Museum Village now documenting old fashioned fun and work

Exhibit highlighting farm tools set to open Oct. 1 Monroe — Some local volunteers got a taste of old fashioned work and fun at Museum Village last week. Anna Thomas and Warwick teens Justine Thomas, Jessica Christofel, Taylor Thomas, Taylor Randall and Elizabeth Mehling assisted with a project to create video documentaries of 18th and 19th century farm machinery and tools in operation. A patented 1863 corn sheller made in Seneca Falls and a hand-crank, apple cider press were among the first in a series to be operated and video documented by these girls for this project. The dried corn was donated by Earl Decker of Walden and the apples are from Warwick’s local orchards. As a facet of the $12,600 grant fund through the New York State Council of the Arts, the museum’s large collection and building devoted to local agricultural heritage is in the process of being updated to include interactive activities and video presentations. The exhibit, highlighting farm tools, is scheduled to open Saturday, Oct. 1. For more information on these activities, or if you would like to contribute to this project or others at the museum, contact Robert Schmick at 845-781-3729 or you may e-mail him at rschmick@museumvillage.org. Museum Village is a living history museum preserving a vast collection of eclectic, 19th century artifacts for educational purposes. Using these artifacts and reproductions, we provide hands-on experiences and exhibits illustrating the transition from a rural to an industrial culture and economy in America, provoking thought and discussion about history. www.museumvillage.org.