Innovations of Yesteryear at the Charles River Museum of Industry & Innovation, Sept. 13, 10am-4pm
This sounds like an event worthy of a meetup, which means I guess I really should assemble a proper outfit.
The museum - which if you haven't been to yet, you simply must! it only costs $5 (the festival is $10) - is having a one-day festival that sounds like it will be completely amazing and awesome.
From the pamphlet I picked up:
"This hands-on event will feature an eclectic, interactive assortment of innovations prior to 1950. Ride on a miniature train, check out a gigantic camera, fire a Viking catapult, and type a letter to your Nana on a vintage 1920s typewriter. We've got noisy steam enginese, putt-putt autos, high-wheel bikes, musical instruments (ever hear of a Sarrusaphone?), spinners and weavers, blacksmiths, antique sports & games, watches and clocks, and more."
They're planning on having an enormous steam roller on hand that you can get rides on. And there will be iron pours throughout the day. And trebuchets.
I am definitely planning on going; it's not a long drive from Somerville, and it's a very short ride on the commuter rail from Porter Square.
I've only been to the museum itself once, and not with enough time to appreciate it properly. They're planning on redoing their exhibits sometime soonish, which may include reducing the (overwhelming, to be honest) number of old watches and watch tools on display. But oh! What a delightful place, filled with beautiful machines. The belt-driven machine shop made me weak in the knees, and despite being a bit overwhelmed by quantity, the watch section (currently about 1/4 of the total floor area) felt like a close approximation of heaven.
In my dreams, my home looks like that museum.
The museum - which if you haven't been to yet, you simply must! it only costs $5 (the festival is $10) - is having a one-day festival that sounds like it will be completely amazing and awesome.
From the pamphlet I picked up:
"This hands-on event will feature an eclectic, interactive assortment of innovations prior to 1950. Ride on a miniature train, check out a gigantic camera, fire a Viking catapult, and type a letter to your Nana on a vintage 1920s typewriter. We've got noisy steam enginese, putt-putt autos, high-wheel bikes, musical instruments (ever hear of a Sarrusaphone?), spinners and weavers, blacksmiths, antique sports & games, watches and clocks, and more."
They're planning on having an enormous steam roller on hand that you can get rides on. And there will be iron pours throughout the day. And trebuchets.
I am definitely planning on going; it's not a long drive from Somerville, and it's a very short ride on the commuter rail from Porter Square.
I've only been to the museum itself once, and not with enough time to appreciate it properly. They're planning on redoing their exhibits sometime soonish, which may include reducing the (overwhelming, to be honest) number of old watches and watch tools on display. But oh! What a delightful place, filled with beautiful machines. The belt-driven machine shop made me weak in the knees, and despite being a bit overwhelmed by quantity, the watch section (currently about 1/4 of the total floor area) felt like a close approximation of heaven.
In my dreams, my home looks like that museum.