Spending an Afternoon with the Kids at the Western Historical Society

There is something about spending a Saturday afternoon exploring a museum, especially with kids who are experiencing things for the first time. Thanks to the Western Reserve Historical Society for providing us a family membership to facilitate this post we spent an amazing afternoon learning about history of cars, fashion and our fair city of Cleveland, Ohio.

We started our journey through the museum in the Setting the World in Motion exhibit.  I loved seeing the old planes and cars and was fascinated my the history of the air races but just off this exhibit is where the Euclid Beach Carousal project is being housed.

The grand Carousel operated at Euclid Beach Park from 1910 until closing day, September 28, 1969 - well before I was even a glimmer in my parents eyes.  I have heard stories from both of my parents about how glorious Euclid Beach was in its hay day but now Cleveland’s Euclid Beach Park Carousel Society plans to rebuild the mechanism and return it to operation in a new enclosure at the Western Reserve Historical Society History Center.  There is no set final date other than 2014 but it will be an amazing thing to ride when it is open.

From the carousal we ventured to the lower level at into REVolution: The Automobile in America. Over 50 different cars tell the history of automobiles in America from 1890 to the 21th century.  It is fascinating to see how cars evolved.

As we wander we found several car design students sketching and drawing the cars on display.  The kids were in aware of their ability as was I.

The plan was to end our trip in the Kidzibits Family Education Space but the girls and I took some time to look at the Dior and More - For the Love of Fashion while my son was held captive by the trains.  The trains are really amazing.  It is not a huge display, but the details are wonderful.

The kids spent the remainder of our time there in the education space playing with the blocks, the "paper dolls," exploring the way people use to live and how we live now.

There was more hands on learning in this area than I expected it to be.  The pictures on their website does not do it justice but neither do I mine, I was to busy playing to take pictures.

Western Reserve Historical Society is open Tuesday - Sunday but will be open on Martin Luther King Day and free for all.  

  

Fall Harvest at @WRHS_History's Hale Farm Village (psst... don't miss it!)

~ this post is sponsored by Western Reserve Historical Society.  All opinions are mine ~

The Annual Hale & Farm and Village Harvest Festival is going on this weekend but we went last weekend under the threat of stormy skies.  Lucky for us we did not let the weather sway us because it was a gorgeous day in the country exploring what it was like before electricity.

As we walked through the village we got to see how apple cider was pressed (too many bees to actually try it), watched apple butter being made, pick apples and shuck corn.  The kids ran freely through the open spaces, jumped into leaves, explored a maize maze and even tried their hands at farming (sort of).  There was also pumpkin painting and a hay ride for more traditional Halloween fun.  Of course, our hay ride was us under an umbrella but it was still fun!

If you haven't made plans for this weekend, or even if you have, this should be on the must do list.  The fall colors are brilliant, even on an over cast day.

Admission:
$10 adults; $5 children and WRHS Members are free 

Buy your tickets online today!
Saturday, October 19
Sunday, October 20

Harvest Festival Activities
12:00 pm & 2:00 pm
Livestock Talk –Oxen at the Hale Carriage Barn

1:00 pm & 3:00 pm
Johnny Appleseed at the Hale House Apple Orchard

All Day Activities
Gatehouse Visitor Center & Patio
Apple Cider, Apple/Pumpkin Butters & Breads
Hand-crafted at Hale items available at the Museum Store
Straw Pile, Wagon Rides, Pumpkin Painting

Hale House & Barnyard
Apple Cider Press, Apple Orchard & Johnny Appleseed
Home Crafts & Textile Demonstrations
Milking Shorthorn Oxen

Herrick House & Barnyard
Apple Butter Making
Sheep, Hogs & Chickens
Farm Implements

Early American Crafts & Trades
Blacksmith, Glassblowing, Broom Making, Spinning & Weaving

Corn Maze & Corn Picking

This post is sponsored by Western Reserve Historical Society.  All options are 100% mine. Western Reserve Historical Society provided our family with a year membership.

@BloggerIdol News: Art Thief Comes Home

CLEVELAND, Oct. 8, 2013 /BloggerIdol/ -- Renowned art thief, The Grand Empress Guinevere of the Night, was last seen in the City of Cleveland late last week. Sources close to thief claim to have been in recent contact with the burglar ever since she absconded from the Museum of the Nation in Peru with a priceless artifact. This has been verified by local travel agents returning to our area from a corporate retreat in Lima, with newspapers.

Dior & More – For the Love of Fashion

Experts disagree that it is in fact the Grand Empress Guinevere of the Night in Cleveland but everyone is hopeful that if it is, she will be caught before she tries to relieve the Western Reserve Historical Society, a sponsor of this blog, of the American Beauty red haute couture ball gown and the stole which was designed by Bob Bugnand from its collection this month. Of course, if you believe that she is actually doing the work the police have failed to do then you may be ecstatic to see her in our fair city.

The Grand Empress Guinevere of the Night, who also goes by MJ, is not known for high fashion robberies and no one is certain that this is the item she will go after but authorities believe that she leaves clues at her crime scenes to indicate where she will go next.

 She was last suspected of taking a priceless Anthropomorphic Vase and leaving a brochure to the Dior & More – For the Love of Fashion exhibit that is currently at the Western Reserve Historical Society.

Anthropomorphic Vase

Local experts speculate that the Grand Empress Guinevere of the Night is actually coming home and she is a lifelong Cleveland resident. Of course it is more likely that MJ (or the Grand Empress Guinevere of the Night) is actually from the suburbs. There is no evidence to indicate either is true, just wishful thinking of the conspiracy theorists that agreed to be interviewed.

Grand Empress Guinevere of the Night is seen by some to be a modern day Robin Hood, stealing from the rich who stole the artwork that should be shared with the public but others see her as a danger to society and a threat to the art world. Regardless of which camp your opinion falls her methods seem to have the results that she intended and out smarted the police who have been chasing the trail of stolen art work.

Authorities are asking for any information leading to the capture of Grand Empress Guinevere of the Night. My editors would like to remind you that I write fiction and I am a judge in Blogger Idol who is hosting a play along weekly link up.

Write a newspaper article about a fictional crime you have committed. Guidelines: You must include at least 2 images, and the post must be between 500-750 words. It must also be written in third person.