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Newsletter of the <strong>Reedville</strong> Fishermen’s <strong>Museum</strong><br />
STARRY BANNER was the first menhaden steamer to operate in <strong>Reedville</strong> by Capt. Elijah Reed in 1880.<br />
16 th Annual Christmas on Cockrell’s Creek<br />
Coming December 11 th & 12 th<br />
Six wonderful waterfront homes in<br />
<strong>Reedville</strong> are featured on this year’s tour. There<br />
are four on Cockrell’s Creek and two right on the<br />
Bay at Shoreline Estates off Fleeton Road. The<br />
four homes on Cockrell's Creek and the museum<br />
will be connected by the free boat shuttle. All will<br />
be festively decorated for the holidays by the<br />
Chesapeake Bay Garden Club.<br />
Also on tap – The Bethany UMC<br />
sanctuary will be open for free tours during the<br />
weekend. The Northern Neck Railroad model<br />
train display, which<br />
starts rolling the day<br />
after Thanksgiving, will<br />
be going strong all<br />
weekend. Santa will<br />
make his annual visit to<br />
town aboard the Elva<br />
C. Saturday morning at<br />
9 a.m., followed by<br />
breakfast at Bethany.<br />
Also on the “don’t<br />
miss” list are the<br />
traditional bake sale<br />
featuring our members’<br />
finest confections;<br />
Tablescapes, a<br />
presentation of<br />
intriguing holiday table<br />
settings by area<br />
decorators and designers; and caroling and<br />
refreshments in the Walker House.<br />
New to the tour this year is Santa’s<br />
Workshop - a delightful place to buy unique gifts<br />
created by over a dozen talented RFM member<br />
artists and artisans.<br />
House tour tickets are $25 in advance or<br />
$30 on tour days and include all houses, holiday<br />
tablescapes, museum exhibits, the model railroad<br />
and refreshments. Advance tickets may be<br />
purchased at the museum office Monday thru<br />
Friday from 9-5, and in the museum on<br />
weekends. Mail order forms are available online<br />
at www.rfmuseum.org , or call the museum office<br />
at 804-453-6529 to order by credit card.<br />
The six architecturally diverse homes on<br />
this year’s tour vary in style and age, and each is<br />
rich in personality reflecting their owners' tastes<br />
and lifestyles. Here is a brief rundown:<br />
811 Main Street: Sisters Betty Nuckols and Jude<br />
Kelly are the great-great granddaughters of Elijah<br />
Reed who founded<br />
the menhaden fishing<br />
industry in <strong>Reedville</strong>.<br />
They grew up in the<br />
Reed House built by<br />
his son George Reed<br />
in 1888. Elegant<br />
furnishings and family<br />
heirlooms grace this<br />
lovely Queen Anne<br />
Victorian with its<br />
iconic red-roofed<br />
turret. Among them<br />
are family portraits,<br />
memorabilia from<br />
several family<br />
enterprises including<br />
the Blundon and<br />
Hinton and Huff and<br />
Puff canneries, and several items from Elijah<br />
Reed including a Regency card table and chairs,<br />
gold-rimmed china brought from England on his<br />
schooner the ‘Laura Campbell’, and an original<br />
survey drawing of the 33 acre property which<br />
later became <strong>Reedville</strong>. Look for Betty’s<br />
Christmas ornaments made from replicas of old<br />
vegetable can labels. The house reads like a crash<br />
course in <strong>Reedville</strong> history!<br />
Continued page 4<br />
Autumn 2010
As I write this, we have begun the first day of our<br />
fall schedule with the <strong>Museum</strong> open only on Fridays,<br />
Saturdays, and Sundays throughout the fall. While it<br />
might seem that things would slow down a little here, that<br />
is hardly the case. For example, this first week in<br />
November the <strong>Museum</strong> is busy with volunteers<br />
dismantling our 2010 temporary exhibit on menhaden<br />
fishing, the members of the Membership Committee<br />
preparing their monthly membership renewal mailing, the<br />
Education Committee hosting a group from Virginia<br />
Natural Resources, members of the RFM Needlers having<br />
their monthly meeting, the Boat Shop guys working on<br />
the restoration of the Foggy River, and a short-term<br />
exhibit, Plain and Fancy, A Stitcher’s Showcase<br />
featuring the work of the Needlers being installed. So<br />
while we miss our weekday visitors, we are quite busy with<br />
numerous activities continuing throughout the fall and<br />
winter on our campus. This is a good time for new<br />
volunteers to join in the many happenings here and to<br />
make a significant contribution to the running of the<br />
<strong>Museum</strong>.<br />
Summer 2010 was busy with the many regular<br />
activities of the <strong>Museum</strong>. One of the most important for<br />
the future of this institution, however, was completed<br />
quietly and without much fanfare. In September, Board<br />
Vice-president Wayne Clark presented to the full Board a<br />
new long-range plan which is broken down into 5 and 10<br />
year segments. This plan is the work of Wayne and the<br />
members of the long-range planning committee: Wendell<br />
Haynie, Betty Mountjoy, and Maureen Gillmer. I also<br />
served on the committee. The plan addresses seven<br />
different elements that are vital to the <strong>Museum</strong>’s mission:<br />
Collections; Exhibits & Research; Administration;<br />
Finance; Physical Plant; Education/Outreach; and<br />
Marketing. To quote from the introduction to the longrange<br />
plan: “This 5 and 10 year plan delineates where<br />
RFM is going and provides a guide to implementation. It<br />
is a big picture plan that will set goals and priorities. This<br />
plan only signifies that the committee has explored RFM’s<br />
strengths and potentials and is a guide for use in focusing<br />
its energies. This is but a sketch.” The committee<br />
believes that this is a realistic plan that has goals that are<br />
well within the reach of the <strong>Museum</strong>. This plan will be<br />
made available to everyone this winter when it is posted<br />
on our website. With this plan as a roadmap, I feel that<br />
the <strong>Museum</strong> is focused on an exciting future. Won’t you<br />
be a part of it?<br />
Thank you,<br />
Katrina<br />
2<br />
New Library Acquisition<br />
It is with great excitement that the <strong>Museum</strong><br />
announces the latest addition to our library. A copy of<br />
Menhaden Fishing Vessels, 1870-2008 by our own<br />
Donald George was donated by the author to the<br />
<strong>Museum</strong>’s library this fall. This monumental work is a<br />
collection of images and data which gathers and presents<br />
information on menhaden fishing vessels from the first<br />
use of steam fishing vessels in 1870 to the present fleet.<br />
During the time period covered by this comprehensive<br />
work, there have been approximately 820 vessels<br />
documented for menhaden fishing. This collection<br />
includes data on 378 vessels for which the author could<br />
locate images. However, it is representative of the entire<br />
fleet because it represents all types of menhaden fishing<br />
boats. This work has been a labor of love for Donald<br />
George over the past several years. Ann Davis<br />
collaborated on the book with him and assisted in the<br />
compilation of the material. The addition of this work to<br />
our library gives researchers another important tool in<br />
uncovering the history of the menhaden industry in this<br />
country.<br />
Greater <strong>Reedville</strong> Association<br />
and <strong>Reedville</strong> Fishermen’s <strong>Museum</strong><br />
2010 Board<br />
Officers<br />
President – Maureen Gillmer<br />
Vice President – Wayne Clark<br />
Secretary – Ted Hower<br />
Treasurer – Keith Dobson<br />
Directors<br />
Blaine Altaffer, Gordon Burgess, Monty Deihl,<br />
Dick Doyle, Capt. Gus Dunaway, Aubrey Henry,<br />
Eve Jordan, Peale Rogers, Carol Towne, Glenn<br />
Warner.<br />
Directors Emeriti<br />
George and Katherine Frayne<br />
<strong>Museum</strong> Staff<br />
Director – Katrina Lawrimore<br />
Office Manager – Karen Rogers<br />
Bookkeeper – Denise Munns<br />
<strong>Museum</strong> Office: 804.453.6529<br />
FAX: 804.453.7159<br />
Email: office@rfmuseum.org<br />
Website: www.rfmuseum.org<br />
Mailing Address:<br />
P.O. Box 306, <strong>Reedville</strong>, VA 22539
President’s Corner<br />
Time flies, they say, when you are having fun! I<br />
have very much enjoyed being on the Board for the past<br />
3 years, and serving as its president for the past two. I<br />
feel enriched and grateful for the experiences I have<br />
shared with so many and for the associations and<br />
relationships that have developed! My heartfelt thanks<br />
for the opportunity, the support, and the pleasure of it!<br />
Come February, those of us whose terms are up<br />
will depart and new members will be elected. With this<br />
change in Board make-up every year, I have had the<br />
good fortune of serving alongside 24 individuals during<br />
my time on the Board. Approximately 15 work together<br />
at a time, each group different from the other, each<br />
group being the sum of its individual parts. It is a lucky<br />
thing to have such a variety of backgrounds, talents,<br />
perspectives, and temperaments all coming together in<br />
common affection for the museum. Thanks to all I have<br />
served with for working hard together, for handling<br />
controversies with respect, for making thoughtful<br />
decisions that are mindful of the founders’ vision and<br />
further the mission of the Board.<br />
This is an organization that stands out in the<br />
community through its various outreach efforts.<br />
•Literally at the front door of our museum are the<br />
docents, over 100 volunteers who greet our visitors and<br />
introduce them to the many unique features of our<br />
campus, the exhibits and our reason-for-being.<br />
• The Education Committee, through its interpretive<br />
events, school visitation programs, and “Family Day”<br />
promote important awareness of our historic, cultural,<br />
and economic ties to the Chesapeake Bay and the fishing<br />
industry.<br />
• Our “traditional” events, that also define the museum’s<br />
welcoming spirit, include the Fourth of July Extravaganza,<br />
the Antique and Classic Boat Show, the Oyster Roast and<br />
Christmas on Cockrell’s Creek. These have “gone on<br />
forever” and always bring the larger community to our<br />
grounds -- once, for the first time, then over and over for<br />
the joy of it.<br />
• Some newer events have been successful in bringing<br />
people together and/or acquainting them with the<br />
museum. Dances, barbeques, the Winter Markets and<br />
the Summer Concert Series … we have appreciated the<br />
feedback and suggestions for improvement and will<br />
consider your comments in next year’s planning.<br />
Other projects are of an on-going nature:<br />
• gardening and grounds keeping<br />
• gift shop<br />
• boat donations<br />
• maintenance of our fleet<br />
• building of the annual raffle skiff<br />
• upkeep and enhancements to the NN Railroad<br />
• design and construction of each year’s new exhibit<br />
3<br />
ALL these efforts provide hours of pleasure and<br />
camaraderie to those who participate, offer wonderful<br />
opportunities for learning, and are boast-worthy features<br />
of our museum. ALL are headed-up by volunteer<br />
committee chairs who gather huge groups of other<br />
volunteers to help them, with the oversight and<br />
coordination of our able Director. It has been inspiring to<br />
see the tireless work and creativity, devotion and drive of<br />
literally hundreds of people who get no more<br />
compensation than personal satisfaction, a sense of<br />
community and accomplishment, and the reward of<br />
giving. They deserve our praise and recognition.<br />
Winter, even though museum doors are closed,<br />
is by no means an “off time” for the Director and staff, or<br />
for dozens of other folks who work behind closed doors:<br />
preparing the budget, planning new events, learning new<br />
systems and refining old ones, phasing in the new Board,<br />
designing new exhibits etc. Committees always need new<br />
leaders, new helpers, new ideas, new energy. If you<br />
think one of our events or projects would be of interest to<br />
you, please call!<br />
Stay tuned for the next issue, in which you’ll find<br />
a survey. This outgoing board, together with the<br />
Director, will assess the interests and preferences of our<br />
growing membership, so that future programming and<br />
events can reflect them. Please take a few minutes to<br />
send it back.<br />
Stay tuned for a yearful of exciting new events,<br />
continued excellent educational and interpretive<br />
programming, and the 2011 exhibit that will focus on<br />
skipjacks. The Claud Somers, about to celebrate her<br />
100 th birthday, will be the centerpiece of a summer full of<br />
exciting festivities!<br />
And stayed tuned for the next Board of Directors<br />
and its officers, who will undoubtedly receive the same<br />
tremendous help and encouragement that I did, from the<br />
staff and from people who had gone before. The<br />
museum will be in very good hands.<br />
I come away with great respect for the volunteers,<br />
admiration for the competent and accessible office staff,<br />
appreciation for the complexities of the operation, pride<br />
in the work we’ve done, and excitement about the future<br />
of the RFM. I look forward to seeing you at the Annual<br />
Meeting on Sunday, Feb. 6 th … and in the meantime, at<br />
our fabulous cold-weather events! Thanks again…it was<br />
fun!<br />
Lecture Series to Return<br />
Maureen<br />
Due to the many requests from our loyal<br />
members, the RFM Winter Lecture Series will resume this<br />
winter. Betty Mountjoy, co-chair of the Education<br />
Committee, has agreed to head up this project. While<br />
she has some potential programs under development, if<br />
anyone has suggestions for potential lecture topics<br />
and/or presenters, please contact Betty at 453-6919.<br />
The dates and further information will be available<br />
through future RFM email newsletters.
Christmas on Cockrell’s Creek<br />
Continued from page 1<br />
8 Reed Avenue: Mary Frazer and Walt Keith moved into<br />
their new home ‘Safe at Anchor Lodge’ just off Main<br />
Street in 2006. “We spent a lot of time looking at plans<br />
and designing our house,” said Walt. “We knew we<br />
wanted bright open spaces with a big kitchen and lots of<br />
room to entertain. (Check out Mary’s cookbook library!)<br />
We also wanted to connect the house to the magnificent<br />
water views right outside our windows, and that was the<br />
genesis of the Charleston-style double porch design.”<br />
The front entrance was designed around a series of<br />
stained glass panels that they found in an architectural<br />
salvage yard and extras pop up in transoms and windows.<br />
Interesting family heirlooms and items collected by Walt<br />
and Mary enliven the home. The tall-case clock in the<br />
foyer belonged to Mary’s great-grandfather Eben Frazer<br />
who was the mayor of Newark, Delaware and her<br />
grandmother painted the landscape on the opposite wall.<br />
729 Buzzards Point Road: This beautiful home is at heart<br />
an 1860’s farmhouse. Revitalized by Don and Edna Miller<br />
in 1994 with a gourmet kitchen and bedroom wing<br />
additions, it takes total advantage of its position on a<br />
point surrounded by water on three sides. A collection of<br />
lighthouses led to the home being named ‘Miller Lite’, and<br />
these pop up in unusual places! The Millers paid particular<br />
attention to period details when renovating their home.<br />
Closets were added using old doors, corbels and dentil<br />
molding was carried into the new dining room, and<br />
bathrooms were tucked in to clever spaces. The fabrics<br />
4<br />
and furnishings used throughout the home employ a<br />
palette of bright sunny colors and evoke a cottagey<br />
atmosphere. Repurposed architectural finds like an apse<br />
from an old church turned into head and footboards and<br />
old washstands used as bathroom vanities add to the<br />
feeling. (A new guesthouse on the property still under<br />
construction will be the home of Santa’s Workshop.)<br />
505 Buzzards Point Road: When custom builder Bill<br />
Somers and his wife Terri were designing their home,<br />
they wanted a contemporary interior, yet they also<br />
wanted it to fit in architecturally with the area. The result<br />
– a charming turn-of-the-century farmhouse façade with a<br />
dramatic wide open interior and porches everywhere. The<br />
Somers’ love of boating and fishing is reflected throughout<br />
their home where they have used art and decorative<br />
objects in a novel almost 3-D way – boat models hang on<br />
the walls in the living room, the upstairs sitting room is a<br />
‘dry aquarium’, and there’s a headboard in the guesthouse<br />
made from a whale mounted between two old oars. The<br />
piece de resistance however, has to be Bill’s ‘man cave’.<br />
Ostensibly a combined guesthouse and garage/workshop,<br />
it’s really a giant sportsman’s playhouse. Look for the<br />
‘fishing shack’, golf practice range, NASCAR game table,<br />
exercise room and widescreen TV – Bill is never far from<br />
his favorite teams!<br />
370 Pelican Lane (off Fleeton Road): Location, location,<br />
location … It was love at first sight when Joe and Joanne<br />
Hunt first saw this property on Chesapeake Bay with a<br />
forever view to Tangier Island. And you will not be<br />
surprised to learn that Joanne is a professional decorator<br />
when you see how she has artfully combined new<br />
furnishings and old treasures to create a comfortable<br />
beachside home. Her preference for a subdued palette of<br />
soft pastel colors is the perfect foil to set off antique and
family pieces. A stunning quarter-sawn oak breakfront<br />
with curved glass from Joe’s family has a place of honor<br />
in the great room. A pair of sofas of old wicker, an<br />
occasional table made from a repurposed old sewing<br />
machine stand, and folk art items all add to the relaxed<br />
ambiance.<br />
346 Pelican Lane: Bright and bold is the feeling at the<br />
Purser family ‘compound’ next door. Kathy and Chuck<br />
Purser, their son Craig and wife Gretchen, and daughter<br />
Michelle and husband Scott Whitaker share this weekend<br />
home on the Bay. They have added extensively to the<br />
original house on the property, built a guesthouse and a<br />
pool, and turned the garage into a cool bunkhouse for the<br />
kids – the ultimate repurposing! As you move through the<br />
house, there’s almost a feeling of swimming in a tropical<br />
sea. Rooms are painted in vibrant blues, reds and yellows,<br />
and art and decorative items continue the theme – total<br />
relaxation at the beach!.<br />
Northern Neck Railroad<br />
In reality, the railroads never came to the Northern Neck.<br />
However, on the day after Thanksgiving, the magical<br />
season heralding the mythical role of trains on the<br />
Northern Neck arrives at the <strong>Reedville</strong> Fishermen’s<br />
<strong>Museum</strong>. It is on that day that the famous Northern Neck<br />
Railroad begins its seasonal run in the Model Shop of the<br />
<strong>Museum</strong>. The trains will be running every weekend<br />
through January 9 th for train enthusiasts, both young and<br />
old, to enjoy. The members of the Model Shop have<br />
been working hard all summer and fall to upgrade the<br />
exhibit with new track, more working bridges, new houses<br />
and many other improvements to the overall railroad.<br />
Make plans now to see what might have been if the<br />
railroads had come to our area, or at least, how these<br />
hard-working volunteers envision that it might have been<br />
5<br />
Unique Gifts and Artworks by<br />
Members<br />
Treat your friends and family ... and even<br />
yourself ... to a festive new feature of Christmas on<br />
Cockrell's Creek!! Over a dozen talented RFM<br />
members bring fine examples of their artworks to<br />
SANTA'S WORKSHOP, where you may enjoy and<br />
purchase unique gifts arranged in a delightful holiday<br />
venue. Potters and woodcrafters, painters and jewelry<br />
makers, fabric artists and others: they all offer gifts for<br />
people on your list, at a price range that covers<br />
stocking stuffers to that Very Special Gift.<br />
Part of the two-day house tour<br />
event, SANTA'S WORKSHOP will be set up on the<br />
grounds of the “Miller Lite” House on Buzzards Point<br />
Road, a lovely restored and expanded farmhouse<br />
which is one of 6 spectacular homes on the tour.<br />
Artists will be on hand to meet and greet guests<br />
during the full two days, (Sat. and Sunday, Dec. 11-<br />
12), and each is generously donating 25% of the<br />
proceeds from each purchase to support the museum's<br />
many educational and community programs. Your<br />
ticket to the tour includes admission to SANTA'S<br />
WORKSHOP, and you can arrive there by car or by<br />
the free boat shuttle.<br />
The RFM is proud to showcase the amazing<br />
diversity of some of its many member/artists and to<br />
provide the annual Christmas Tour visitors with yet<br />
another way to enjoy <strong>Reedville</strong>'s traditional tour<br />
weekend. You won't want to miss this charming<br />
experience!"<br />
RFM Goes To Winter Schedule<br />
Besides the cooler weather, fewer visitors, and<br />
geese flying overhead another sign of the coming winter<br />
at the <strong>Museum</strong> is the change to our fall and winter<br />
schedule. Beginning Monday, November 1 until<br />
December 20, the <strong>Museum</strong> will be open from 10:30-<br />
4:30 on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays only. The<br />
Northern Neck Railroad model trains will begin running<br />
the day after Thanksgiving. Following tradition, the<br />
<strong>Museum</strong> will be open every day from Sunday, December<br />
26 through Friday, December 31 with the model trains<br />
running daily for the enjoyment of all our visitors, both<br />
young and old. The <strong>Museum</strong> will be closed on New<br />
Year’s Day, but will be open on Sunday, January 2 and<br />
on Saturday and Sunday, January 8 and 9. From then<br />
until Saturday, March 12 we will be closed for the winter<br />
except for special groups by advance arrangement only.<br />
From March 12 until the end of April we will be open on<br />
Saturdays and Sundays only. To clarify, the <strong>Museum</strong> will<br />
be closed Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve, Christmas<br />
Day, New Year’s Day, and Easter Day.
Summer at the RFM<br />
6
Summer at the RFM<br />
7
The scaffolding is down and all the new bricks are<br />
now in place. You can almost see a smile on the face of<br />
our 108 year old friend !! It took the professionals from<br />
Industrial Access a little more than a month. While<br />
Mother Nature may have been working against us earlier<br />
in the summer with the storms, she sure took care of us<br />
during the restoration work with almost perfect weather<br />
!! The restoration work included the following: grinding<br />
and repointing all mortar joints on the outside and also on<br />
the inside, new bricks stained to match to fill the massive<br />
gap at the top that ran down almost 30ft, new custom<br />
fabricated stainless steel cap to keep weather out, stainless<br />
strap bands spaced every 10ft or so, and 3 new<br />
lightening rods across the top !!<br />
It’s a magnificent thing to see .. It now stands tall<br />
again doing more than welcoming folks to <strong>Reedville</strong>. It<br />
stands tall as a symbol to the people of the Northern Neck<br />
who, during one of the worst economic down turns in<br />
history, raised money. We are so close; but not finished<br />
however..<br />
“We are so excited to see that The Stack is here<br />
to stay for another 100+ years. I have gotten so many<br />
comments from people who are in awe of how rewarding<br />
it is to now be greeted coming in to <strong>Reedville</strong> by a<br />
restored piece of history rather than something that looks<br />
in disrepair and about to fall” said Save the Stack<br />
Committee Chairperson Blaine Altaffer. “While we have<br />
8<br />
been amazed by the donation responses of the community<br />
having raised over $186,000 in less than 6 months of<br />
effort, we need everyone to know that we still owe<br />
$40,000 to pay for the restoration work just completed.<br />
Plus, we will need additional monies to fund the shoreline<br />
work and the creation and installation of plaques<br />
highlighting the history of the stack and the Morris Fisher<br />
level donors”<br />
“With damage from two successive storms, one a<br />
lightening strike and the other wind, we realized that to<br />
wait any longer to begin the restoration could mean there<br />
would be no Stack left to restore,” said Omega Protein’s<br />
Monte Deihl, “So the Committee acted quickly, secured<br />
the contractor to begin the work, and vowed to continue<br />
to raise the necessary funding to cover the costs”<br />
RFM President Maureen Gillmer noted, “the<br />
Stack is a visual reminder of the fishing industry and the<br />
culture and history that goes with it, so it fits perfectly<br />
with the museum's mission of preserving the area's<br />
important fishing heritage. The RFM is proud to<br />
participate with the local community in its effort to<br />
preserve this significant maritime landmark.”<br />
The Save the Stack Committee is busy creating new fund<br />
raising events to help us complete the fund raising needs.<br />
Those interested in making a donation can contact the<br />
<strong>Reedville</strong> Fisherman’s <strong>Museum</strong> at 804-453-6529. To stay<br />
current on the project, please visit www.savethestack.org .<br />
Due to the many activities planned during the<br />
holidays, both here at the <strong>Museum</strong> and members’<br />
own times planned with families and friends,<br />
Cocktails on the Creek will go to a curtailed<br />
winter schedule for November through January.<br />
Cocktails on the Creek will be held on the<br />
following Fridays from 5:30 to 7 PM November 5,<br />
November 19, December 3, December 17, January<br />
7, and January 21. Make plans now to join us for<br />
these special times and have a chance to catch up<br />
with friends.<br />
Book Info Wanted<br />
Can you help one of our readers? He is looking for a<br />
copy of a book that he believes was purchased in our gift<br />
shop a number of years ago. It was a small book about a<br />
boat trip that a family made in a sailboat down the<br />
Intracoastal Waterway and was composed of lots of<br />
colorful drawings about what the family had seen as well<br />
as narrative. He believes it may have been written by a<br />
local author. Do you have a copy of the book? If not, do<br />
you know the name of the author and title of the book?<br />
Please notify the RFM Office if you can help
‘On the Dock of the Bay’<br />
Auction Gala<br />
set for February 26<br />
The 2011 auction steering committee is planning a<br />
gala affair for next February to help you chase away the<br />
winter blahs. Join us for an elegant dinner, live music, and<br />
great silent and live auction items to bid on. All proceeds<br />
will benefit the museum.<br />
“I don’t need any more stuff,” you say? Well we<br />
understand that, and so we’re planning some irresistible<br />
packages to tempt you. How about a week at a rustic<br />
cabin in the Adirondacks complete with ski boat and<br />
kayaks? Too remote for you? Then you can opt for a<br />
weekend in Annapolis for next year’s boat show, or spend<br />
a week at beautiful Lake Tahoe and try your luck at<br />
nearby casinos. More the stay at home type? Then our<br />
VIP wine tasting, day spa, or catered oyster roast at your<br />
home might be more your line. The sporting type? Be<br />
sure to bid on fly-fishing trips, an afternoon cruise on the<br />
Little River on an authentic steamboat, or a day of sailing<br />
on the Bay.<br />
New this year, we’ll be offering a day or half-day of<br />
‘experts’ to help you get those odd jobs done that never<br />
seem to get crossed off the ‘honey do’ list. Here’s a<br />
chance for our talented and skilled friends and neighbors<br />
to offer up their time.<br />
You won’t want to miss the party of the year as<br />
Festival Halle is transformed into the Dock of the Bay.<br />
We’re planning to spoil you with valet parking, great food<br />
– a served dinner – and express check-out! Yes, we’ve<br />
entered the 21 st century and have acquired software that<br />
will allow us to do all sorts of neat things.<br />
This year you’ll be able to register online and buy<br />
tickets; check the online catalog and see what new items<br />
have been added; arrange for a table reservation and add<br />
people to your table; select your dinner choice; get an<br />
itemized listing of your purchases; and pay by secure<br />
credit card link. A new special webpage will be accessed<br />
from our regular website www.rfmuseum.org and will go<br />
online in December so you can see the items available at<br />
the auction and start planning your bidding strategy. We’ll<br />
start taking ticket orders January 15 th at the museum and<br />
online. Stay tuned to the regular e-news bulletins for more<br />
information.<br />
Won’t be in town or can’t make the auction and see<br />
something in the catalog you’d like? Well you can still<br />
participate. Just register online and leave a confidential<br />
bid on your favorite items. We’ll take care of bidding for<br />
you on auction night.<br />
Have an item or service to donate? Have a look at<br />
our wish list and see how you can help.<br />
Our auction team is hard at work to make this the<br />
best ever gala auction and we look forward to seeing you<br />
there. Tickets are $50 each and include dinner, wine and<br />
beer. So put on your best bib and tucker, get your most<br />
extravagant friends together and plan on bidding high and<br />
often!<br />
9<br />
Auction team contacts:<br />
Maureen Gillmer – donations 453-3004<br />
mgillmer@kaballero.com<br />
Sonny Harper – business sponsorships 453-2633<br />
sharp@kaballero.com<br />
Susan Tipton – auction chair 453-3915<br />
tipton@kaballero.com<br />
Or contact any of the team members: Susan Carter<br />
Hughes, Pam Wiseman, Lila Brent, Martha Tallent<br />
Auction Ideas Wish List<br />
. pro and college sports tickets<br />
. fine furniture<br />
. antiques<br />
. original artworks<br />
. handcrafted items<br />
. frequent flier miles<br />
. vacation homes or timeshares<br />
. special access/private tours<br />
. lunch with a celebrity<br />
. gift baskets<br />
. cooking classes<br />
. expert services<br />
. cultural event tickets<br />
. fishing gear, sports equipment<br />
. host a party at your home or boat<br />
. fishing trips<br />
. restaurant gift certificates<br />
. sponsorships – business or<br />
individual $ contributions<br />
Have an idea? Call Maureen
Boat Shop News<br />
This may prove to be the busiest winter in years.<br />
Much of the deck has been removed from the Foggy<br />
River and work will progress from there as long as the<br />
weather holds. Repair and renovation of the Sea Witch<br />
continues and we hope to have her looking good and<br />
ready for sale in a few weeks.<br />
Plans and preliminary work on our 2011 deadrise skiff<br />
have begun and will continue this winter.<br />
Ticket sales for the 2010 Raffle Skiff go well and exceed<br />
our goal.<br />
Boats For Sale<br />
• 1985 Bayliner 18 foot Capri 2.1 liter Volvo I/O with<br />
trailer. Asking…..$2,500<br />
• 1971 Windjammer 17 foot fiberglass sailboat and 1997<br />
Venture trailer. Asking ...... $1,600<br />
• 1979 Aquasport, 19 feet 6inches with 115 HP Yamaha<br />
outboard, good running condition.<br />
Asking………$1900.<br />
• 1980 Hobecat with sail, new rigging and trailer.<br />
Asking………$1400<br />
• 1992 Yamaha jetski with trailer. Asking……….$600.<br />
• 1971 23’ Thunderbird I/O, 225 HP, asking……..<br />
$2500<br />
• 1934 Hartge built Chesapeake 20’ Sail boat and trailer,<br />
glass over wood. Asking..... $5,300<br />
• Homebuilt 8 ' plywood row/sail dingy with sail and oars.<br />
Asking……..$550<br />
• 1990 21 foot Sunbird fiberglass O/B 200 HP Johnson,<br />
good condition. Asking…… $3,000<br />
If interested, please contact Committee Chairman Clif<br />
Ames through the RFM 804-453-6529<br />
WE ARE LOOKING FOR DONATIONS<br />
If you have a boat with clear title that you wish to donate<br />
to the museum please contact Clif Ames at 804-453-<br />
3506 or RFM at 804-453-6529.<br />
10<br />
Our Committees<br />
BOARD COMMITTEES<br />
Financial Mgt – Aubrey Henry<br />
Long Range Planning – Wayne Clark<br />
Membership – Harry Towne<br />
OPERATING COMMITTEES<br />
Boat Collection – Dudley Biddlecomb<br />
Boat Donation/Resale - Clif Ames<br />
Boat Shop - Pete Kauneckas/Dick Doyle<br />
Building/Grounds – Glenn Warner/Gordon<br />
Burgess<br />
Claud W. Somers – Harry Towne<br />
Curatorial - Donald George<br />
Docents – Rita Johnson<br />
Education - C. Feigenbaum/Betty Mountjoy<br />
Elva C - Spud Parker /George Butler<br />
Exhibits – Katrina Lawrimore<br />
Foggy River – Charley Gillmer<br />
Gift Shop – Jane Kimball/Karen Wise<br />
Landscape/Gardening – CBGC - Carol Cole<br />
Model Shop - Bob Dillon<br />
Needlers - Mary Frances Lewis<br />
Photo Group - Doug Brogden<br />
Starry Banner – Paul Kimball<br />
Quilters - Tippie DeLeo<br />
Walker House - Carol Cole<br />
Webmaster – Paul Kimball<br />
Learn more about positions available on the<br />
Volunteers page of our web si
The Starry Banner is published quarterly and is<br />
mailed to ALL members<br />
The Starry Banner is also posted as a PDF on our<br />
web site about a week before print publication. The<br />
online version is in full color. Notification is made by E-<br />
Newsletter when this posting is made.<br />
Recently we have noticed a number of our E-<br />
Newsletters are being bounced back due to incorrect email<br />
addresses. Please make sure we have both your current<br />
postal and email addresses.<br />
RFM Calendar<br />
Special Edition<br />
The RFM Photo Group has done its usual superb<br />
job of putting together the 2011 calendar. It displays<br />
some fine scenes from around the Northern Neck. This<br />
year the calendar takes on a whole new look…. actually<br />
an old look, as the photos have taken on the appearance<br />
of yesteryear. The cover photo is the work of the late Jay<br />
Rohmann. Look for it at the Gift Shop.<br />
Gift Shop<br />
The Gift Shop has some new things for<br />
Christmas. Especially exciting are our Second Wind<br />
products. Donated sails have been made into smart brief<br />
cases and bags. If you have a used sail to donate please<br />
call Jane Kimball at 453-6517. We will also have<br />
Christmas ornaments with a nautical theme. Remember<br />
to check out the Gift Shop when ticking off your<br />
shopping list.<br />
11<br />
MEET OUR VOLUNTEERS<br />
Wanda and Dan Boley<br />
Wanda hails from Kentucky and Dan from<br />
Tennessee. They met and married when were both<br />
employed by the FBI. They have two children and five<br />
grandchildren. They moved to <strong>Reedville</strong> in 1994 from<br />
Camp Springs, Md.<br />
They are among our earliest volunteers, They<br />
visited the museum when it was still just the Walker House<br />
and were inspired to get involved. They report that it has<br />
been a very rewarding sixteen years. As Wanda says,<br />
“volunteering is the name of the game.”<br />
Over the years Wanda has served on the Exhibit<br />
and Education Committees, been a Docent and Christmas<br />
house tour hostess, and acted as liaison between Bethany<br />
UMC and the RFM for joint events. She helps with the<br />
Oyster Roast and as a member of the CBCG helps<br />
maintain the gardens at the RFM. Wanda served on the<br />
Board of Directors from 1999-2003 and the Long Range<br />
Planning Committee from 2000-2004.<br />
Dan, whose interests lie in woodworking, has<br />
worked with both the Building and Grounds and the<br />
Heritage Boat Committee. He crafted the handsome<br />
reproduction helmsman's wheel for the Elva C. Dan, also<br />
helped restore the Claud W.Somers and has helped with<br />
most of the props for the exhibits.<br />
Earlier this year Wanda and Dam were<br />
commended by George Frayne for their outstanding<br />
service to the Exhibits Committee over the years.<br />
Festival Chorale Concert<br />
The <strong>Reedville</strong> Festival Chorale will present its<br />
third annual concert of Christmas music on<br />
Sunday, December 19 at 3 p.m. Please<br />
note that this concert will take place at Bethany<br />
UMC and not at Festival Halle as previously.<br />
Members of the group come from all over the<br />
Northern Neck and many of them sing in other<br />
community choirs or in church choirs. Director of the<br />
Chorale is Sharon Freude and the accompanist is Carina<br />
Kline Harrison. Favorite Christmas carols - some old,<br />
some new - will be featured, along with an audience singalong.<br />
Put this concert on your calendars and come<br />
celebrate the holiday spirit with us.
November<br />
RFM Calendar<br />
13 Winter Market<br />
19 Cocktails on the Creek<br />
26 NNRR Exhibit opens<br />
December<br />
3 Cocktails on the Creek<br />
11 – 12 Christmas on Cockrells Creek<br />
17 Cocktails on the Creek<br />
19 Festival Chorale Concert at BUMC<br />
26 – 31 RFM Open<br />
31 New Year’s Eve Dance at Festival<br />
Halle<br />
January<br />
2, 3 – 9, 10 RFM Open<br />
7 Cocktails on the Creek<br />
21 Cocktails on the Creek<br />
February<br />
5 Winter Market<br />
6 RFM Annual Members Meeting<br />
26 Auction Gala