2017 Teddy Roosevelt Days Banner at Seashore Trolley Museum entrance
in Kennebunkport, Maine
Fundraising Event Weekend to Benefit the Narcissus. PWM
Award-Winning Documentarian Ken Burns
signed this
"The Roosevelts: An Intimate History poster.
The poster will be a raffle prize at the
2017 Teddy Roosevelt Days
Fundraising Event Weekend July 22-23. PWM
a three-day event being held
at
Kennebunkport, Maine
Featuring:
Wade Zahares - Maine Artist & Illustrator of Children's Books
Roberto Rodriguez - Curatorial Affairs, Seal Cove Auto Museum
Suzanne Buzby Hersey - Author of Children's Books
See Complete Event Schedule for the Weekend Below -
Full Schedule for the Weekend Event:
See Complete Event Schedule for the Weekend Below -
Seashore Trolley Museum in Kennebunkport, Maine is the host for the
2017 Teddy Roosevelt Days Event July 21-23, 2017.
Image June 2017 PWM
A Fundraising Event to benefit the
1912 Portland-Lewiston Interurban
Narcissus
1912 Portland-Lewiston Interurban
Narcissus
Follow the activities of the Narcissus
project and the restoration of this
project and the restoration of this
National Register of Historic Places gem,
Narcissus, at www.narcissus1912.blogspot.com
Narcissus, at www.narcissus1912.blogspot.com
Full Schedule for the Weekend Event:
The Friday Katahdin Expedition is SOLD OUT !
The Mount Katahdin Expedition
Friday Opening, July 21st, 2017 - 3pm-8pm
Tickets to the Expedition are $30 - Sold Out
(Each ticket includes; an all-day Friday (July 21, 2017), general admission ticket to Seashore Trolley Museum, a 2017 one-day family pass to Seal Cove Auto Museum on Mount Desert Island, ME, access to meet & greet reception with light refreshments, two drink tickets (beer/wine), one raffle ticket, and a silent auction bidder #)
Friday Opening Schedule - Prepaid tickets required for this opening activity:
(Each ticket includes; an all-day Friday (July 21, 2017), general admission ticket to Seashore Trolley Museum, a 2017 one-day family pass to Seal Cove Auto Museum on Mount Desert Island, ME, access to meet & greet reception with light refreshments, two drink tickets (beer/wine), one raffle ticket, and a silent auction bidder #)
Friday Opening Schedule - Prepaid tickets required for this opening activity:
3 pm Guest arrival, check-in, silent auction preview
4 pm Vintage Trolley Ride to Riverside Barn and walk to Town House Shop for Tour of
Narcissus (currently under renovation) with Project Manager Phil Morse
5:30 pm Reception at Exhibit Gallery, Visitor's Center with light refreshments (beer & wine) and silent auction (rare TR-related books, glass art, etc.) bidding ongoing
6 pm
* Introduction: Mr. Phil Morse, Narcissus Project Manager, Seashore Trolley Museum -
The Narcissus, Theodore Roosevelt, and W. S. Libbey: "A Winning Combination"
* Introduction: Mr. Phil Morse, Narcissus Project Manager, Seashore Trolley Museum -
The Narcissus, Theodore Roosevelt, and W. S. Libbey: "A Winning Combination"
* Presentation: Mr. Roberto Rodriguez, Director of Curatorial Affairs, Seal Cove Auto Museum, Mount Desert Island, ME - History of the Stanley Brothers and their Stanley Steamer, in particular, their world record land speed holder and the very rare W. S. Libbey K 30-hp Semi-Racer
* Presentation: Mr. Wade Zahares, Maine Artist & Children's Book Illustrator, an original work of art
7:30 pm Unveiling of original work of Art, by Wade Zahares, of the Narcissus in, "Fast Friends"
7:45 pm Raffle, Silent Auction closes
7:45 pm Raffle, Silent Auction closes
8 pm Vintage Historic Trolley Car exclusive ride-along Seashore Trolley Museum's Heritage Main Line
Tickets for the Mount Katahdin Expedition are $30 and are Sold Out
Seating is limited for the Friday opening, Sold Out
FMI contact p.morse31@gmail.com
Saturday, July 22nd, 2017 - 10 am - 3:30 pm
Regular Museum Visitor Admission Tickets to attend the Event
* Wade Zahares - Maine Artist & Illustrator of Children's Books
Watch this amazing artist as he is creating his artwork of an operating trolley! Ask questions while you see his work come to life as you look on!
* Roberto Rodriguez - Director of Curatorial Affairs at the Seal Cove Auto Museum on Mount Desert Island, wants you to bring in that old family photo album or an individual photograph that has an unidentified automobile pictured in it. Perhaps you were always curious about just what make, model, and year that auto might be? Mr. Rodriguez is up for the challenge, and will ID that classic car for you :)
* Suzanne Buzby Hersey - Author of Children's Books, will be selling/signing her books, including her book, My Maine!
* Wade Zahares - Maine Artist & Illustrator of Children's Books
Watch this amazing artist as he is creating his artwork of an operating trolley! Ask questions while you see his work come to life as you look on!
* Roberto Rodriguez - Director of Curatorial Affairs at the Seal Cove Auto Museum on Mount Desert Island, wants you to bring in that old family photo album or an individual photograph that has an unidentified automobile pictured in it. Perhaps you were always curious about just what make, model, and year that auto might be? Mr. Rodriguez is up for the challenge, and will ID that classic car for you :)
* Vintage Trolley Ride to Riverside Barn and walk to Town House Shop for Tour of Narcissus (currently under renovation) with Project Manager Phil Morse
* Raffle and Sale of Special Theodore Roosevelt-related Items - Sale of Wade Zahares artwork (that he will sign), including items of his newest work, The Narcissus!
* Proceeds from the raffles and sale of special items are for the Benefit the Narcissus Project
* Proceeds from the raffles and sale of special items are for the Benefit the Narcissus Project
Sunday, July 23rd, 2017 - 10 am - 3 pm
Regular Museum Visitor Admission Tickets to attend the Event
* Wade Zahares - Maine Artist & Illustrator of Children's Books
Watch this amazing artist as he is creating his artwork of an operating trolley! Ask questions while you see his work come to life as you look on!
Watch this amazing artist as he is creating his artwork of an operating trolley! Ask questions while you see his work come to life as you look on!
* Vintage Trolley Ride to Riverside Barn and walk to Town House Shop for Tour of Narcissus (currently under renovation) with Project Manager Phil Morse
* Raffle and Sale of Special Theodore Roosevelt-related Items - Sale of Wade Zahares artwork (that he will sign), including items of his newest work, The Narcissus!
* Proceeds from the raffles and sale of special items are for the Benefit the Narcissus Project
* Proceeds from the raffles and sale of special items are for the Benefit the Narcissus Project
More About Maine Artist Wade Zahares:
Wade Zahares sharing his extraordinary skills with a large group of young
readers and their families at the fourth, Southern Maine Library District
Summer Reading Celebration, at Seashore Trolley Museum on
August 20, 2004. PWM image
Strong lines. Bold colors. Dazzling perspectives.
All three distinguish Wade Zahares' larger-than-life pastel painting. Wade's magical scenes pull readers in with their sweeping curves and unexpected angles, like an insect's view of a garden or a bird's eye view of the Statue of Liberty. "I love creating a whole little world that doesn't exist in everyday life," he says.
Both a fine artist and a children's book illustrator, Wade has always loved to draw. But it wasn't something that came easily. "In high school, I spent a lot of time in the art room," he says. "Other students would just sit down and draw people or horses really beautifully. I would struggle to draw." But Wade had passion, and the persistence to back it up. Recognizing this, the high school art teacher suggested he make a career of his art. The idea quickly took hold, and before Wade knew it, he was applying to art schools.
Since graduating from the Maryland Institute, College of Art in Baltimore, Wade has been a full-time, professional artist. He got his start doing corporate commissions; his captivating pastel paintings, sometimes as large as 3 1/2 by 6 feet, have been commissioned by Boston Duck Tours, Bank of America, McDonald's, HBO, Cinemax, and Family Circle and Sesame Street magazines. his work is also in the permanent collection of the DeCordova Museum in Lincoln, Massachusetts.
But, it's children's books that really nudge Wade out of his artistic comfort zone. Before Wade did books, he preferred drawing landscapes, cityscapes, and buildings. His first book, Window Music, pushed him to paint people and animals. Critics liked the result. Both Time Magazine and The New York Times cited Window Music as among the best picture books of 1998. Since then, Wade has illustrated five additional picture books, each of which challenged him in different ways. He enjoys sharing his creative process, challenges and all, when he speaks and conducts workshops at galleries and schools.
Wade works exclusively in pastels; he is drawn to the intimacy of the chalk and the ease with which he can blend colors. The magic happens in his studio, a converted shed just off his main house. The studio, equipped with 15-foot ceilings and a house gutter to catch all the pastel dust, is set on 5 1/2 acres of farmland in Lyman, Maine, just a few miles from the Kennebunk farm on which he grew up. When Wade needs a break, he goes for a drive to soak up the New England landscape-his biggest inspiration or he tends to his flowers, gardens, and fruit trees. Then he returns to his studio, refreshed and ready to make more magic.
More About Roberto Rodriguez:
More About Suzanne Buzby Hersey:
Suzanne Buzby Hersey grew up spending her summers in Maine’s midcoast region and fulfilled her childhood dream of living here full time back in 2006. Her love for Maine inspired her to write her first children’s book called “My Maine.” Suzanne is a member of the Maine Writers and Publishers Alliance as well as the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators. She has worked with children in a number of capacities and attributes much of her inspiration to them. She is now a mom of two and enjoys exploring the state of Maine with her family.
Theodore Roosevelt on the Narcissus when addressing the
Roberto Rodriguez was the Executive Director of the Seal Cove Auto Museum from 2009 until his retirement in 2012. He came out of retirement in 2013 to help the Natick Historical Society as its Executive Director, and in 2014 returned to the Seal Cove as its Director of Curatorial Affairs.
His career spans forty years serving the non-profit sector as a museum professional. Prior to the Seal Cove Auto Museum, he was the Executive Director of the Revelstoke Railway Museum in Revelstoke, British Columbia, and before that, the Manager of the Precision Valley Corvette Museum in Springfield, Vermont.
He has also served as the Executive Director of the Fort at No. 4 Living History Museum in Charlestown New Hampshire, Executive Director of Park-McCullough House in North Bennington Vermont, and Executive Director of the American Precision Museum in Windsor Vermont.
Mr. Rodriguez started his museum career in Canada, first as an exhibition designer with the National Museums of Canada, and finally as Deputy Director of Installations at the Canadian Museum of History during its design and construction. As Deputy Director, Mr. Rodriguez managed a $17,000,000 budget and a staff of 80 professionals.
Before specializing in museum management, Mr. Rodriguez was a product and exhibition designer having received his Associates's Degree in Industrial Design from the Ontario College of Art in 1970. He was Chief of Design and Technical Services for the National Museums of Canada and was responsible for designing hundreds of permanent, special, and traveling exhibitions. While with the American Precision Museum, he designed several exhibitions including: “Maxfield Parish: Machinist, Artisan, Artist”, “Pedal Power: the Bicycle in Industry and Society”, and “Carriage Wheels to Cadillacs: Henry Leland and the Quest for Precision.” While at the Seal Cove Auto Museum he curated “The Brass Era Auto: Motoring into the Twentieth Century,” and is currently researching and developing the storyline for the Seal Cove’s next exhibition, “Automobile Art and Advertising” opening in 2018.
He has won numerous exhibition and graphic design awards including; first place, New England Museum Association Publications Design Award for Exhibition Catalogs; joint second place, New England Museum Association Publications Design Award for Fundraising; and second prize by the American Association of Museums, Publication Design Competition.
Born in Santiago Chile to Mario Altamirano Rodriguez and Marjorie Talman de Rodriguez, his father was a Chilean career diplomat, and his mother an American from Washington, DC. Roberto holds both American and Canadian citizenship having become a Canadian citizen following his father’s posting to Canada from 1959 to 1967. He claims his US citizenship through his mother and traces his American ancestry back to 1630.
More About Suzanne Buzby Hersey:
Suzanne Buzby Hersey grew up spending her summers in Maine’s midcoast region and fulfilled her childhood dream of living here full time back in 2006. Her love for Maine inspired her to write her first children’s book called “My Maine.” Suzanne is a member of the Maine Writers and Publishers Alliance as well as the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators. She has worked with children in a number of capacities and attributes much of her inspiration to them. She is now a mom of two and enjoys exploring the state of Maine with her family.
Teddy Roosevelt Days is a Fundraising Event
To Benefit the
Mark your calendars (purchase your Friday-opening tickets in advance) and plan to attend the 2017 Teddy Roosevelt Days Event July 21-23, 2017
A Benefit Event For the Narcissus Project!
Click Here: First Post on 2017 Teddy Roosevelt Days - W. S. Libbey's 1908 Stanley Steamer
Click Here: Second Post on 2017 Teddy Roosevelt Days - Suzanne Buzby Hersey - "My Maine"
Click Here: Third Post on 2017 Teddy Roosevelt Days - Wade Zahares - Artist
The Narcissus Project Blog was created in April 2015 for the purpose of reaching out to a large number of folks through the power of social media to introduce them to the Narcissus. The Narcissus is a luxury, high-speed, wooden electric interurban. The Narcissus was built in 1912 in Laconia, NH and operated on the Portland-Lewiston Interurban, in Maine, between Portland and Lewiston, from 1914 into 1933. Theodore Roosevelt was a passenger on the Narcissus on August 18, 1914. The blog posts appeal to folks with an interest in Theodore Roosevelt's connection to Maine, to folks generally interested in regional/local history, as well as those folks within the greater railway family. Hopefully, these posts will endear many of the readers to help support the Narcissus financially, as it undergoes a complete restoration over the next few years at Seashore Trolley Museum in Kennebunkport, Maine.
Saturday and Sunday are
general admission public offerings at
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Restoration work continues on the Narcissus. The Narcissus is more than 100 years old now and has so many incredible stories to share. The restoration of this majestic icon of Maine's electric railway history is but one.
The Narcissus is featured in the national Gold Award-winning novel, Teddy Roosevelt, Millie, and the Elegant Ride. The "Elegant Ride" is the Narcissus. Theodore Roosevelt was a passenger on the Narcissus on August 18, 1914, between Lewiston and Portland, Maine, while campaigning for the Progressive Party candidates.
Independent book publisher, Phil Morse, holding
the Gold Book Award Winner plaque for
the Middle Reader category for The Eric
Hoffer Book Award. Congratulations to
award-winning Maine author,
Jean M. Flahive
Seashore Trolley Museum Promo Video
The paperback edition of Teddy Roosevelt, Millie, and the Elegant Ride can be purchased online through the Seashore Trolley Museum's store website. Books purchased through the Museum's website directly benefit the Museum and the Narcissus project.
Click Here to go to the Museum Store webpage to order online
Click Here to go to the Amazon page to order the paperback, ebook, or audiobook online
Paperback books are available at these local bookstores in Maine:
Center for Maine Crafts, West Gardiner Service Plaza
The Book Review, Falmouth
The Bookworm, Gorham
Letterpress Books, Portland
Maine Historical Society Store, Portland
Maine Narrow Gauge Railroad, Portland
Morph Gallery & Emporium, Kennebunk
New Gloucester Historical Society, New Gloucester
Nonesuch Books and More, South Portland
Seashore Trolley Museum, Kennebunkport
Sherman's Maine Coast Book Shops - All locations
Teddy Roosevelt, Millie, and the Elegant Ride
by Jean M. Flahive
Illustrations by Amy J. Gagnon
Listen to a 2-minute, 30-second, Retail Audio Sample of the Audiobook
Millie Thayer is a headstrong farmer's daughter who chases her dreams in a way you would expect a little girl nicknamed "Spitfire" would-running full tilt and with her eyes on the stars. Dreaming of leaving the farm life, working in the city, and fighting for women's right to vote, Millie imagines flying away on a magic carpet. One day, that flying carpet shows up in the form of an electric trolley that cuts across her farm. A fortune-teller predicts that Millie's path will cross that of someone famous. Suddenly, she finds herself caught up in events that shake the nation, Maine, and her family. Despairing that her dreams may be shattered, Millie learns, in an unexpected way, that dreams can be shared.
A resource for teachers
Companion curriculum State-standard-based units,
vocabulary, and reading activities for use in grades 3-8
are available online as downloadable resources through
Seashore Trolley Museum's website
www.trolleymuseum.org/elegantride/
Maine Historical Society has created eight companion lesson units in Social Studies and ELA that were inspired by Teddy Roosevelt, Millie, and the Elegant Ride - These State-standard-based lesson plans for use in grades 6, 7, and 8 are easily adapted for use in grades 3-5. Vocabulary and Reading activities for grades 3-8 along with the eight lesson plan units are available free and may be downloaded through Seashore Trolley Museum's website www.trolleymuseum.org/elegantride/
Go to the Teacher Resource Page in the pulldown for more details.
A 60-second intro to Teddy Roosevelt, Millie, and the Elegant Ride by author, Jean Flahive
Click Here to watch the video on YouTube
Award-winning author, Jean M. Flahive
Click Here to read the post - Coveted Blueink Starred Review - Notable Book - January 20, 2020
Click Here to read the post - Three 5-Star Reviews from Readers' Favorite posted on January 6, 2020
Click Here to read January 24, 2020 - Four-Star Clarion Review
Click Here to read January 19, 2020 - Theodore Roosevelt Center Blog Post Review
Click Here to read the December 25, 2019 4-Stars out of 4-Stars Review through OnlineBookClub
Please Consider a Donation to the Narcissus Project to help us tell the incredible story of the Narcissus through the interpretation portion of the Narcissus Project.
Here is an example of how donations to the Narcissus Project now will help with the interpretation portion of the project. The interpretation programming will include exhibits, displays, education programming. During 2019, through generous donations to the Narcissus Project, we were able to conserve, replicate, and have high resolutions digital image files made of the original, 1910, 28.5-foot long, surveyor map of the elevation and grade of the 30-mile private right-of-way of the Portland, Gray, and Lewiston Railroad (Portland-Lewiston Interurban) Click Here
Please add a note with your donation: Fund 817 - PLI Education
Thank You!
crowd gathered in Gray, Maine on August 18, 1914.
Image courtesy of Gray Historical Society
The Narcissus as the Sabattus Lake Diner in Sabattus, Maine,
circa 1940. Photo by John Coughlin in the Kevin Farrell
Collection at Seashore Trolley Museum
L. Henri Vallee (right) and family members in the
Narcissus, when it was Vallee's summer camp in
Sabattus, Maine circa 1958. Photo courtesy
Daniel Vallee
Inside the Donald G. Curry Town House Restoration Shop, the Narcissus is in the midst of major work as we strive to complete its restoration. We are now planning the interpretation portion of the Narcissus Project. Donations to the Narcissus Project may be used in the future to help tell the incredible 100-plus-year-old story of the Narcissus. Your donation to the Narcissus is helping to make the dream of the project's success, a reality.
See below for Donation options -
It starts with YOU
Your Donation Matters
Make a Donation TODAY
Please Help the Narcissus.
Donation Options to Help the Narcissus Project:
The New England Electric Railway Historical Society (NEERHS)
is the 501c3 organization that owns and operates the Seashore Trolley Museum in Kennebunkport, ME, and the National Streetcar
Museum in Lowell (MA).
The NEERHS is registered with the IRS (EIN# 01-0244457) and was incorporated in Maine in 1941.
Check or Money Order ***** should be made payable to:
New England Electric Railway Historical Society (NEERHS)
In the memo: for a donation to the Interpretation programming
please write: PLI Education Fund 817
For a donation to help with the restoration write: Narcissus Fund 816
Mail to: Seashore Trolley Museum
P. O. Box A
Kennebunkport, ME 04046
Credit Card ***** donations can be a one-time donation or you
may choose to have a specific amount charged to your card
automatically on a monthly basis. Please contact the Museum bookkeeper, Connie, via email at finance@NEERHS.org or by phone, 207-967-2712 ext. 5.
Online Donations - may be made by using a Credit Card:
Click Here to make an online donation through the Museum's website - When at the Donation page: Fill in donor info, etc., when at "To which fund are you donating? Scroll down to "Other" and type in: 816-A Narcissus, then continue on filling in the required information.
Click Here for PayPal - to make an online donation: you can use email: finance@NEERHS.org and in the message box write:
For "Narcissus Fund 816" - if supporting the restoration
For "PLI Education Fund 817" - if supporting Interpretation programs
Donation of Securities ***** We also accept donations of
securities. You can contact the Museum bookkeeper, Connie, via email at finance@NEERHS.org or by phone, 207-967-2712 ext. 5,
for brokerage account information for accepting donated securities.
BONUS ***** If you work for a company/corporation that will
"match" an employee's donation to an approved 501c3 non-profit
educational organization, please be sure to complete the necessary paperwork with your employer so that your donation is matched :)
Questions? ***** Please contact Narcissus Project sponsor:
Phil Morse, narcissus@gmail.org or call 207-985-9723 - cell.
Thank You :)
Thank You for our Current Funding Partners
* 20th Century Electric Railway Foundation - 2018 - Major Gift, 2017/2014 Matching Grants
* Renaissance Charitable Foundation (LPCT) by Fiduciary Trust Charitable Giving Fund
* Renaissance Charitable Foundation (LPCT) by Fiduciary Trust Charitable Giving Fund
* Mass Bay RRE - 2018 Railroad Preservation Grant
* Thornton Academy (Saco, ME) - Staff & Alumni - Matching Grant Challenge 2014
* New England Electric Railway Historical Society (Kennebunkport, ME) - Member Donations
* Amherst Railway Society - 2015 Heritage Grant
* National Railway Historical Society - 2016 & 2015 Heritage Preservation Grants
* Enterprise Holding Foundation - 2015 Community Grant
* Theodore Roosevelt Association - Member Donations
* John Libby Family Association and Member Donations
* The Conley Family - In Memory of Scott Libbey 2018/2017/2016/2015
* The W. S. Libbey Family - Awalt, Conley, Graf, Holman, Libbey, McAvoy, McLaughlin, Meldrum, O'Halloran, Salto, - 2018/2017
* The Hughes Family 2017/2016/2010
* New Gloucester Historical Society and Member Donations
* Gray Historical Society and Member Donations
* Gray Public Library Association - Pat Barter Speaker Series
* Scarborough Historical Society - PRR/PLI
* LogMein - Matching Employee Donation
* IBM - Matching Employee/Retiree Donations
* Fidelity Charitable Grant - Matching Employee Donations
* Richard E. Erwin Grant - 2017/2016
The Narcissus, with interior back-lit, stained glass windows are majestic.
Make a donation today to help restore the interior of this Maine gem.
Help Theodore Roosevelt's Maine Ride get back on track! Once restored,
you will be able to ride in luxury on this National Register Treasure at
Seashore Trolley Museum in Kennebunkport, Maine.
PWM photo
Please Consider Making a Donation to the project of the National Register of Historic Places member, Narcissus. We are currently raising funds to tell the incredible story of this Maine gem.
Various News stories during the summer of 2015 about the
Narcissus and its connection to Theodore Roosevelt. TR
was a passenger on the Narcissus on August 18, 1914.
Patricia Pierce Erikson photo
Click Here to See the list of All Previous Blog Posts - Index
The Narcissus - July 31, 2015. Make a donation today.
Help Theodore Roosevelt's Maine Ride get back on track!
Once restored, you will be able to ride in luxury on this
Seashore Trolley Museum in Kennebunkport, Maine.