AT Museum Volunteer Newsletter - Volume 1, Issue 7

Volume 1, Issue 7 - May, 2014

Business has been booming.  We have had quite a few visitors in our first month and a half of being open and the sales and donations have been very satisfying.  The weather is (finally) getting Spring like and the people are heading to the parks to spend their leisure time.  As this issue comes to publication,  I'm hiking through the woods of Western PA in the Allegheny National Park on the North Country Trail.  I'm able to do this due to the time you most generously donate as Docents and Volunteers.  Thanks to you, I'm much obliged.  

Spring is trying so hard to come to the Museum

____________________________________________

The Passing of One of Our Own

Katy Sexton - 1940-2014

It is with deepest sorrow and utmost sympathy that I must announce the passing of one of our Docents.  Katy Sexton, wife of our Treasurer, Jay, passed away early on May 1st after a short, but grave illness.  Katy was a common fixture at the Museum, usually serving as Greeter alongside Jay during the season.  Jay and Katy also presented one of our Public Programs during past seasons.  Drawing on their many years of leading children into the wilderness, Jay and Katy would provide a wealth of information and many stories of their adventures over the years about distance hiking with children and youth groups.  She will be sorely missed and our sympathies go out to Jay and his family in this time of loss.  
____________________________________________

Programs Page Added to Newsletter Site

You may notice a new link at the top of the page.  This link will lead you to our Programs Page.  Here you will find dates and descriptions of our Summer Public Programs which run between Memorial Day and Labor Day, (but can extend further into the season), usually on Sundays at 2:00pm.  If you have something you would like to present, please let me know and we will get you on the schedule.  If you have time on a Sunday afternoon, please consider coming by the Museum to learn something new about the trail, the park, or any manner of interesting things.  

____________________________________________

AT Museum Announces Hall of Fame Class of 2014

The fourth class of Appalachian Trail Hall of Fame honorees will be inducted on Friday, June 6, at the annual Appalachian Trail Hall of Fame Banquet at the Allenberry Resort in Boiling Springs, Pennsylvania. 

Honorees in the 2014 Appalachian Trail Hall of Fame class are A. Rufus Morgan of Franklin, North Carolina; Charles R. Rinaldi of Boca Raton, Florida; Clarence S. Stein of New York City, New York; and Pamela A. Underhill of Harpers Ferry, West Virginia.

To read more about each of the honorees, check out this press release.  
To get your tickets, go here.

____________________________________________

Hall of Fame Weekend Events

Saturday, June 7th will be our Hall of Fame Festival.  Here are some of the things we have planned.

9:00am - Hikes to Sunset Rocks and Pole Steeple 
We are looking for volunteers to lead these two hikes.  If you are interested, let me know.

10:00am - Blazing the AT
Program includes a 1930s film featuring Myron Avery.  Museum

1:00pm to 4:00pm - Meet the Honorees
2014 Hall of Fame honorees, their families or representatives give talks and answer questions at sessions devoted to each of the honorees.  Furnace Pavilion

Thru Hiker Reunion Gathering
for the classes of 1989, 1984, 1979 and 1974.  Museum and Group Camp area

Richard Judy
Author of the new novel THRU: An Appalachian Trail Love Story.  Furnace Pavilion

Evening - Brats and Pot Luck Supper with Campfire
Bring a dish to share and trail memories to talk about.  Everyone is welcome - Group Camp area.  

____________________________________________

The Golden Ratio of the Trail

One of the things I love about working here at the AT Museum is I get to meet the most interesting individuals.  This was the case last week when I was hanging out at the picnic tables by the General Store and two hikers came up.  One was or very own Jack Harbaugh, aka Sequoia.  The other was Rags to Riches (Rags for short) a Thru Hiker who had started sometime in February.  

Once the conversation went through its usual check offs of gear, miles, start time, etc, the topic of the Halfway Point of the trail came up.  It seems Rags has another goal in mind for his hiking accomplishments.  That goal is the Golden Ration of the Trail.  Now, not having a strong background in mathematics or art, I had no idea what the Golden Ratio was.  

The Golden Ration or 2185.3 * .618 = 1350.5

When I asked Rags to explain a little more about the mystical point of the trail, he got a piece of paper out and started writing down all these formulas and calculations.  For me, it was like he was speaking Klingon.  I nodded my head a little and in my mind I started calling him Big Rags (like Big Bang, since his calculations started to remind me of Sheldon Cooper of that popular TV show) and once he left, I googled the topic and learned a little more about in the layman's terms I needed to understand.  

Golden Ratio in Art

Golden Ratio in Nature

The Golden Ratio is an interesting concept that is found over and over again in nature and artists and builders have used it in their works to create more aesthetically pleasing subjects.  When I asked my daughter (an artist) about it, she knew about it immediately.  Oh well.

I put it all in the back of my mind over the next couple of days as I hiked the trail east of the Susquehanna, but it kept coming back to me.  On my last day of the hike, I ran into Big Rags again.  We once more talked about the Golden Ratio and after some quick calculator functions, figured that the Golden Ratio of the Trail is at Mile Marker 1350.5, which is in New Jersey somewhere near Glenwood, NJ.  

So if a hiker has made the halfway point and needs a new goal to strive for, tell them about the Golden Ratio and when they get to New Jersey, they can celebrate another milestone of their hike.  

______________________________________________

Things Coming Down the Trail

May 25th, 2014 - Public Program - Myron Avery, Celebrating an AT Veteran - 2pm

May 26th, 2014 - Road Scholars Hike - 9:30am-4pm

May 28th, 2014 - Big Spring Middle School Field Trip to Park

June 1st, 2014 - Public Program - Social Networking and the Hiker - 2pm

June 6th, 2014 - Hall of Fame Banquet - Allenberry Resort, Boiling Springs, PA.  Tickets

June 7th, 2014 - AT Museum Festival

June 8th, 2014 - Public Program - Like Your Own Hike - 2pm

June 9th, 2014 - Road Scholars Hike - 9:30am-4pm

June 15th, 2014 - Warrior Hike (tentative) - Potluck dishes requested

June 23rd, 2014 - Road Scholars Hike - 9:20am-4pm

June 29th, 2014 - Public Program - Hiker Picnic - Potluck dishes requested
June 30th, 2014 - Road Scholars Hike - 9:30am-4pm (tentative)

AT Museum Volunteer Newsletter - Volume 1, Issue 6

Volume 1, Issue 6 - April, 2014

The Museum is OPEN.  Our first three weekends have left me very excited on how successful this season is going to be.  We have had a good number of visitors, even though the weather on the first weekend wasn't too nice and our sales and donations are trending well beyond last year.  Here are a few stats:  In the first three weeks we have had 268 visitors, have collected $250 in donations and $897 in sales.  Some of those sales were made a little earlier at different places, but these numbers thrill me to no end.  Thanks to all for your efforts in making this possible.  

Bo D. Hofman - Awarded to our Hall of Fame selectees
and made with loving care by "Bodacious"

____________________________________________

KTA Film Festival and Membership Drive

On March 20th, I represented the Museum by attending this wonderful event.  I set up our table and was able to talk to a lot of people interested in the AT and the Museum.  The event was a screening of three short films that showed different aspects of the trail we all love and know.  One of the entries was a film by Lorrie Preston, one of our Docents and a very active member here at the Museum.  Her travelogue of hiking the AT in PA entitled "Come Walk With Me" was both interesting and inspiring and won the coveted award of a nice hiking stick for best film.  The KTA hopes to make this an annual event and I highly recommend it to any locals who want to watch films on hiking and the AT.

Museum Display at KTA Film Festival

____________________________________________

Museum Clean Up Event

Volunteers made quick work of the Spring Cleanup.  We had 18 volunteers show up and get right to work.  After about three hours, we had the Museum ready for its first visitors.  Thanks to all who gave their time and elbow grease.  We will overcome the lady bugs...
  

Raking and burning winter's leavings

Georgia working on the plant beds

____________________________________________

First 2014 Thru Hikers Visit Museum

At this year's Docent Orientation there was a short discussion of when everyone thought the first Thru Hikers would come by the Museum.  I don't think anyone would have guessed that they would be arriving on March 30th.  

After our day's events I headed to Big Flat and hiked into Birch Run Shelter.  There I met Samwise, Banana Jones and her companion Kota Bear.  These Thru Hikers started in late January and were hiking fast to finish their hike before real world obligations pull them back to the daily grind.  I can only imagine the weather these hikers have encountered as they made their way up from Georgia.  As you can see in the picture, Sunday wasn't too pleasant either, but their hike continued.  

Samwise, Kota Bear and Banana Jones at this year's Halfway Point

When Samwise, Kota Bear and Banana Jones made it to the Museum, they were also the first hikers to get their AT Passport Stamped.  We all sat around the heaters and they tried to dry out a little before continuing on.  Luckily, when I told some visitors (both past Thru Hikers) about these hikers, they took them home for the night and showed them some Trail Magic.  The trail will provide.  

Lots of stamps in those Passports

I was surprised again later in the day when Toe Jam came by after being this year's first Half Gallon Challenger.  

Toe Jam proudly displaying his Half Gallon Challenge Spoon

Toe Jam was trying to catch up to the other two and word down the trail says they did indeed meet up before Duncannon and were seen hiking out of town together.  Keep on hiking guys.  
____________________________________________

May's Docent Shift Challenge

I was very happy to see that all the shifts in April were quickly filled by dedicated Docents. Before we know it, May will be upon us and starting Saturday, May 10th, we will be open from 9am to 4pm with the need to fill two shifts a day (or a minimum of 1 person per shift).

If you have time to dedicate, it would be great to get May filled up too.  Go HERE to sign up for a shift.  
____________________________________________

Hall of Fame Weekend

We have a lot planned for the first weekend in June (June 6, 7 and 8).  On Friday the 6th, we will have our Fourth Annual Hall of Fame Banquet at the prestigious Allenberry Resort Inn and Playhouse in Boiling Springs, PA, where we will induct the Class of 2014.  You can purchase tickets HERE, and AT Museum Society members get a discount.  

On Saturday the 7th, we will have a Festival at Pine Grove Furnace State Park, where there will be food and speakers at the Furnace Pavillion.  We hope to have a lot of this year's Thru Hiker Class hanging around and talking to all who will listen.  We also will be featuring a Reunion Gathering for those who hiked the trail 25, 30, 35 or 40 years ago (1989, 1984, 1979, 1974).  For more information, go HERE.

Saturday's events look like this:
9:00am - Hikes to Sunset Rocks and Pole Steeple 
10:00am - Program on Blazing, featuring a 1930's movie
Lunch
1:00 - 4:00pm - Presentations with question & answer and meet & greet, featuring the 2014 AT Museum Hall of Fame Inductees and Richard Judy, author of THRU: An Appalachian Trail Love Story.  
Evening - Campfire and dinner of Brats and Pot Luck.  If you want to come and bring a dish to share, it will certainly be appreciated by those who like to eat.  (hikers)

Sunday will feature another Program Presentation at 2:00 pm titled, Like Your Own Hike, by Michael "Dump Truck" Wilson and his wife Kit "Clever Girl" McCann.  These Thru Hikers from the Class of 2013, will talk about how to enjoy your hike and the people you meet along the way.  We will also be displaying Michael's book of photos, "Northbound" that he took during the hike that show the connection the hikers make to each other and the trail.  

____________________________________________

Warrior Hike

This year's Warrior Hikers are scheduled to pass through Pine Grove Furnace on Sunday, June 15th. We are working in conjunction with the Park Office to plan a small pot luck and cookout to honor these heroes who are "walking off the war" with a Thru Hike of the AT.  You can learn more about Warrior Hike HERE.  We also hope to have the Warrior Hikers speak at the Museum, as one of our Program Presentations.

More info to come as plans firm up.

____________________________________________

Board of Directors Meeting

On April 6th, the AT Museum Board of Directors met in the Ironmaster's Mansion.  Many important items were discussed, the primary one being the approval of this year's Hall of Fame Inductees.  

ATMS Board of Directors

The names of the inductees will be announced soon, but all I can say right now is there are four of them.  

Other items discussed were our sales of THRU and the programs and new exhibits we have planned.  The board also discussed more storage space, the upcoming renovations to the basement and the creation of a number of committees that will help the Museum manage the multitude of things we want to do.  

After an election of the current board members whose terms were expiring, the meeting adjourned.  

We finished off the meeting by watching Larry Luxenberg on a local TV station doing a three minute spot about the Museum called Good Day PA.  You can check it out HERE.  If the AT Museum video doesn't come up right away, you can search for it in the list of videos.

All board meeting are open to any and all interested parties.  

______________________________________________

Things Coming Down the Trail

April - Start remodeling the bottom floor
April 22nd, 2014 - Earth Day Celebration, Shippensburg University
April 26th, 2014 - Earth Day Celebration, Waynesboro, PA
April 27th, 2014 - 5th Annual Ironmaster's Challenge - Sign up to run here. To Volunteer, Click here.
May 5th, 2014 - Road Scholar Hike - Big Flat to Museum NOBO.  Send me an email or sign up here. 
May 28th, 2014 - Big Spring Middle School Field Trip to Park

AT Museum Volunteer Newsletter - Volume 1, Issue 5

Volume 1, Issue 5 - March, 2014

Welcome back.  The snow is melting (hopefully), the sun is shining (please) and the month of our opening is at hand.  It has been an interesting winter, but spring is on its way and the museum is ready to get back into action.

3/14/14 - Opening day approaches

____________________________________________

Quick Reminders: AT Museum Cleanup Day

March 22nd, 2014 and we will work from about 9:00 am until about 1:00 pm or so.  

I think we are all set as far as cleaning supplies go.  If you have a rake or broom, that can always help.  We have rubber gloves, but if you want to bring work gloves, please do so.  Hopefully we won't need to bring any snow shovels.

AT Museum Volunteer Orientation

March 29th, 2014 9:00 am to Noon or so, at the Ironmaster's Mansion.  Current, new and prospective Docents invited.  

____________________________________________

Docent Shifts Starting to Fill

It was very nice to see all of you signing up for shifts for the coming season.  I hope everyone is finding the VolunteerSpot website to be comfortable to work with.  It looks like our first two days in March are covered and four of the eight days in April have at least one person signed up.  

If you can spare the time on a Saturday or Sunday in April, it would be great to get that month all lined up.  Thanks for all who are committing their time, it is so greatly appreciated.  Sign up here.

____________________________________________

Road Scholar Hiking Guides

One of the partnerships the Museum has established is to provide hiking guides to the Road Scholar Adventures in Learning Groups.  They offer lifelong learning and one of their adventures starts right here in PA.  

For each of these hikes (there are eight of them from March to October) we try to provide at least two hiking guides (and we can have as many as are interested), who hike along with the group and talk about the interesting things of the trail, like the Clubs and trail maintenance, the meaning of the blazes, the interesting ruins of Camp Michaux and anything else that comes to mind.  

Once the hike is finished, we open the museum to the group and let them look around some and enjoy our exhibits.  It all ends up as a great day of hiking and talking about the trail we all love.  If this is something you are interested in helping out with, I have set up a Road Scholar event on the VolunteerSpot Group page.  

____________________________________________

Ed Garvey Collection Comes to the Museum
by Joe Harold

According to Larry Luxenberg, the museum has been hopefully waiting to take possession (long term loan) of the multitude of artifacts that Ed Garvey (one of our 2011 Hall of Fame inductees) for about 15 years.  Last month, we received the word that we could have the items, but we would need to act fast, as the house they were stored in (one built by Ed himself) was going to undergo some extensive renovation, so the time was now to get the artifacts.

We quickly assembled an all-star crew consisting of Jim Sample, Ron Bungay, Carol Bungay, Mike Wingeart and myself to head to Falls Church and gather the items for transport to the museum.  

L-R, Jim, Mike, Carol, Sharon and Ron

Jim went down the day before and spent 12 hours working with Sharon Garvey to get most of the items boxed and ready to go.  The rest of us came on Friday, loaded up and headed to the museum.  Just as we arrived, rain started falling.  We cleared the path of ice and unloaded all the trucks with 45 items.  It was quite a haul and you could just smell the history wafting off the artifacts.  

Carol recording our efforts

Mike's improvised hands free rain avoidance device

Once we got everything up into the second floor we could relax a little.  After Ron and Mike did some checking of the basement in preparation of the upcoming renovation we all headed to the Holly Inn in nearby Mt Holly Springs for a nice lunch before we all dispersed to our separate homes.  It was a good day for the Museum.

Everything unloaded and drying off

____________________________________________

Help with Presentation Programs

We are still looking for a couple of people to help out with the Program Sessions on Sundays during our season (mainly from Memorial Day to Labor Day).  If we can find one person to handle all the publicity and another person  to handle setup & equipment at the museum (or lawn, or Ironmasters) each Sunday, Gwen will contact potential presenters to fill the calendar.  Once the calendar is filled, those two people will handle the events as they come up on the calendar.  I will be around to help as usual, but it would be great if we could get a couple to handle the details throughout the season.  
____________________________________________

A Famous Hiker Leaves Us

We have lost a historical figure of the trail recently.  Bill Irwin, the blind hiker who completed the whole trail with only his dog Orient passed away after a battle with cancer.  You can read more about it here.  We feature two books at the museum telling the story of Bill's hike and about his companion Orient.  Be sure to check them out at the museum.

______________________________________________

Things Coming Down the Trail

March 20th, 2014 - KTA Film Festival, Camp Hill, PA
March 22nd, 2014 - Spring Cleanup

March 29th, 2014 - Docent Orientation (both experienced and new)

March 29th, 2014 - AT Museum opens for the season
March 31st, 2014 - Road Scholar Hike - Big Flat to Museum NOBO.
April - Start remodeling the bottom floor
April 12th, 2014 - Elizabethtown College visits Museum
April 22nd, 2014 - Earth Day Celebration, Shippensburg University
April 26th, 2014 - Earth Day Celebration, Waynesboro, PA
April 27th, 2014 - 5th Annual Ironmaster's Challenge - Sign up here.
May 5th, 2014 - Road Scholar Hike - Big Flat to Museum NOBO.

AT Museum Volunteer Newsletter - Volume 1, Issue 4

Volume 1, Issue 4 - February, 2014

Welcome back.  March 29th will be here before we know it.  As the winter winds down, it is time to start thinking about opening day and all we need to do to be ready.  

Snowy, sleepy museum (2/11/14)

____________________________________________

Reminder: Hall of Fame Nominations

One last reminder.  All nominations should be in by the end of the month (Feb 28th).  

online form. 

paper form.  
____________________________________________

AT Museum Cleanup Day

It isn't too early to sign up for the AT Museum's annual cleanup day, where we scrub the winter off of the whole museum from top to bottom and get ready for our fifth season.  The date is March 22nd, 2014 and we will work from about 9:00 am until about 1:00 pm or so.  

You can find the signup link on our VolunteerSpot Group page or follow this direct link.

Please help us out if are free to do so.

____________________________________________

AT Museum Volunteer Orientation

On opening day (March 29th, 2014) we will also be conducting our annual volunteer orientation.  This session is to bring any new Docents up to speed as well as a refresher for the veterans.  We have a few new things to talk about and review and all ideas and suggestions are welcome and encouraged.  The session will be from 9:00 am to about 1:00 pm and refreshments will be provided.  You can sign up at the Group page to attend and to help with the refreshments if you want.  Here is a direct link.

____________________________________________

Credit Card Purchases come to the Museum

One of the things we will be covering at the Orientation is our new Credit Card ability.  During the off season we signed up to use PayAnywhere to process our credit card sales at a reasonable transaction rate.  

To make this work, we needed a tablet of some kind (either iPad or Android) and Randy Motz aka Windtalker found a friend who offered an iPad to donate.  That didn't pan out, but Randy and his wife Georgia Harris, aka Mom, donated the funds to buy a brand new (open box) Samsung Tablet.  I have tested out the setup and it works great.  

It is a pretty simple application and I am hoping it will help to increase sales of our retail items.  

Thanks Windtalker and Mom for your dedication to the museum.  We couldn't have done this without you.  

(Randy and Georgia are the authors of Solemates: Lessons of Life,Love & Marriage from the Appalachian Trail, a book we sell at the museum.  We also carry some of Randy's music CDs)

____________________________________________

THRU: An Appalachian Trail Love Story

The AT Museum has entered the publishing business.  Our first publication is THRU: An Appalachian Trail Love Story by Richard Judy. Richard has graciously offered to let all proceeds of the sales go to the Museum.  The book is now available on Amazon.com and if you have designated the AT Museum as your charity at Amazon Smile, we will receive another 0.5% of the sale from Amazon.  Follow this link to buy the book on Amazon Smile (make sure you designate AT Museum (EIN 30-0127417) as your charity and I promise you will have a very enjoyable read.  Here is the link. 

We will also be promoting and selling the book at the Museum as well as the ATC and other places and will have a prominent display of the books this upcoming season.  

____________________________________________

Park Manager Promoted

Jason Zimmerman, the Park Manager here at Pine Grove Furnace State Park has been promoted and will no longer be working at the Furnace.  We would like to congratulate Jason on his hard earned promotion and thank him for all he has done for the Museum and the park.  Our success is surely the result of his help with the Museum.  We wish you good luck Jason, and thank you for all you have done for the Park and the Museum.  

We look forward to continuing our excellent relationship with your replacement.

____________________________________________

Programs Committee Chairman Needed

We are still looking for someone to take on the challenge of being the next Programs Committee Chairman.  The duties and responsibilities would be to find people to present their programs and schedule them on Sundays during the season.  For more information contact Gwen Loose.

______________________________________________

Things Coming Down the Trail

February 28th, 2014 - Deadline for Hall of Fame nominations

March 22nd, 2014 - Spring Cleanup

March 29th, 2014 - Docent Orientation (both experienced and new)

March 29th, 2014 - AT Museum opens for the season
April - Start remodeling the bottom floor
April 27th, 2014 - 5th Annual Ironmaster's Challenge - Sign up here.

AT Museum Volunteer Newsletter - Volume 1, Issue 3

Volume 1, Issue 3 - January, 2014

Welcome back.  I hope everyone had an enjoyable Holiday Season.  This may seem like the quiet time of the year for the Museum, but I assure you there is a lot going on in preparation for the upcoming season.  

____________________________________________

Reminder: Hall of Fame Nominations

by Joe Harold

This is just a quick reminder that the AT Museum Hall of Fame Nominations will be accepted until February 28, 2014.

The easiest way to submit a nomination is by using the online form. 

Nominations may also be submitted using our paper form.  Instructions on where to send the form are on the form.

For more information refer to last month's article on the topic.  

____________________________________________

Renovation Plans - The Bottom Floor

by Joe Harold

Last year we had the Rampatheater built that enabled handicap access to the Museum's bottom floor (with the added feature of being able to give presentations out on the hillside)

This Fall, we started the building of the ramp that will gain access to the Museum's second floor, which will continue in the Spring.

Also in the Spring, we will start to rehab the bottom floor so we can add more exhibits down there.  The focus of the bottom floor will be for the younger hiker and the options are many for what we will offer in that new space.  

Demo Drawing

The demolition plans call for removing the old oil tank and a few other items and cleaning the place up.  And the remodeling calls for adding a wall and leveling the floor and making it the perfect place to have a children's area.

Remodel Drawing

The work is scheduled to start in April and will mostly be done during the week while the Museum is closed since we will only be open on weekends during that month.  Ron Bungay is the man in charge of this project and when I last talked to him, he was looking forward to getting started.  

I plan on adding before, during and after pictures to this Newsletter as the work progresses.

____________________________________________

Retail Plans

by Joe Harold

I am currently busy restocking the books and other items we sell at the Museum and I am adding a few items that I hope will be as popular to the visitors as some of our shirts and patches.  

For a while now, I have been thinking of adding items to the store that could be considered "Outfitter" items.  Something the hikers who come in are interested in buying to restock their packs and continue their journey.  I went to a couple Facebook Groups and asked the experienced and new hikers alike what they would like to see for sale at the museum when they hike on by.  I got a lot of recommendations in a very short time.  Some of them, aren't possible (like ice cream and other foods) or feasible (like shoes and boots), but there were some good suggestions that I put on my list.  Now, I just need to find the right source of supply for things like lighters, sewing kits, first aid items, bandanas, baby wipes... Well, you get the idea.  

So far, I am planning on adding two items that not only can be interesting to a hiker, but to the other visitors as well.  I received a recommendation to stock the dice game Blisters.  This game was born on the trail, is very simple and easy to play and most important of all, doesn't weigh much at all.  

Blisters the Game

The other is hand made hiking sticks from a company down in Texas named Brazos.  I plan on stocking both child size sticks along with two adult sizes, so everyone can have a nice hiking stick that they bought from the museum.  We hope to supplement the stock with locally made sticks.  So if that is something that you do, let me know and we can work together to have some nice (locally made) hiking sticks for our visitors.  

Brazos Hiking Sticks

____________________________________________

Contacts, Email Lists and VolunteerSpot

by Joe Harold

As we approach the re-opening of the Museum for the season, I want to ensure my emails and other notices get to all the right people and also don't bother those who don't need to see all the correspondence that I produce.  I will be sending out an email to my Active Docent List in the near future.  I inherited this list from Howard and I want to make sure it is as up-to-date as possible.  If you don't want/need to be on that list, just let me know.  Also, you might want to make sure you have the following email addresses in your address book.  manager@atmuseum.org, atmuseumgreeters@gmail.com and johar923@yahoo.com.  All of these addresses come to me and I use each of them at different times.  

March 29th will be here before you know it and before too long I hope to see all you amazing Docents signing up for a shift at the museum.  In fact, next year's schedule is all set to go and you can actually sign up now if you know your schedule and want to do so.  You can follow the link up at the right or click here to go to the Group Page, where all of our events will be listed throughout the year.  

____________________________________________

Spring Cleanup and Docent Orientation

by Joe Harold

The Spring Cleanup will take place on March 22nd this year.  As always, every bit of effort is appreciated.  More information will follow and I have set up a sign up on the VolunteerSpot Group Page, but for now, if you are interested in helping to get the Museum all spic and span for the season, mark your calendars now.  

Also, we will hold our annual Docent/Volunteer Orientation Program on Opening Day, March 29th.  This session will be for the veterans and newbies alike and will be for learning the ins and outs of being a Docent at the Museum as well as sharing our ideas and suggestions on how to make every visitor's experience a rewarding one.  I hope to provide some light refreshments for this event for all to enjoy.  

______________________________________________

Things Coming Down the Trail

February 28th, 2014 - Deadline for Hall of Fame nominations

March 22nd, 2014 - Spring Cleanup

March 29th, 2014 - Docent Orientation (both experienced and new)

March 29th, 2014 - AT Museum opens for the season
April - Start remodeling the bottom floor

Parting shot: New picnic pavilion at the Tom's Run Shelter.
Right next to where the shelter burnt down.

AT Museum Volunteer Newsletter - Volume 1, Issue 2

Volume 1, Issue 2 - December, 2013

Welcome back.  Here's the latest news and happening at the AT Museum

____________________________________________

Hall of Fame Nominations Wanted (and HOF Committee members)

by Joe Harold

Nominations are now open for the 2014 class of the Appalachian Trail Hall of Fame.  Nominations will be accepted until February 28, 2014.  The nominees should be people who've made a significant positive contribution to the AT.

The easiest way to submit a nomination is by using the online form. 

Nominations may also be submitted using our paper form.  Instructions on where to send the form are on the form.  

The Hall of Fame has been very successful during its first three years.  We've received hundreds of nominations from throughout the Appalachian Trail community and the general public.  

Sixteen trail pioneers have been elected to the Hall of Fame so far:  Myron Avery, Gene Espy, Ed Garvey, Benton MacKaye, Arthur Perkins, Earl Shaffer, Emma “Grandma” Gatewood, David A Richie, J. Frank Schairer, Jean Stephenson, William Adams Welch, Ruth Blackburn, David Field, David Sherman, David Startzell, and Everett (Eddie) Stone.

The 2014 Hall of Fame class will be honored at the 2014 Hall of Fame Banquet, to be held on June 6, 2014 at Allenberry Resort in Boiling Springs, PA.

Jim Foster is the Hall of Fame Committee Chairman.  If you want to help out with the planning and execution of the Dinner and other events, let me (Joe) know and I will put you in contact with Jim.  Just click on my name above to open and email window.

_____________________________________________________

Hours of Operation for 2014

2014 Hours of operation

Saturday, March 29 to Sunday, May, 4 – Weekends, noon to 4:00PM

Saturday, May 10 to Sunday July 6 – 9:00AM to 4:00PM every day (two shifts - 9 to Noon and Noon to 4)

Monday, July 7 to Sunday, August 3 – noon to 4:00PM every day

August 6 to November 2 - noon to 4:00PM Wednesday thru Sunday

(Open Labor Day Monday, September 1, and, Columbus Day, Monday, October, 13)

Special Events: Times to be announced

Each shift would ideally have two people, but can be run solo.  Having two makes it easier to handle a large amount of visitors while allowing each to take a break when needed.  

______________________________________________

Programs Committee

by Joe Harold

Each Sunday, during the museum season, the Programs Committee schedules an educational or entertaining program that highlights the museum, the trail or some other local or interesting topic.  Some of our past programs have been authors and artists whose products we sell at the museum, others have been storytellers and interesting people who do exciting things.  The possibilities are boundless, but booking the speakers takes a lot of work.  

Gwen Loose, our current Programs Committee Chairman has been heading the programs since they were conceived.  She is hoping to take a step back and let someone else head the group for the upcoming year.  She plans to be fully involved as usual, but would like someone else to take the lead.  

If you are interested, let me (Joe) know and I will make it happen.  Just click on my name above. 

______________________________________________

Happenings and Doings at the Museum

by Joe Harold

The Museum may be closed for the season, but that just means that we are making sure everything is safely stored away for the winter and we are getting ready for next season.  I have been heading up to the museum at least once a week to do small jobs and checking to ensure all is well in the building.

On November 26th, the more delicate items in the exhibits were removed by Graphik Masters Studios to be stored for the winter.  Also on that day, I shut off the water to the building and drained all the pipes.  We will try to maintain some warmth in the building throughout the winter to keep the deterioration of the wall mounted items to the barest minimum.  

Restroom Closed for the Season

The heaters are working hard. 25 outside, 45 inside

The work on the second floor ramp is almost done with phase one and will be continued in the spring, when the weather shifts back to a more agreeable outdoor work environment. 

I will continue to monitor the building and its contents throughout the winter season and plan on heading up there on a regular basis.  I love the drive up from the congested city in Maryland to the beautiful rural atmosphere of south, central PA.  The transformation is wondrous.  

I am also working restocking the best selling items in the retail store and maybe even adding a new item or two.  

______________________________________________

Volunteer Referral Program

by Joe Harold

I am always looking for new volunteers to help with all the things that need to be done at the museum, from acting as a Docent/Greeter, to cutting the grass and doing other duties that are required to keep the museum up and running.  As always, this is something that can't be done alone.  Therefore, I have proposed a Volunteer Referral Program with rewards to those who pass the word and stir up the excitement of volunteering at the museum.  

In recognition of faithful service

I have already talked to prospective volunteers who heard about being a Docent from someone who is already serving.  It is a great way to grow our force of volunteers and keeps our reserves fresh.  

We are still working out the details of what we will present as awards, but it will most likely be a multi level award system consisting of credit towards the museum store, or maybe even gift cards for local restaurants or other shops.  Your ideas are welcome.  What would you like to receive for your efforts to expand our volunteer workforce?   

______________________________________________

Things Coming Down the Trail

February 28th, 2014 - Deadline for Hall of Fame nominations

March, 2014 - Spring Cleanup (actual date TBD)

March, 2014 - Docent Orientation (both experienced and new - date TBD)

March, 29th, 2014 - AT Museum opens for the season

Until next time, I'll be standing by the warm Katahdin sign