Farmers' Museum Calendar of Events, Cooperstown, N.Y. About The Farmers’ Museum As one of the oldest rural life museums in the country, The Farmers’ Museum in Cooperstown, New York, provides visitors with a unique opportunity to experience 19th-century rural and village life first-hand through authentic demonstrations and interpretative exhibits. The museum, founded in 1943, comprises a Colonial Revival stone barn listed on the National Register for Historic Places, a recreated historic village circa 1845, a late- nineteenth-century Country Fair featuring The Empire State Carousel, and a working farmstead. Through its 19th-century village and farm, the museum preserves important examples of upstate New York architecture, early agricultural tools and equipment, and heritage livestock. The Farmers’ Museum’s outstanding collection of more than 23,000 items encompasses significant historic objects ranging from butter molds to carriages, and hand planes to plows. The museum also presents a broad range of interactive educational programs for school groups, families, and adults that explore and preserve the rich agricultural history of the region. The Farmers’ Museum is located on 5775 State Hwy. 80, Lake Road, in Cooperstown, NY. Museum admission is $11 for adults, $9.50 for visitors age 65 and over, and $5 for children age 7 to 12; children 6 and under and members are admitted free. From April 1 through May 14 and October 9 through October 31, admission prices are reduced to $9 for adults, $8 for seniors age 65 and over, and $4 for children age 7 to 12. Reduced price combination admission tickets that include the Fenimore Art Museum and The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum are also available. For museum hours or general information, please call 1-888-547-1450 or visit www.farmersmuseum.org.  The Farmers’ Museum Opens for the 2008 Season   COOPERSTOWN, N.Y., March 26, 2008—The Farmers’ Museum opens for the 2008 season on April 1 for self-guided visits of selected buildings in the historic village and barnyard. From April 1 through May 12, the museum will be open Tuesday through Sunday, from 10 am to 4 pm, closed on Mondays. Summer hours begin on May 13 and continue through Columbus Day, October 13. During the summer season, the museum is open seven days a week from 10 am to 5 pm.   Back by popular demand will be the major exhibition Ice Cream: Our Cool Obsession in the museum’s Main Barn—here, visitors will be taken on a delectable journey through the rich history of America’s favorite treat, Ice Cream. Through historical artifacts, contemporary and historical photography, and a children’s interactive area, viewers will learn about the world’s first ice creams—primitive water ices made with juices and wines circa 336-323 BCE—and their development into the ice cream flavors we enjoy today. The exhibition also features a retro ice cream parlor, where visitors can enjoy their favorite ice cream novelties.   Also on view in the Museum’s Main Barn exhibition space beginning May 13 will be Working the Land: Early Agricultural Tools and Machinery located on the second floor, which looks at the richness of New York State’s farming tradition through an authentic collection of early agricultural implements and equipment. The Children’s Barnyard and Country Fair will also open to the public on May 13.   The Farmers’ Museum’s 2008 season will be in full swing beginning Memorial Day Weekend, Saturday, May 24 from 10 am to 5 pm and on Sunday, May 25 from 10 am to 3 pm. The event brings a plethora of wool-related demonstrations together with the popular Heritage Plant Sale, the premiere of the major new exhibition, Gilded Lions and Jeweled Horses: The Synagogue to the Carousel at the Fenimore Art Museum, the grand opening of the newly renovated 1818 Jonas More House in the museum’s historic village, the unveiling of a new portrait panel of jazz legend Louis Armstrong for the beloved Empire State Carousel, and much more!   The museum ends its 2008 season with its autumn schedule: October 14 - October 31, the museum is open Tuesday - Sunday from 10 am - 4 pm. The museum is closed to the general public in November and December except for special programming and events.  Things That Go Bump in the Night Halloween Tours will be offered on October 17 & 18 and October 24 & 25. Thanksgiving at The Farmers’ Museum will be held on November 28 and 29, the Friday and Saturday after Thanksgiving, and central New York’s brightest holiday tradition, Candlelight Evening, will be held December 21. Students Sought for Young Interpreter Program at The Farmers’ Museum COOPERSTOWN, N.Y., APRIL 8, 2008—The Farmers' Museum is seeking applicants for its Young Interpreter Program. This popular summer program teaches students about rural New York's past by pairing them with museum staff.  Students ages 12 to 14 as of May 1, 2008, are invited to apply.  A limited number of students will be accepted for the program; the application process is competitive.   The Young Interpreter Program, a highly competitive apprenticeship program, began in 1993.  Participants in the program will work side-by-side with museum staff to learn about America’s past, develop new skills, and share their knowledge with museum visitors. Young interpreters will have the opportunity to work in various selected sites throughout the museum including: Peleg Field Blacksmith Shop, Bump Tavern, Lippitt Farmhouse, Dr. Thrall's Pharmacy, The Middlefield Printing Office, Filer's Corners Schoolhouse, and the Country Fair.   Young interpreters are expected to work one day a week for a period of eight weeks, beginning the last week in June and ending the last week in August. Students who would like to participate should submit a one or two page letter expressing their interest and reasons for wanting to be a Young Interpreter, as well as an explanation of where they would like to work and why, to:  Young Interpreter Program, The Farmers' Museum, P.O. Box 30, Cooperstown, NY 13326.  Letters of application must be received by May 1. Letters of reference are not necessary. A committee of museum staff will review applications. Candidates may be asked for an interview.  Applicants will be chosen based on their commitment and interest, maturity, willingness to learn, and ease with the public.  Students applying for the Young Interpreter Program must have parental permission and transportation to the museum during the course of the program.   VISIT THE FARMERS’ MUSEUM’S HISTORIC BUMP TAVERN FOR A TASTE OF THE 1800s WITH AN AUTHENTIC PERIOD DINNER   COOPERSTOWN, N.Y., MARCH 4, 2008—Escape to the 1800s with The Farmers’ Museum’s popular program, Evening at the Tavern, and delight in music and merriment topped off with an authentic period dinner. Evening at the Tavern will be offered on Saturday, April 12 & 26 from 5 pm to 8 pm.   Guests will enjoy an evening dining experience featuring a four-course candlelit meal, period music and games, and old-fashioned hospitality in the museum’s historic Bump Tavern. The menu is designed and based on the research of foods that were served in rural 19th-century New York taverns. Dinner includes soup, vegetables, roast meat, fresh bread, and dessert. During the evening, guests will be offered a tour of the historic tavern with the museum’s interpretative hosts, learning about the history of taverns and travel in the 19th century.   Bump Tavern was built by Jehiel Tuttle in the late 1790s in the village of Ashland, Greene County, New York. Strategically located on the Catskill and Windham Turnpike, the resting spot served cattle drovers and other travelers passing through the area. The tavern was purchased in 1842 by Ephraim Bump, who expanded the building and updated the Federal period architecture with Greek revival porches. In 1952, Bump Tavern was moved to Cooperstown, where it became part of the collection of historic buildings at The Farmers’ Museum.   Space is limited; reservations are required and are filled on a first-come, first-served basis. Full payment is required in advance by check or credit card. The fee, which includes the complete meal and an unforgettable experience, is $60; $55 for members of the New York State Historical Association. Wine and beer will be available for an additional fee. For more information or to make reservations by phone, call (888) 547-1450.   The Evening at the Tavern experience is sponsored by Brewery Ommegang.

Cooperstown Revisited-The Farmers' Museum Announces the Publication of the 7th Edition of Louis C. Jones' Classic Best Seller

Cooperstown, NY -- The Farmers' Museum is pleased to announce the re-publication of Louis C. Jones classic best seller, Cooperstown, a distinctive volume on the village's rich and compelling history.

Cooperstown, a perennial favorite now in its 7th edition, was originally authored in 1949 by Louis C. Jones, Director of the New York State Historical Association and The Farmers' Museum. The publication highlighted James Fenimore Cooper's early days and his life as a novelist; the history of the village and the founding of Cooperstown's great institutions: Bassett Hospital, the Fenimore Art Museum, The Farmers' Museum, the National Baseball Hall of Fame, and the Otesaga Hotel; as well as many other areas of local interest. The newly revised 183-page edition offers a comprehensive view of the village's beloved history with updated and expanded text, 255 illustrations, including 167 photographs in full-color by Richard S. Duncan, black and white photography drawn from the Association's Smith and Telfer Collection, and a foreword by Jane Forbes Clark. "Cooperstown's history and beauty are captured throughout this book by its talented authors and by the photographs of Richard Duncan. From a corner of a village street, to how the shorelines of Otsego Lake change with each season, to the village's surrounding countryside, we are constantly reminded of how fortunate Cooperstown is to have its many assets and rich history that ensure its quality of life and its future," said Jane Forbes Clark, Board Chairman of The Farmers' Museum, Inc.

Richard S. Duncan was born in Catskill, New York. He attended Manlius Military School, Rhode Island School of Design, and was an apprentice to French painter Jacques Fabert. He also attended The School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. His work has appeared in a number of books, most recently Otsego Lake Past and Present (2005). Duncan's work is represented in many private collections and has been featured in many exhibitions across the country.

To place an order by phone, please call the Museum Shop at (607) 547-1493, or toll-free at (888) 547-1450. The book costs $39.95