in no way a competition, just storytelling in front of friends in a museum dedicated to Mark Twain, one of our country's best storytellers. Special guest will be Joey DeFrancesco, a Providence, RI hotel worker fed up with poor working conditions who quit his job on video with the help of a brass band. Less than a week later, the video had over 1 million hits on YouTube.

$5.00 (Storytellers chosen for the lineup get in free.) Call (860) 280-3130 or click here.


THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE A CHRISTMAS CAROL - The Holiday Ghost Tour of The Mark Twain House; Celebrating Hartford Stage's A Christmas Carol - A Ghost Story of Christmas
Friday, November 21, and Saturday, November 22; tours from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m.

Hartford's most popular ghost tour joins with the city's #1 holiday spectacular for a very special, spooky experience! Charles Dickens' classic tale of Ebenezer Scrooge is, at heart, a ghost story. Michael Wilson's adaptation of A Christmas Carol features a dizzying array of the undead that will augment The Mark Twain House's Graveyard Shift Ghost Tour with a sinister holiday twist. Dickens, Twain and Christmas - the perfect combination for some surprising winter chills!
Tsponsored by Tsunami Tsolutions, Greater Hartford Arts Council, and Department of Economic and Community Development, Office of Tourism.

$22; $17 for MTH&M members and Hartford Stage Subscribers. Reservations required. Please call (860) 280-3130 or click here.


The Mark Twain House & Museum Offers Free Admission to Hartford Residents, Courtesy of The Hartford
Saturday, November 22, 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

Thanks to The Hartford, we are offering free tours to our valued neighbors -- the residents of the City of Hartford. Bring along proof of residency, and take that long-planned tour of Mark Twain's House! The House and Museum are open 9:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m.; the last tour is at 4:30 p.m..

Free for Hartford residents!



HOLBROOK RETURNS!
We're excited that Hal Holbrook will be performing his classic 
Mark Twain Tonight! 
as a benefit for the 
Mark Twain House on February 17th at 7:30 p.m. at The Bushnell in Hartford.  It'll be an unforgettable evening--it's Mr. Holbrook's 90th birthday, and he's been preforming as Mark Twain for 60 years! Tickets for this once-in-a-lifetime event are on sale now. Please call (860) 987-5900 or click here.
 

 

 

 

SEEKING QUALIFIED APPLICANTS FOR THE CHIEF CURATOR POSITION AT THE MARK TWAIN HOUSE & MUSEUM

 

 

The Mark Twain House & Museum welcomes applications for the Beatrice Fox Auerbach Chief Curator position.  

  

The Curator will direct the maintenance and preservation of historical properties, management of archives and collections, and exhibition of artifacts, aligned with the museum's mission, vision, and values.

 

Please click here for details on the position and the application process.

 


 

34th Holiday House Tour Features Impressive Private Homes


Four architecturally impressive Hartford and West Hartford homes will be part of The Friends of The Mark Twain House & Museum's 34th Holiday House Tour on Sunday, December 7, 2014, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. The private homes will be featured along with Mark Twain's 19-room home and The Hartford Club, where Samuel Clemens (Mark Twain) was a member.
All of the homes will be decorated festively for the holidays and will feature live music and floral arrangements. The Twain mansion, at 351 Farmington Avenue in Hartford, will be decorated for a late 19th century Christmas with the Samuel Clemens family.

Home Descriptions

Elm Street, Hartford: This classic four-story brownstone was built in 1863. It recently was updated by its current owner, architect Sara Bronin, who received the 2014 Alice Washburn Award from the Connecticut Chapter of the American Institute of Architects for this renovation. The project included restoring the brownstone fa�ade and bay window, and renovating the entire interior. The design includes a dramatic 32-foot kitchen-dining room, with two working fireplaces, which was created by combining four different rooms.

Prospect Avenue, Hartford: The current owners have completely renovated and decorated this classic home. It was built in 1910 for a local surgeon. The home is filled with beautiful details including pocket doors, hope chests, blueprints of the house, and shadow boxes that were found during the renovation. Nearly every room has a unique chandelier that adds a touch of glamour. 

Sycamore Road, West Hartford: This home is decorated with a New England motif. The original front leads to an entrance hall featuring a custom-made mirror, a French chandelier, and inlaid patterns on the floor. The living room is dominated by a unique grandfather clock with exquisite detailing that is echoed in the custom-built mantel, which displays Connecticut icons such as the Charter Oak and the state flower in its intricately carved fa�ade.

Prospect Avenue, Hartford: This home offers a stunning view of the Hartford skyline. Designed by the prominent architectural firm, Smith & Bassett, it was built in 1912 for Harriet Hansel who was related to the wife of President Grover Cleveland. The double-staircase in the entryway leads up to the restored master bedroom suite and then down to the living room and dining room, which features original wood paneling.

Advance tickets are $30 each and can be purchased by calling 860-280-3130 or by clicking here. Tickets will be $35 each on the day of the tour and will be available at the Mark Twain House & Museum. For more information go to www.MarkTwainHouse.org.

The Friends of The Mark Twain House & Museum is a volunteer organization that has supported the museum for more than 50 years. Proceeds from the tour will benefit the restoration, preservation, and education programs of The Mark Twain House & Museum, which is a National Historic Landmark.

Please visit our dedicated Holiday House Tour website here for complete details about the afternoon.

 

 


JOIN The Mark Twain House & Museum!

 

Enjoy the special insider benefits of membership in The Mark Twain House & Museum. And there's the sheer joy of being part of the legacy of Mark Twain, whose wit and insight remain alive today in 2014 -- over 150 years after Sam Clemens took on his famous pen name and entered history.

 

Submit our easy-to-use, secure online membership form or simply call 860-280-3112.

 

Make a DONATION Today!

 

Your donation to The Mark Twain House & Museum has a major impact on our ability to preserve this beautiful home, provide crucial educational programs for thousands of schoolchildren, offer mind-stimulating and spine-tingling events for adults, and welcome thousands of visitors each year. 

 

 ...and make your donation count double: Find out if your employer has a Matching Gift program.

 

Donate online, call 860-280-3112, or send your donation to: The Mark Twain House & Museum, Development Department, 351 Farmington Avenue, Hartford, Connecticut 06105.

 

Join the FRIENDS!

 

The Friends of The Mark Twain House & Museum offers wonderful speaking events, social gatherings, and fun volunteer opportunities. Pony up $30 and you'll get it all, too!

 

It's the volunteer organization that has supported the museum for more than 50 years. To join, call Membership Co-Chairs Chuck Paydos, 860-242-4825, or Dee Peters, 860-233-4066.

 

 

The Mark Twain House & Museum has restored the author's Hartford, Connecticut, home, where the author and his family lived from 1874 to 1891. Twain wrote his most important works there, including The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, and A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court. In addition to providing tours of Twain's restored home, a National Historic Landmark, the institution offers activities and educational programs that illuminate Twain's literary legacy and provide information about his life and times. The house and museum at 351 Farmington Ave. are open Monday through Saturday, 9:30 a.m. - 5:30 p.m., and Sunday, 11:00 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. For more information, call 860-247-0998 or visit us online. Programs at The Mark Twain House & Museum are supported by the Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development, and the Greater Hartford Arts Council's United Arts Campaign.

 

David Cash, Publicist and Publications Editor

The Mark Twain House & Museum

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