It's Almost Time!

By Olivia Cothren, Cooperstown Graduate Program student

We’re now just two days away from Night at our Museum at Fenimore Art Museum!

We’ve been hard at work putting together the mystery tour. We’ve chosen our cast, outfitted the actors in costumes from The Farmers’ Museum, and had fun, productive rehearsals. Only one more dress rehearsal and then it’s show time!

One of the many joys of studying at the Cooperstown Graduate Program is getting the chance to participate in all aspects of the local museum programming. Last year, I was delighted to play one of my idols, the Statue of Liberty, in the Night at Our Museum mystery tour. This year, I’ve gotten to work behind the scenes while another crop of my classmates gets to show off their theatrical talents. Night at our Museum is a fun, educational experience for the community as well as for the staff and students involved in the planning and implementation of the event.

Although the mystery tour will be a highlight of the evening, there will be plenty more to do and see on Saturday night. Be sure to take a moment to visit with representatives from local community groups who will be providing fun activities. Sad that your stash of Halloween candy is now a crumpled pile of wrappers? Save the tears—we’ll have plenty of treats on hand to keep the sugar rush going. And don’t even think about missing the evening’s musical act, Cooperstown’s own “Will and Will.” Everyone knows they say “where there’s a will, there’s a way”…but do you know what they say about two Wills? You’ll have to attend to find out!

We hope you’ll join us on Saturday night for this special event. We need as many detectives as possible to help solve the mystery! Did anyone use the clues in this post to figure out which galleries the mystery tour will take you? If you have, congratulations! You’re well on your way to helping us solve the mystery. Now that you know what rooms you’ll see, try to figure out which pieces of art will come to life using these new clues:

• I don’t mind if you call my work wacky, eccentric, or zany…but I think CRAZY might send the wrong message!
• You’ve chosen me as one of your favorite paintings in the museum. Well, my rose and necklace are quite lovely, so I can’t say that I’m surprised…but I never let my emotions show on my face.
• Oh goodness, I feel like I’ve been waiting on this line all day. If we don’t get moving soon, I might just go postal!

See you on Saturday!