Paul Szmal: Welcome back to FLX Morning on Finger Lakes News Radio. It's 8.15. Happy to be joined this morning by Kate Grindstaff from the Steward House Museum. Kate, good morning. How are you this morning?
Kate Grinstaff: Good morning. I'm doing great.
Paul Szmal: Wonderful. Wonderful. We're getting to a point where it's going to be a busy time of year for you.
Kate Grinstaff: Yes, very much so. We have opened and we are really getting into the swing of things.
Paul Szmal: So how was the opening and when was the opening?
Kate Grinstaff: Yeah, so our opening date was March 4th, so I guess this is our second week. And we started off by doing some specialty tours for the Brave Bruise Festival and having our first Friday event, of course. So we are really ramping up.
Paul Szmal: Yeah, absolutely. Getting ready for Finger Lakes History Day coming up.
Kate Grinstaff: Yes, so that is going to be at the end of this week and that is something we're super, super excited about. Finger Lakes History Day is a subsidiary contest from New York State History Day, which is a smaller version of National History Day. So this is our smallest version of this national contest for students in grades 6 through 12, where they get to show off their historical research by presenting a project that relates to the overall National History Day theme of rights and responsibilities. And we have six students from our region, which includes Wayne, Ontario, Cayuga, Seneca, and Yates counties. Six students presenting this weekend, so we're very, very excited about that. This is the first time in many, many years that our region actually is participating in this.
Paul Szmal: So they are going to be judged, they're going to be interviewed by judges, they're going to have their projects evaluated and ranked, and then the winners of different categories will be going on to the state contest in SUNY Oneonta.
Kate Grinstaff: Nice. Who are the judges going to be? Are they local or are they from different areas?
Paul Szmal: Yeah, so we tried to keep them pretty local because our students are from Auburn High School and also Midlakes High School. So Cayuga and Seneca counties represented. So we have Haley Black from the Cayuga Museum, we have Claire Lovell, who actually is a coordinator of the Southern Tier Finger Lakes History Day, and then Jonathan Monfaletto, who works at the Seneca Falls Historical Society.
Kate Grinstaff: And what will the students' presentations be judged on? What are some of the criteria involved?
Paul Szmal: Yeah, so they will be judged on, of course, their theme relating to rights and responsibilities, how well that is portrayed, the quality of their historical research, how many primary sources they're using. They'll be evaluated on how many different perspectives they are telling. There's also an aesthetic component, as well, beyond the quality of research, just how much time they spent creating their actual project, which could be a documentary, it could be an exhibit, it could be a performance, or a website even. So yeah.
Kate Grinstaff: And you said this is coming up at the end of this week, Kate?
Paul Szmal: Yes, this is happening at the end of this week on Saturday. So we're very, very excited to host that for the first time in a very long time.
Kate Grinstaff: Well, let's hope some of the students that are participating make their way into the state competition. That would be a nice little feather in the cap.
Paul Szmal: Yes, definitely.
Kate Grinstaff: Let's talk about the next virtual lunchtime lecture you have coming up.
Paul Szmal: Yeah. So on March 26, we are going to be having a special lunchtime lecture. It's going to be virtual because these people are all the way in Alaska. So we cannot, of course, bring them over to Eagle Ridge Heritage Center, where we usually have our lunchtime lectures. But we're very excited to be talking to them. This program is going to be at 1 p.m., and it is free, and people can start registering for this tomorrow on March 12. And basically, this is going to be a talk from the Ketchikan Museum, the Totem Heritage Center and Tongass Historical Museum. So we're going to be talking about, of course, William Henry Seward and Alaska and his trip to Alaska and some of the artifacts that they have, such as different totem poles that are related to us. They're also going to be talking about the Tlingit a little bit as well, who Seward interacted with when he visited Alaska at the very end of his life. And this is all going to be leading up to Seward's Day, which is the anniversary of the Alaska Purchase.
Kate Grinstaff: Yeah, absolutely. We're talking with Kate Grindstaff from the Seward House Museum here on FLX Morning. And again, that virtual presentation is free to attend on March 26. So you just had your March 1 Friday event as part of the Brave Bruce Festival, and now you're getting ready for the April 1 Friday event. What's on the docket for that?
Paul Szmal: Yeah, so as things are getting warmer, we're looking ahead to warmer months. So a little bit in the future still, but our next first Friday is going to be, of course, on April 4. That'll be from 5 to 7. Again, it'll be free. And we're going to be changing up our displayed artist to Sandy Rowe. And this month is Adina Flory, and you can see all of her artwork in our gift shop area for the rest of the month.
Kate Grinstaff: Fantastic. And the hours for the museum as it's open for business now for the season?
Paul Szmal: We are open Tuesdays through Saturdays 10 to 5, and we have tours that run on the hour, so 10 to 4.
Kate Grinstaff: Okay, wonderful. Thank you so much for stopping in and sharing all the information, Kate. We appreciate it.
Paul Szmal: Yeah, thank you for having me.
Kate Grinstaff: All right. It is 822 on FLX Morning.
