August 2015 eNews

Welcoming friends from near and far!
FROM THE
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

"Supposing is good, but finding out is better." -Mark Twain
 
Hello, friends!

With all of the activity going on at The Mark Twain House & Museum, you may be "supposing" that everything is going well - and you would be right. We just published our Annual Report for our most recent fiscal year, which ended January 31, 2015. Please take a few minutes to review the report, because we agree that "finding out is better."

The report includes the names of all of the generous donors, volunteers, sponsors, and supporters whose belief in our mission ensures our ability to preserve the Clemens family home and keep it open for visitors from around the world.

If your name is missing from the report, please consider donating or volunteering with us. There is so much to accomplish here, and we simply cannot do it without you. 

Thank you for all you do - from donating to shopping in our store to attending events to bringing friends and family to visit

With gratitude, 
 
Cindy Lovell, Executive Director

LATE JULY EVENTS 

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

Our Ice Cream Social!

Thursday, July 30, 5:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.

 

I scream, you scream, did someone say FREE ice cream?  The summer heat is on its way, but we've got you covered (in sprinkles,that is)! The Mark Twain House & Museum invites everyone to its 7th annual free Ice Cream Social on the Nook Farm Nook patio. Come on down and enjoy delicious frozen treats, sundaes with your favorite toppings ,and maybe some old fashioned lemonade from 'Huck's Lem'nade Stand' served up by The Friends of The Mark Twain House & Museum!  If that's not enough, how about a triple scoop of entertainment? There will be music by local artists Horizon Blue, face painting, and a bubble making station too! Top it all off with arts and crafts and a story time for the little ones, and you've got a cool, fun-filled recipe fit for the whole family!  The music for this event is generously supported by the Evelyn W. Preston Memorial Trust Fund, Bank of America, N.A., Trustee.

 

In addition, there will be discounted tours of the first floor of the Mark Twain House ($5 for adults, seniors, and children; under age 6 free). Come have a pleasant summer evening of free ice cream, music, and more on the grounds of the historic Mark Twain House!

 

This event is generously supported by the George A. & Grace L. Long Foundation, Bank of America, N.A. and Alan S. Parker, Trustees.

 

This is a free event!

 

 

CLUE Tours of the Mark Twain House

Thursday, July 30, Tours step off every 15 minutes starting at 7:00 p.m.

 

Our popular CLUE Tours will be offered one-night-only this summer at The Mark Twain House. The classic board game  comes to life using the various rooms (secret passageway, conservatory, billiards room, and more) of the Twain house -- and some of the author's favorite literary characters -- as part of the game. Who killed that varmint Pap Finn? Was it Tom Sawyer in the Library with the Wrench? Merlin in the Billiard Room with the Knife? The Pauper in the Kitchen with the Rope? This hour-long tour featuring the famed comedy troupe SEA TEA IMPROV as Twain's beloved characters/suspects. CLUE Tours provide all the murder, mayhem and merriment you expect in a whodunit. Our Clue Tours were featured on an episode of the Travel Channel show Wackiest Tours!

 

The CLUE Tours are supported by Webster Bank.

 

Reservations are required, and tours sell out, so please book early. Tickets are $22; museum members are $17; children 6 to 17 are $15.  To purchase tickets, please call (860) 280-3130 or click here.

 


AUGUST EVENTS

BOOK/MARK: Master Thieves: The Boston Gangsters Who Pulled Off the World's Greatest Art Heist with author Stephen Kurkjian

Tuesday, August 4, 7:00 p.m.

 

This is the definitive story of the greatest art theft in history.

 

In a secret meeting in 1981, a low-level Boston thief gave career gangster Ralph Rossetti the tip of a lifetime: the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum was a big score waiting to happen. Though its collections included priceless artworks by Rembrandt, Vermeer, Degas, and others, its security was cheap, mismanaged, and out of date. And now, it seemed, the whole Boston criminal underworld knew it.

 

Nearly a decade passed before the Museum was finally hit. But when it finally happened, the theft quickly became one of the most infamous art heists in history: thirteen works of art valued at up to $500 million, by some of the most famous artists in the world, were taken. The Boston FBI took control of the investigation, but twenty-five years later the case is still unsolved and the artwork is still missing.

 

This story also leads to central Connecticut--federal agents have searched the Manchester home and yard of reputed Hartford mobster Robert Gentile, who is believed to have participated in the art heist.  During an April 2015 court hearing, the prosecutor said that the FBI has a recording of Gentile offering to sell some of the stolen art to an undercover agent. Learn more about all of this at this exciting event

 

This program will be moderated by Hartford Courant reporter Edmund Mahoney, who has written extensively about this story for the Courant.

 

The Book/Mark Series is supported by a generous grant from the George A. & Grace L. Long Foundation, Bank of America, N.A. and Alan S. Parker, Trustees.

 

Followed by a book sale and signing. This is a free event but reservations are recommended. Please call (860) 280-3130.

 


BOOK/MARK: Diary of a Puerto Rican Demigod with acclaimed playwright and author Edwin Sanchez

Wednesday, August 12, 7:00 p.m.

 

After twenty years of unwedded bliss to billionaire Jason Wilcox, former chorus boy Javier Rivera (Javi), has his world turned upside down when he is traded in for Javi 2.0. and goes from being a trophy boy to a trophy geezer. Banished from the Mount Olympus he shared with Jason and refusing to take any money from the man he still loves, Javi finds himself in the basement apartment of his parents' building. After a brief pity party for one, and with no marketable or discernible skills to fall back on, Javi sets out to rebuild his life. 

 

Edwin Sanchez is well-know playwright and has strong ties to Connecticut.  He is graduate of the Yale School of Drama, and was once the Playwrite in Residence at Hartford Stage. Several of his plays have previewed at Hartford Stage, including Clean and Diosa. He also contributed a segment to the acclaimed play Christmas on the Rocks at Theaterworks.

 

Moderated by Bessy Reyna, award-winning Connecticut poet and writer.

 

The Book/Mark Series is supported by a generous grant from the George A. & Grace L. Long Foundation, Bank of America, N.A. and Alan S. Parker, Trustees.

 

This is a free event and is followed by a book sale and signing. Please call (860) 280-3130.





National Theatre of the Deaf performs "The Experience of the McWilliamses"

Sunday, August 16, 6:00 p.m.

 

The National Theatre of the Deaf will perform an adaptation of Mark Twain's humorous short story, titled "The Experience of the McWilliamses." Join Mortimer and Caroline while they deal with the household upheaval of having a sick child as only Mark Twain could spin this tale.

 

 As a special addition to the performance, the National Theatre of the Deaf will perform with the actors from the Theatre Immersion Program, in the original show "The W-5 Stories Behind Who, What, Where, When, & Why."

 

 The Theatre Immersion Program is a new initiative from the National Theatre of the Deaf to provide equivalent theater training to deaf and hearing high school students. For an entire week, the students have been immersed in workshops and rehearsals in preparation for tonight's performance. The students will also get a taste of touring when they join National Theatre of the Deaf actors performing in various venues in Connecticut.

 

Proceeds from this performance will be used to support ongoing programming for both The Mark Twain House and the National Theatre of the Deaf.

 

Tickets for this performance are $10. Please call (860) 280-3130.

 

 

Graveyard Shift Ghost Tours

Friday & Saturday, August 28 & 29, at 6:00 p.m., 7:00 p.m., 8:00 p.m. & 9:00 p.m.

 

We reprise our popular Graveyard Shift Ghost Tours for spooky summer chills. The Mark Twain House has been featured on Syfy Channel's Ghost Hunters and the Biography Channel's My Ghost Story. On 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. Most Ghost tours sell out fast, so be sure to call soon to make your reservations!

 

The tours are tsponsored by Tsunami Tsolutions.

 

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



PLUS: there are more events coming up this fall including Henry Rollins, R.A. Salvatore, Stuart Woods, and Mark My Words V: In A Galaxy Far, Far Away. Check our website for details! 

  

 

 

CAPITAL COMMUNITY COLLEGE HYBRID LITERATURE COURSE AT THE MARK TWAIN HOUSE AND HARRIET BEECHER STOWE CENTER

Wednesday, September 2, is the starting date; at 2:00 p.m.

 

Capital Community College (CCC) is partnering with The Mark Twain House & Museum and Harriet Beecher Stowe Center this fall to offer English 220 Studies in American Literature: Twain and Stowe. The three-credit hybrid course, a combination of in-person and online classes, will meet every other Wednesday from 2:00-4:42 p.m., alternating weekly between classrooms at the Stowe and Twain houses, and online.

 

The first class will be held on September 2 at the Stowe Center.

 

Students will read and discuss works by two of American literature's most influential authors, and will have access to materials unique to these neighboring National Historic Landmarks. Capital's Humanities Chair, Dr. Jeffrey Partridge, will teach the class, and students will also learn from staff experts at the Stowe and Twain museums, who will provide them with a behind-the-scenes look at the houses, archives and exhibits. Students will get a walking tour of Nook Farm, specialized lecture-tours of the houses, interactive discussions on exhibits and archive material, and the opportunity to explore the collections for research projects.

 

This is the first time either of the institutions have held a course with an area college.

 

To register, or to get more information, please visit

 

 

 

 
THANK YOU TO OUR NEW & RENEWING    (June 25 through July 22)
 


 

Douglas W. & Pamela K. Abbott

Carolyn Arvidson

David Biklen & Blanche Capilos

Thomas Bradley

Sara & David Carson

Katherine Civitillo

Barry Cornelius

Michelle & Don Daniels

David L. Dutka

Michelle Garabedian

Bruce & Kristin Guillemette

Kenneth & Gail Hamblett

Donna Lynn & Jay Hilton

Joan Holycross-Otto

Dianne Hunt-Mason

Alice Jena

Laurie-Rae Lallier

Rhonda Lane

Amanda LeTard

Yvon Maday

Dr. Conrad L. & Dr. Claudia G. Mallett

Erin Marx

Robin Mazzola

Jock McDonald

Michael K. Miller

Deborah & Bradley Muro

Patrick T. Nolan

Bhawani Ojha


 


 

Dick Pantalone

Claude Parmely

Raymond J. & Elizabeth C. Payne

Rich Picone

Thomas & Gloria Ranney

Dr. Wayne S. Rawlins & Ms. Janet E. Flagg

Karen Richstad

Tom & Sally Roe

Sam Rosenthal

Bryan Sayers

Scott Schooley & Giuliana Musilli

David & Deborah Schultz

Gretchen S. Skelley

Corey Spaulding

Linda A. Starr

Ziva Stauber

Julie Steyaert

William & Mauricette Stwalley

Shiyun Tang

Jeanette Taylor

Paul & Gail Tine

Joan Walden & Jake Mendelsshon

James Wallin

Jared M. Wasserman

Katherine Willard

Patricia Williams

Christy Zody

Paul B. Zolan & Kate Steinway


 

  
THANK YOU TO OUR DONORS (June 25 throught July 22)
 
INDIVIDUAL 


Nancy Aquila

Robin Atwater

Ramani & Louise Ayer

Linda Biancalani

Ruth Bortolan

Philip E. Brencher, Jr.

Alexander Burns

Linda Cummins

Maureen Czerpak

Derren Duburguet

John Fussell

John Gaetano

Kathryn Gonnerman

Michael Gordon

Peter C. Grzybala & Diane W. Korntheuer

Richard Heldmann

Joan Holycross-Otto

Jay F. & Diana Huntington

Karen A. Kelleher

Craig Kelly

Mariela Kelly

Lisa M. Lombardo

Luis Lugo

Maia Mamulashvili

Seth Max

Brendan Mckenna

Melanie Myers

Donald Nemecek

Christina Nemicas

Aimee Page

Kenneth Pearson

Patricia Pino

Allan Polak & Deborah Zipkin

Sal Presutti

Steve Raboin

Glen Rapoport

Dr. Wayne S. Rawlins & Ms. Janet E. Flagg

Heather Rockwell

Patricia Ross

Georgina Salls

Michael Sames

Bryan Sayers

Michael Shelby

Judith Siegel

Frank & Linda Sousa

Jean Stewart

J. Brett Williams

INSTITUTIONAL 


 

Burns & McDonnell


 

Stanley D. and Hinda N. Fisher Fund at the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving


 

Travelers


 

Watkinson School


 


 

 

IN HONOR OF JACQUES LAMARRE


 Joan B. & Robert N. Hedman


 


 


 

IN HONOR OF JAMES GOLDEN


 

Susan Tane

 
Make the most of your donation - be sure to ask your employer about matching gifts.
 

The Mark Twain House & Museum's Writing Classes, Workshops and Intensives

 

Be the writer you've always wanted to be by studying at the home of America's greatest writer!

 

Writing Intensives
(4 consecutive DAYS) $180

Both start on August 3

-- Playwriting Monologues 

-- Beginning | Middle | End - Writing the Short Story

 

Writing Workshops

(One-Day Workshops) $40

-- Writing Nature Poetry (August 29)

-- Nature Writing (September 12)

 

Writing Classes

(Six-Week Classes) $265

All Classes start on September 2

-- Writing the Land

-- Fiction

-- Nonfiction

-- Storytelling

 

Don't miss out -- for the complete schedule of ALL classes and workshops, or to register, please visit www.marktwainhouse.org or call (860) 280-3130.

 

Questions? Email [email protected] 

 
MARK TWAIN STORE 
FEATURED ITEM OF THE MONTH:

Mark Twain Logo Hat


 

Embroidered locally especially for us. 

Show your Mark Twain House pride and keep the sun out of your eyes during the dog days of summer!

 

Mark Twain House custom Logo Embroidered Cap with low profile, six-panel, Sewn eyelets, cloth strap back buckle. 100% cotton. One size.

 

$15.95. Visit our store or buy it online here.


 

Connecticut Association for Reading Research

Presents

Kylene Beers & Bob Probst on Reading Nonfiction: Notice & Note Signposts and Questions

Thursday, September 17 from 4:00 PM to 6:30 PM 

 

CARR, the Connecticut Association for Reading Research, an Honor Council of the International Literacy Association, is proud to present two of the most respected authorities on reading and writing: Kylene Beers and Bob Probst!

 

Come get a sneak peek inside some of the strategies in their upcoming book Reading Nonfiction:  Notice and Note Signposts and Questions a month before the release date! Light refreshments will be served and beverages will be available. We hope you will join us!

 

$45.  For tickets, please click here.



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 offer 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