Ephraim Historical Foundation August Events!

After our busy July full of successful events -- the Summer Social, Children's Day, and the 2007 Annual Meeting being just a few of those -- we are now ready to gear up for an equally busy August! We have many interesting and new events planned that you won't want to miss!

Saturday, August 11
Free Museums Day and Church Tours
11:00 am - 4:00 pm: Museums Open
10:00 am - 5:00 pm: Church Tours

In conjunction with the Hardy Gallery's "Festival of the Arts" on Saturday, August 11, the Ephraim Historical Foundation is offering a Free Museums Day in which all five of the Ephraim Village Museums will be open to the public free of charge. In addition, staff and volunteers from the Foundation will also be giving free tours of both the Bethany Lutheran Church and the Ephraim Moravian Church that same day.

"The Hardy's annual Festival of the Arts event is wonderful -- it's very well-organized and well-attended every year. It brings many people to Ephraim and it seemed like the perfect springboard for the Foundation to inform residents and visitors alike about the many historic structures in Ephraim, especially the two churches," says Sally Jacobson, EHF Executive Director and Curator.

A special Free Museum Pass for August 11 can be obtained at any one of the museums or at the Ephraim Visitor's Center. Costumed docents will also be in downtown Ephraim at the Festival of the Arts handing out passes as well. The tours of Ephraim's historic churches will be from 10:00 am - 5:00 pm. "Many members of both the Bethany Lutheran Church and the Ephraim Moravian Church will be on hand to give these tours," Sally says. "People are always curious about the two steeples of Ephraim, and these short tours are a good way for people to get acquainted with their history."

Please let your family and friends know about Free Museum Day!

Tuesday, August 14
Volunteer Appreciation Event
10:00 am, Hands On Art Studio

The Foundation's annual Volunteer Recognition Event will be held this year at Hands On Art Studio -- we encourage all who couldn't come last year to join in the fun this year! Please RSVP to the Foundation office at (920) 854-9688 when you receive your invitation postcard -- we want to thank you for all the wonderful work you've done for us this season!

Wednesday, August 15
Ellen Farrell Baker Book Reading & Signing
7:00 pm, Anderson Barn History Center
Hosted by Passtimes Books

Former Door County resident Ellen Farrell Baker will be at the Anderson Barn History Center on Wednesday, August 15 at 7:00 pm to discuss her recently published novel, entitled "Keeping the House." Passtimes Books of Sister Bay, the host of the event, will also have copies of Baker's book available for purchase.

Some Foundation members may remember that Baker worked at the Ephraim Historical Foundation for three summers as well as a full year in 2000 - 2001. She explains that the first seeds of Keeping the House were actually planted while working at the Foundation. She began to write a novel about the story of a family called the Mickelsons who had lost a son in World War I. The novel she was working on at the time never did get published, but many of the characters she developed for that first novel did make their way into "Keeping the House."

"Keeping the House" is a novel rich in period atmosphere and 1950s detail - an unforgettable novel about small town life and big matters of the heart. When Dolly Magnuson moves to Pine Rapids, WI, in 1950, she discovers all too soon that making marriage work is harder than it looks in the pages of the Ladies Home Journal. Dolly tries to adapt to her new life - keeping the house, supporting her husband's career, fretting about dinner menus. She gives up her dream of flying an airplane, and instead tries to fit in at the stuffy Ladies' Aid quilting circle. Soon, her loneliness and restless imagination are seized by the vacant house on the hill.

As Dolly's own life and marriage become increasingly difficult, she begins to lose herself in the piecing together the shocking story of three generations of Mickelson men and women: Wilma Mickelson, who came to Pine Rapids as a new bride in 1896 and fell in love with a man who was not her husband; her oldest son, Jack, who fought as a Marine in the trenches of the First World War; and Jack's son, JJ, a troubled veteran of World War II, who returns home to discover Dolly in his grandparent's house.

Authors and critics alike are raving about Baker's first novel. Fannie Flagg, author of Can't Wait to Get to Heaven, says "Ellen Baker's first novel is a wonder! I couldn't have liked it more!" Buffalo News says "Do yourself a major favor at the bookstore this summer: pick up Ellen Baker's Keeping the House and start reading. Don't be surprised if you can't put it down."

For every book sold, Passtimes Books will donate 10% of the proceeds to the Ephraim Historical Foundation -- so please join us in welcoming Ellen back to Door County!

Friday, August 17
Eagle Harbor Chronicles
Bethany Lutheran Church -- The North Steeple
7:30 pm, Ephraim Village Hall

In celebration of Bethany Lutheran Church's 125th Anniversary, please join us for this special series of theatrical vignettes written by Ephraim Historical Foundation Executive Director/Curator Sally Jacobson. Four scenes from 1882 through 1957 follow the history and transformation of Bethany, from the initial establishment of the church through the first summer church service. Ephraim Historical Foundation volunteers and supporters will be portraying important people in the history of Bethany, such as Halvor Anderson, Peter Peterson, Kirsten Goodletson, Pearl Holand, and Emma Hanson. Admission to Eagle Harbor Chronicles is $5/person, and tickets are available at the Foundation office as well as the Ephraim Visitor's Center. For more information or to purchase tickets to Eagle Harbor Chronicles, please call the Foundation office at (920) 854-9688.

We hope you can join us for these great August programs, and we hope that everyone is having a great Ephraim summer!

For more information on any of our August events please call:

Ephraim Historical Foundation
PO Box 165
3060 Anderson Lane
(920) 854-9688
info@ephraim.org