Museum program highlights positive changes for L-A area

LEWISTON -  On Thursday, June 2 Museum L-A will host a presentation of “The L/A Area – Look How We’ve Changed,” reviewing the positive changes experienced by the community of Lewiston-Auburn in the past several years. The program begins at 7 p.m. and is free of charge.

Jan Barrett and Susan Stacey will present the results of research and work performed during the past couple of years by the Androscoggin County Chamber’s Regional Image Committee. Barrett is co-chair of the Regional Image Committee and Stacey is Chair of the Androscoggin County Chamber of Commerce’s Board of Directors.

 The committee’s extensive work even surprised members as they kept listing all the fine dining, historical attractions, arts, recreation and events – which shows how vibrant  our communities are when you put it all together.

“The community is invited to come enjoy our progress and receive a copy of the work done by the Chamber,” said Museum L-A Executive Director Rachel Desgrosseilliers, who is a member of the Regional Image Committee. “You don’t want to miss this. We hope to have a great turnout.”

Also slated on the program is “Museum L-A: We Are Not Just About the Past,” presented by Desgrosseilliers. “My presentation will show how Museum L-A is not only about the past but we are about inspiration leading to innovation,” Desgrosseilliers noted.

Museum ‘discovery’ now part of George Bush Presidential Library

 LEWISTON – In what began as an intriguing discovery in the far reaches of a basement storage room in Bates Mill #5 is now an official part of presidential history.  A copy of a 1948 film promoting Bates’ “Back to School” line has been officially accepted by the George Bush Presidental Library and Museum in College Station, Texas. 

Print advertisement featuring George, center, and Barbara Bush, right as members of the Bates College Board promoting the Bates Fall 1948 “Back to School” product line. The text in the ad reads: "Victoria. Chosen by Barbara and George Bush of Yale, and admired by Joan Walls of Bennington. ... Joan and Barbara wear easy-to-sew campus fashions in Bates cotton. …Young marrieds on campus make Bates the beautiful basis of a long-range decorating plan. Indispensable at college, these bedspreads and matching draperies stay fresh and bright through four years of wear and washing. After graduation, they are ready to grace a future bedroom of living room. ‘Victoria’ is the favorite pattern of couples surveyed by Bates College Board ... because it looks so lavish, lasts so long." A video vignette of this advertisement is part of a film donated by Museum L-A is now part of the George Bush Presidential Library and Museum.

Married Yale University students George “Poppy” and Barbara Bush appear as themselves on the film as members of the Bates College Board, an advisory panel comprised of representative students from the nation’s leading colleges and universities.  Board members would provide feedback to Bates designers and participate in fashion shows and product promotions on film and in print. In the film, the Bushes introduce themselves, are seen participating in group sessions, and filming a vignette promoting the Bates “Victoria” bedspread and curtains, which was also photographed for an advertisement that ran in American Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar magazines.

In accepting the film, Bush Library Director Warren L. Finch Jr. wrote, “we are honored to have this historical film to add to our audiovisual collection.” The library and museum was especially interested in this film since it is one of very few video images they have of the Bushes at that time. Diane Jackson, state office representative for U.S. Senator Olympia J. Snowe helped facilitate the donation process. The announcement of the Bush Library acceptance was made at the Museum’s Annual Board Meeting and Dinner in April.

Museum L-A presents new awards at annual meeting

AUBURN –  Museum L-A presented four new awards as part of its third Annual Board Meeting and Dinner held April 28 at Martindale Country Club. Eighty people gathered to hear about Museum L-A’s progress from Founder Elliott L. Epstein, Board Chair Edward Cormier, Executive Director Rachel Desgrosseiliers, and Scott Slarsky of DesignLAB architects, the Boston firm doing pre-design work on the Museum’s future home at the former Camden Yarns Mill. U.S. Representative Michael H. Michaud also spoke as did Diane Jackson representing U.S. Senator Olympia J. Snowe and Carlene Tremblay representing Senator Susan M. Collins.

Board Chair Ed Cormier presents Armand Cote of Cote Crane and Rigging with the Museum L-A 2011 Business Support Award. Also accepting the award was Dan Cote, right.

In his remarks to the gathering, Cormier made note of the Museum’s many accomplishments and plans for the future :

-Exhibit and office space for the museum has grown from 3,000 square feet to 12,000 square feet with additional space for collection storage.

-A  strategic planning process is under way to set a direction for the Museum’s future.  An interpretive-planning consultant, a museum design consultant, an economic-impact consultant, and architects and engineers are currently engaged in the process.

-Through the generosity of board members and the community, the mortgage for the Museum’s future home at Camden Yarns Building was paid off.
Epstein, Cormier, and Desgrosseillies each presented awards to the 2011 honorees:

Inspiration and Innovation Award to Raymond D’Amour – a textile designer at Bates Fabrics and Minette Mills for 50 years. He was the Museum’s first volunteer, and a most valuable adviser and mentor. Ray strongly believed in Museum L-A’s future as a vibrant part of the community and the education of our children.   Georgette D’Amour accepted her husband’s posthumous award.

Heritage Award to Robert Roy Jr. for his commitment to the heritage of the community as clearly evidenced in the restored beauty of the Ironhorse Court complex at the former Maine Central Railroad passenger depot, now known as the Royal Oak Room. It is a showcase of the best of the old, updated with the requirements of the new.

Revitalization Award to Thomas Platz for his vision and dedication to the revitalization of the mill buildings in the Bates Mill Complex and other architectural gems in our community. Also for his long-term support of Museum L-A, providing the space in Mill 1 for Museum exhibits and offices.

Business Support Award to Cote Crane-Rigging for the many times it has helped Museum L-A to preserve equipment stored in Lewiston’s old mills by moving it to safe storage. Cote Crane has moved heavy machinery from the textile and shoe industries and also has helped move equipment from the site of the future Museum L-A.

Desgrosseilliers’ presentation focused on the museum’s role in the community. “We are not just about the PAST,” she noted. “We are about inspiration that leads to innovation. We don’t have to go very far to find the giants who give us that inspiration. We look to the stories of our ancestors – workers who built the community.

“It is time for the community to celebrate with great pride what it was many years ago, the many strides it is making in reinventing itself, and move once again toward being the soul of the state of Maine – the Creator, the Inventor, and the Innovator of the Future. Our awardees believed.

“I thank each and every one of you and, this is what I ask of all of you. I want you to be believers and I am counting on you. We can do it.”

Walking Tall: A Tour of Today’s Shoe Industry in L-A

LEWISTON -   Join Museum L-A on Thursday, May 5 for a morning of tours showcasing three facilities still engaged in manufacturing in the shoe industry.  Participants will get a first-hand look at the innovation and the tradition that gives these companies their edge. There is no fee to join the tour, but pre-registration is required. 

A bus will leave from Museum L-A and visit Falcon Performance Footwear, Pamco Shoe Machinery, and Rancourt & Company Shoecrafters, returning to Museum L-A after the final tour. The entire program will run from 9 a.m. to approximately 12:30 p.m.

Hand-sewer at Rancourt & Company Shoecrafters in Lewiston

“Museum L-A wants to show that work involving highly-developed skills, creativity and innovation is not only part of Lewiston-Auburn’s past but is still happening today behind closed doors in our community,” said Rachel Desgrosseilliers, Museum L-A’s executive director. “This tour is a chance for people to see that the local shoe industry is still very much alive,” Desgrosseilliers continued.

Falcon, which recently moved from the Roy Continental Mill in Lewiston to an Auburn industrial park, has been making footwear locally for 45 years. Starting with the manufacture of children’s shoes, Falcon shifted its focus to work boots in 1990. In 2007, Falcon formed a strategic alliance with Globe Firefighter Suits to manufacture a revolutionary new boot for firefighters. Falcon introduced the Mining boot in 2009 and introduced two new boot styles last fall at the National Safety Council Show in San Diego.

 A leader in the re-manufacturing of shoe machinery for over 50 years, Pamco prides itself on the highest quality remanufactured shoe machinery in North America. Tour participants will see how still-in-demand antiquated machinery is being rebuilt for the footwear industry. Pamco recently started manufacturing its own parts and have gone global.

At Rancourt & Company three generations of shoemakers are at work manufacturing hand-sewn shoes for men including father and son, Michael and Kyle Rancourt. Since 1964 the Rancourts have been making traditional moccasins the same way moccasins have been constructed for over a hundred years. Rancourt exports shoes globally and its high-end clientele includes Ralph Lauren.

The tour is limited to 18 participants and space is filling fast.  For more information or to register, call Museum L-A at  207-333-3881.

L.L.Bean and New Balance – Shoemaking in Maine today

LEWISTON – There is no more shoe making in Maine…Not true, as evidenced in Museum L-A’s next installment of its “Voices” lecture series on April 14 at 7 p.m.  “Stepping into the Future: Shoes for Today and Tomorrow” features representatives from two of Maine’s best known companies – L.L.Bean and New Balance – sharing their insights about innovation, design and manufacturing of footwear.  The program is being held in conjunction with the Museum’s current special exhibit: Portraits & Voices: Shoemaking Skills of Generations. 

“In preparing the shoe exhibit, it was heartening to see that there are still skill sets needed to do hand sewing of high-end shoes as well as specialized boot-making and the art of creating sport shoes,” said Museum L-A Executive Director Rachel Desgrosseilliers. “Companies are facing the challenge of convincing the younger generation that the shoe industry is alive and well as they search for engineers and skilled people to help them keep up in their new technologies and product development.”

 The “Voices” panel will be comprised of Jack Samson, Senior Manager of L.L. Bean’s manufacturing facilities in Lewiston and Brunswick, and Raye Wentworth, New Balance’s plant manager in Norridgewock. They will talk about the history of their companies, how their products have evolved and how their companies are meeting today’s challenges.

“Museum L-A is not just about the past,” Desgrosseilliers continued. “We are all about connecting – connecting generations but also connecting the past with the present and future as well as communities with the great inspiration and innovation still found in existing, highly-recognized manufacturing firms.  This program will show that quality shoe making is not only central Maine’s legacy but is still a vibrant and important industry today.”

All are invited to come and learn the future of shoemaking in an awakening of skill sets highly prized in the past that could open the door to great possibilities for the future.

Museum L-A celebrates with mortgage burning bonfire

LEWISTON -   The public is invited to join Museum L-A staff, board and supporters for a celebration on Saturday, April 16 to burn the mortgage marking the retirement of the debt to their new home at the former Camden Yarns Mill. “The Museum now owns the land and building free and clear and we’d like the community to help us celebrate since they helped us make it happen.,” notes Rachel Desgrosseilliers, Museum L-A’s executive director.  “It’s a big step forward for us and for the community,” she added.

 The April 16 event will run from 6-8 p.m. at the Beech Street location, adjacent to Simard-Payne Memorial Park – formerly known as Railroad Park.  The centerpiece of the evening will be a bonfire for the burning of a replica mortgage.  The bonfire will be built with the help of Abenaki District Boy Scout troops and their time helping will be credited toward their community service requirements.  They will also be in charge of roasting marshmallows for s’mores and serving hot chocolate.  Other activities include music for all to walk or dance across the nearby trestle footbridge to celebrate a bright future for the Twin Cities and Museum L-A; a bridge and candle lighting program; the unveiling of a sign marking the site as “Future Home of Museum L-A” and  meeting the icon who has been chosen to represent the future Museum.

 As part of a fun activity, Museum volunteers will have a 50 gallon drum at the site and are challenging the community to each come with a dollar bill as we try to fill the drum with dollars that will go toward the next phase of the project. The Museum staff and Board also challenge local businesses to collect dollar bills at their place of business and come down to drop their marked “bags of money” to help fill the drum.  “Don’t be shy,” says Desgrosseilliers, “because if it starts filling up, we will find a way to make more room in the drum.

“We are going to have a lot of fun and we hope the community will join us,” Desgrosseilliers said. “Paying off the mortgage in these difficult economic times in such a short time is a remarkable accomplishment and well worth celebrating.”  Now that the mortgage is paid off, the Museum will focus on raising funds to move into the next phase of development of the property which is the Interpretive Plan of the Exhibits and the Schematic Design of the new Museum L-A.

Museum L-A has just completed a structural evaluation of the Beech Street building.  Selected demolition and stabilization work will be happening throughout the summer and fall. The plan is to preserve as much of the original structure as possible and plan enough space in Phase I of the project to transfer existing Museum activities.

Parking is available at the garages on Chestnut and Lincoln streets as well the lot behind Yvon’s Supersonic Car Wash on Lincoln Street and at the corner of Lincoln and Cedar streets.

Volunteers are needed to help in preparation for the event as well as at the event itself.  All interested should call 333-3881 or email info@museumla.org.

Museum L-A resumes the popular “Voices” lecture series on March 24 with the documentary film Roughing the Uppers, The Great Shoe Strike of 1937 followed by remarks by noted Maine labor leader Ed Gorham. The program is being presented in conjunction with the museum’s current special exhibit Portraits & Voices: Shoemaking Skills of Generations. There is no admission fee for this program, which begins at 7 p.m. in the museum’s first floor gallery.

 Produced in 1992 by the late Bates Professor Robert Branham, Roughing the Uppers documents the Lewiston-Auburn Shoe Strike of 1937 through interviews with local historians and residents who lived through the events.

Gorham is well known for his 40+ years of service to the labor movement in Maine, 35 of which was with the AFL-CIO. He began as the organization’s Legislative Liaison, was elected Secretary-Treasurer in 1977 and the Maine AFL-CIO President in 1999. He retired in 2009.  His work led to major legislation to benefit Maine workers.

Future looking bright for Museum’s new site

LEWISTON -  Museum L-A is getting closer and closer to reaching its goal of owning the former Camden Yarns Mill property. The property sits on the downtown riverfront next to the Continental Mill. Work is under way to structurally shore up the building and prepare it for future renovation. In addition, the final phase of environmental cleanup is 90 percent complete toward a completely green and environmentally-safe site.

The Museum is encouraged by the support it is receiving from the community and has an opportunity to enhance donations with a 49 percent grant match for operations. The grant ends on Dec. 31 so the timing is tight. “This is a great challenge and an investment opportunity.  Every dollar donated becomes $1.49 because of this hard-won grant,” said Rachel Desgrosseilliers, Museum L-A’s executive director.

“The 49 percent match gives us a real boost toward owning the building outright,’’ she continued, noting that the Museum is approximately $35,000 away from owning the property.  Any tax deductible contribution for 2010 would be greatly appreciated.  It will be an amazing accomplishment for the Museum to have our land and building paid for. It will allow us to go to the next phases of design and interpretive planning of exhibits and move in sooner,” Desgrosseilliers said.

Meanwhile, the Museum has contracted Smith Reuter Lull Architects of Lewiston to do a structural evaluation of the Beech Street building as well as demolition and stabilization review and work at the site. The plan is to preserve as much of the original structure as possible.

Cleanup of a small oil spill at the exterior of the building is being made possible through a Project Grant Fund received through a City of Lewiston EPA Assistance Grant. Contaminated soil has been removed and replaced by ENPRO Services, Inc. of Portland. Webster Tree Service donated its services to clear the site of brush and trees to make it ready for the contract work.

Michael Stephens, left, and Eric Dube of Casco Bay Engineering take some measurements on Dec. 13 at the future home of Museum L-A – the former Camden Yarns Mill. The property is located at 1 Beech Street in Lewiston along the river and next to the Continental Mill. Work is under way to stabilize the building and complete the site’s environmental cleanup

Eric Dube, left, and Michael Stephens of Casco Bay Engineering check on work to be done inside the building

Homemade Santa Reflects Bates Mill History
LEWISTON -   When Therese Morissette Deschenes went home after the third shift at Bates Mill 50 years ago, she found she had worn her apron, filled with the curled lint that she had cleaned from Spinning Machine Number 4.  Since it was near Christmas, the idea occurred to her to make a large Santa head from cardboard, using the curled lint as his beard.   Deschenes now resides in Schooner Estates and her Santa creation, which hung on her garage window for decades worth of holiday seasons,  is now part of Museum L-A’s collection. It is on exhibit through Dec. 23 to celebrate the holidays and the creativity of  millworkers like Theresa.

Bedspread Design Contest Winners

What person or place in Lewiston-Auburn inspires you?  How might you translate this into a bedspread design, in the tradition of the famous Bates Mill bedspreads?  More than 200 third graders in Lewiston pondered these questions and submitted their creations to the Museum L-A Bedspread Design contest.  Winners were chosen by a committee of the Museum staff and board members.

First place winner was Sydney Hill of Martel School, who chose Sts. Peter and Paul Basilica as her inspiration. A tie for second place went to Hayden Bavis of Montello School, who chose Thorncrag Sanctuary as his theme, and to Mickayla Friel, of Montello School, who was inspired by the Bates Mill.  Third place went to Megan St. Cyr, of Martel School who designed her bedspread to reflect the importance of  St. Mary’s Hospital.  

All four of the designs have been printed as gift cards, with the caption “L-A Inspires ME” and are for sale in the Museum L-A gift shop.  The winners received a certificate and a children’s craft loom. 

Entries in the contest were so creative and thoughtful that a future design contest will be included in the newly-opened exhibit, Portraits & Voices: Shoemaking: Skills of Generations. 

Museum L-A would like to thank all the students who worked so creatively and all the teachers who provided time and encouragement for their classes’ submissions.

Bedspread Contest winners and Museum L-A staff educators gathered recently for a group photo. From left, front row-Megan St. Cyr, Mickayla Friel, Hayden Bavis, and Sydney Hill; back row- Museum L-A Educators Diane Williams and Joan Beal.