KRIS KRINGLE SHOP

KRIS KRINGLE SHOP

 Kris Kringle Shop

November 29, 30 and December 1

December 6, 7, 8 

The elves are hard at work in the Kris Kringle Shop getting ready for the opening day on November 29, 2012  Actually, it looks like those elves got a little over-zealous in there with holiday decorations, angels, stockings, lights, and many gift items.  We hope to see you all there.  Shop hours are from 9 am - 5 pm each day of operation at the Iams Homestead property, 349 S. Broadway, Trotwood, OH. For additional information please call 837-5387 or 837-0355.

Slide show of Kris Kringle Shop

14TH ANNUAL IAMS HOMESTEAD PIONEER HARVEST FEST

What a great day for a festival!  Once again the weather Gods rewarded us with a fantastic day--no rain; plenty of sun; and warm weather.

The crowd came early and stayed late.  This event has always been planned as a fun day for the family and it certainly lived up to our expectations.  Many families came to have a day of family activities and from what I saw and heard, they had a great time.

The day started with the Trotwood Madison High School Army Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (AJROTC) presenting the colors while a member of the High School Choir sang the National Anthem.  The Color Guard performed flawlessly.  






Jazmyn Stephens, a senior from Trotwood-Madison High School did a great job singing the National Anthem--one of the best I have heard in a long time.

After the opening ceremony, all activities were open to the public and the crowd immediately began to visit the many exhibits, displays and demonstrations.  We had our usual displays of tractors and old farm equipment, antique fire truck, wood carving, wire bending (model farm equipment), husker/shredder, corn binding and buzz saw.  However this year we did add 6 new exhibits and/or demonstrations. 

Five of the new exhibitors set up in the barn which required us to move the Trotwood Trailer and other items outside the barn.  Dr Mark Judy set up wool demonstrations and maple syrup making.  This was a very interesting display and his set up was great.   Maggie Sexton demonstrated the art of making corn husk dolls and corn husk flowers.  This was an interactive display and the visitors were given the opportunity to make an item if they wanted to.  Kathy Reamy had an exhibit on crocheting and had many examples of crocheted items.  Nancy McDonald demonstrated the art of quilt making and also had items on display. Janet Wead the art of hand tatting and also had items on display.

Our last new group was not in the barn, but were performing on the porch of the Iams Homestead.  Carolyn Kilpatrick and a group of dulcimer players entertained the crowd with the music of the dulcimer.  She also presented information on the history of the dulcimer.

 

We were fortunate again this year to have our blacksmith, Arthur Glidden, who has a great interactive program for the children.  Not only does he show them how to make items using the tools of a blacksmith, he lets the children get involved in the process.  I observed his demonstrations and all the children seemed to have a great time.  They got to help make a nail and also got the keep the nail which was placed in a wooden block.  The children then got to write their name on the block and took it home as a memento of the days event.

If you did not visit the country store, you missed a great opportunity.  The crew that sorts our donations and sets up the store out did themselves this year.  The items were displayed well and the crowd visited the store all day.

The food tent also did well this year with our usual kettle cooked chilli, hotdogs cooked over an open fire; pumpkin pie and assorted beverages.  Once again there was a line all day and the food tent received more donations this year then last year.

The barn received many more visitors than usual because of the new exhibitors.  We still had our pegboard displays in the barn, but had to move many of the other displays outside.

Bruce Kettelle was busy all day with the hayrides which were a big hit again this year.  If you want to have a fun time and learn a little about history and the Iams Homestead, take a ride with Bruce--you'll be glad you did!

The Museum had was open and the museum crew did a fantastic job giving guided tours of the museum.  We had corn drying in the kitchen; the upstairs bedroom with period furniture; a school room and we also had composite pictures of some of the graduating classes from the old Trotwood Madison High School.

Unfortunately, our corn was too wet to do many demonstrations of the Husker/Shredder.  We did have a few, but very few stalks were ran at a time.  We did make up for it by running more demonstrations of the corn binder.  We used this opportunity to not only demonstrate the corn binder, but to gather the corn bundles the City of Trotwood needed for their Harvest Walk.

TJ Wilz brought his buzz saw and tractor and demonstrated cutting wood for with the buzz saw.  Thanks to him, we now have all the wood we will need for next year's harvest fest.

Over all, I think the day went well and the crowd had a good time.  Based on the sign in lists at the registration tables and the number of people going through the food line, the crowd may have been a little larger than last year.  Our donations at the food tent were also up about 5 percent.

This year, thanks to Jim Rufener, we had a very good display on the civil war as well as his restored army jeep on display.  Besides the sword, rifle and other small items on display, Jim displayed a civil war cannon which he made.  We tracked his progress throughout the year and for awhile, it looked like it might not get completed in time for the harvest fest.  When making this type of item, a lot of the pieces are individually made by hand and you can only proceed as fast as your suppliers produce the parts and ship them to you.  I know Jim put in many hours just before the harvest fest to get the cannon completed.  This added a lot to our event. 

Thanks to all our volunteers; our sponsors; and the visitors who can to the harvest fest.  Without your support, the harvest fest would not have happened.  Please mark your calendar for the 2nd Saturday of October next year and come out to the 15th Annual Iams Homestead Pioneer Harvest Fest.

I have attached a slide show with some of the pictures from the harvest fest.  Unfortunately, I was too busy to take pictures of everything.  If you took any pictures and would like to share them please send them to cekeeling@msn.com

 

Barn Roof Replacement

After many years of having to patch the roof each summer due to new leaks from the winter months the Board of Directors of the Trotwood-Madison Historical Society decided to have the roof replaced.  We have made major improvements to the inside of the barn and some of these improvements were already deteriorating due to water from the leaks in the barn.  If you walked through the barn, it looked like bucket city.

After getting contractors to inspect the barn and give us estimates of what it would cost to replace the roof, the Board of Directors held a special meeting and selected AAA Restoration, LLC as the contractor to put a new roof on the barn.

The first major task was to replace one of the beams on the southeast side of the barn (the beam to the left of the worker standing on the walk board).  Over the years water had leaked on top of the beam in numerous places.  The beam had significant rot in numerous locations and had to be repaired or replaced.


To safely remove the beam, every rafter over the beam had to be supported and the rafters had to be disconnected from the beam.  The supports that ran from the beam to the large upright beams that supported the roof beams had to be removed so the beam could be safely removed.

 Although the task seemed to be impossible to do, the AAA Restoration crew managed to safely remove the beam without damaging any of the items stored in the south loft of the barn.  To remove the beam from the barn, they had to slide the beam over the cross beam on the north side of the south loft.  This was not an easy task considering the small clearance (area between aluminum walk board and diagional beam) between the cross beam and the roof; length of the beam which was wider than the center section of the barn (beam had to be moved to center section of barn to get it out of the barn); and the weight of the beam.

While some of the workers were inside removing the old beam, some were outside manufacturing a new beam.  The beam was constructed of  2X10 treated lumber.  The boards were nailed together then long bolts were use to hold the boards together.  The manufactured the beam to look like the other beams which were made by the Wolford Brothers when they did work to stabilize the barn during our first restoration efforts of the barn.  

Installing the manufactured beam was definitely more challenging than removing the old beam.  Just as in removing the old beam, the new beam had to be carried into the center section of the barn and raised over the cross beams on the north side of the south loft.  When removing the old beam, the beam had to be cut so the old beam was shorter than the new beam and was easier to remove.  Since the new beam was wider than the center section of the barn, the beam had to be taken up at an angle.  But, before we could do this, we had to remove items from under the lowest cross beam on the south end of the north loft.  After much maneuvering, the beam was finally installed.  I don't know if the smile on the face of the worker was a smile of accomplishment; pride in doing a great job; or a smile of relief for a difficult task successfully accomplished.

After the beam was installed, the task of removing the old metal roof was started.  This turned out to be a more difficult job than anticipated.  The old roof was a standing seam galvanized roof.  It is virtually impossible to separate the individual sheets of roofing so the crew took a sawsall and cut the original nails and the screws used by the Society A team to help hold the roofing down.  They did a section at a time; folded the sections down; used a sawsall to separate the folded section from the roof; lowered the folded section to the ground; and stacked the sections so we could load them and take them to A&B Iron Works for recycling.  The recycling of the metal roof will be used to help pay the cost of the contract.

After all the metal was removed from the west side of the barn, the task of leveling the rafters; repairing the tails of each rafter; installing fascia; installing 2X4's across the rafters to hold the decking; and placing the decking on the roof began.  This also was not easy task, but the crew worked diligently to get it done and the results are simply amazing.  We now have a relatively level surface to put the metal roofing on which should last for years to come.

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The west side of the barn now has a new metal roof.  The overhangs on the south end of the barn has new decking and the metal roof has been started.  The overhang on the east side has new decking and the metal will be added after the east side roof of the barn has been completed.  The crew completed the decking and added felt to the decking on Friday, April 6, 2012.  Some of the crew are not from Trotwood, but live working on roofs.  They took a much deserved break and went home for the Easter weekend.  Their work has been great so far and the crew seems to take great pride in what they have accomplished.  We can hardly wait until the work is done.

The next update on the barn will be after the work is completed.  With this update, I will include a slide show showing various stages of the work.  Again, it was not easy task, but a task done well.

Iams Homestead Museum Grand Re-Opening

TROTWOOD-MADISON HISTORICAL SOCIETY

IAMS HOMESTEAD MUSEUM GRAND OPENING

349 SOUTH BROADWAY

TROTWOOD, OHIO

The re-opening of the museum is scheduled for Sunday, April 15 from 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM. Our guest speaker for the event is Mr. Larry Maple. He will present and set up a display on the 16th Ohio Battery. He will portray the veteran 20 years after the war. He will also tell stories about life in the 16th Ohio Battery. He will have copies of the diary I have from the 16th battery available for purchase. Please check the April Newsletter for a more details about the re-opening of the museum.  This blogspot will be updated as more information is available.

TROTWOOD-MADISON HISTORICAL SOCIETY SPAGHETTI DINNER

The best desserts in town and spaghetti sauce to die for! It is time for the Annual Trotwood-Madison Historical Society Spaghetti Dinner. The cooks have the ovens going and the Spaghetti Sauce Chefs have dusted off the highly secret recipe for the best spaghetti sauce this side of Italy.


The spaghetti dinner will be held Saturday March 24, 2011 4:30 – 7:30 PM at the Church of the Brethren, 208 East Main Street, Trotwood, Ohio.

Just what will this outstanding dinner cost you? I am proud to say that inflation has not caused us to increase our costs. The cost is: Adults - $7.00 and Children under 12 - $3.50. Dinner includes spaghetti, bread, salads, desserts and beverage.

All profits from the dinner will be used to help fund programs offered by the Trotwood-Madison Historical Society. such as a scholarship for high school students graduating from Trotwood Madison High School.

Please call Regina Kleinhenz (854-4505) for ticket information.

Come out and join us. You'll be glad you did!

Dayton Underwater: The Great Dayton Flood of 1913

Dayton Underwater: The Great Dayton Flood of 1913
Date: March 8, 2012 Time: 6:30 pm - 8:00 pm
Location: Trotwood Branch Library

And then the rains came...one of the most photographed disasters of all time occurred right here in Dayton, Ohio. Nancy Horlacher, Dayton Metro Library's Local History Librarian, will share with you some of the original photographs, posters, maps and more from the 1913 Flood Collection.

Luellen Wilson
Trotwood Branch Manager
Dayton Metro Library
651 E. Main Street
Trotwood, OH 45426
(937) 496-8850

I have read a lot about the flood and have seen some of the pictures.  This sounds like a great program and I will attend if my schedule allows.  If you are interested in local history, this is a "must attend" program.

Claude Keeling

TROTWOOD-MADISON HISTORICAL SOCIETY 2012 CALENDAR

JANUARY

January 4, Wednesday:  Executive Committee/Board Meeting 7:00 PM Iams Homestead

January 16, Monday:  Preservation Committee 7:00 PM Iams Homestead

January 21, Saturday:  Shop Til You Drop 9 AM - 5 PM Hara Arena 1001 Shiloh Springs, Dayton, OH

January 22, Sunday: Shop Til You Drop 10 AM - 4 PM Hara Arena 1001 Shiloh Springs, Dayton, OH

January 23, Monday:  Membership Meeting 7 PM Iams Homestead

FEBRUARY

February 1, Wednesday: Executive Committee 7:00 PM Iams Homestead

February 20, Monday: Preservation Committee 7:00 PM Iams Homestead

MARCH

March 7, Wednesday: Executive Committee 7:00 PM Iams Homestead
March 19, Monday: Preservation Committee 7:00 PM Iams Homestead
March 24, Saturday:  Spaghetti Dinner, 4 PM-7PM Brethren Church, 208 E. Main Street Trotwood, OH
March 26, Monday: Membership Meeting 7 PM Iams Homestead

APRIL

April 4, Wednesday: Executive Committee/Board Meeting 7:00 PM Iams Homestead

April 15, Sunday:  Iams Homestead Museum Museum Grand Opening 2 PM
April 16, Monday: Preservation Committee 7:00 PM Iams Homestead

MAY

May 1, Tuesday:  Harvest Fest Meeting 7 PM Iams Homestead

May 2, Wednesday: Executive Committee 7:00 PM Iams Homestead

May 3-5, Thursday-Saturday:  Garage Sale 9 AM-5 PM Iams Homestead
May 21, Monday: Preservation Committee 7:00 PM Iams Homestead
May 30, Monday: Membership Meeting 7 PM Iams Homestead

JUNE

June 5, Tuesday: Harvest Fest Meeting 7 PM Iams Homestead

June 6, Wednesday: Executive Committee 7:00 PM Iams Homestead
June 7-9, Thursday-Saturday: Garage Sale 9 AM-5 PM Iams Homestead
June 18, Monday: Preservation Committee 7:00 PM Iams Homestead

JULY

July 10, Tuesday: Harvest Fest Meeting 7 PM Iams Homestead

July 11, Wednesday: Executive Committee/Board Meeting 7:00 PM Iams Homestead
July 14, Saturday: Shop Til You Drop 9 AM - 5 PM Hara Arena 1001 Shiloh Springs, Dayton, OH
July 15, Sunday: Shop Til You Drop 10 AM - 4 PM Hara Arena 1001 Shiloh Springs, Dayton, OH
July 16, Monday: Preservation Committee 7:00 PM Iams Homestead
July 21, Saturday:  Membership Meeting/Annual Picnic 6PM Iams Homestead

AUGUST

August 1, Wednesday: Executive Committee 7:00 PM Iams Homestead

August 7, Tuesday: Harvest Fest Meeting 7 PM Iams Homestead

August 20, Monday: Preservation Committee 7:00 PM Iams Homestead

SEPTEMBER

September 5, Wednesday: Executive Committee 7:00 PM Iams Homestead

September 11, Tuesday: Harvest Fest Meeting 7 PM Iams Homestead

September 17, Monday: Preservation Committee 7:00 PM Iams Homestead
September 24, Monday: Membership Meeting 7 PM Iams Homestead

OCTOBER

October 2, Tuesday: Harvest Fest Meeting 7 PM Iams Homestead

October 3, Wednesday: Executive Committee/Board Meeting 7:00 PM Iams Homestead
October 13, Saturday:  Iams Homestead Pioneer Harvest Fest 10 AM-5 PM Iams Homestead
October 15, Monday: Preservation Committee 7:00 PM Iams Homestead
October 20, Saturday: Shop Til You Drop 9 AM - 5 PM Hara Arena 1001 Shiloh Springs, Dayton, OH
October 21, Sunday: Shop Til You Drop 10 AM - 4 PM Hara Arena 1001 Shiloh Springs, Dayton, OH

NOVEMBER

Novenber 7, Wednesday: Executive Committee 7:00 PM Iams Homestead

November 19, Monday: Preservation Committee 7:00 PM Iams Homestead
November 26, Monday: Membership Meeting 7 PM Iams Homestead
November 29 - December 1, Thursday-Saturday:  Kris Kringle Shop 10AM-5PM Iams Homestead

DECEMBER

December 1, Saturday:  Santa at Depot 2-5 PM Depot Museum corner of Main and Broadway in Trotwood, OH

December 6-8, Thursday-Saturday: Kris Kringle Shop10AM-5PM Iams Homestead

NOTE;  The Iams Homestead is located at 349 South Broadway, Trotwood, OH 45426

























HARA ARENA SHOP TIL YOU DROP JANUARY 2012

The January 2012 Shop Til You Drop is well on its way and many visitors are stopping by our booth.  With the bad weather, we did not anticipate many visitors but by mid morning Hara Arena was all a buzz with people. We always get such nice comments from our shoppers, your items are so reasonable priced, everything is so clean etc.  It makes all the work of getting ready for the event worth it. We have a lot of fun visiting with returning shoppers and telling them all about our future events.

Saturday Shop Til You Drop is now history, but tomorrow is a new day for the event.  Some out and support your Society and visit with Linda Keeling and Mary Ann Smith from 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM.  Al Scothon and Nancy Fry will be working 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM.  The volunteers will appreciate your company and, who knows, you may just find that one thing that you cannot live without, or that one item that you have the perfect place to display it in your house.

Be safe; be happy; have fun; and help us start the Society's year off with a "big bang"!!