- Ben was happy that Evie had a chance to see the Sweet 16 players - Caitlyn Clark
- Mike donated $30 towards Sem
- David was happy to give away pine cones from his lawn
- Maureen is happy to be involved in the golf tournament in a partnership between ACHHH/Rotary
- Paul went on vacation to Florida and met a man dressed as Teddy Roosevelt at a Rotary breakfast down there, and that man indicated that he had previously attended a Middlebury Rotary Meeting
- Spence was excited for the Solar Eclipse and gave a $2 bill
- Liz gave a shout out for Sem’s Dinner and for the Cornwall Park
- Kevin levied a fine for Ben’s outfit at Sem’s Dinner which was held at a church (If you know, you know)
Guest Speaker: Coco Moseley
T-tall introduced Coco who joined the Sheldon Museum as the Executive Director after Bill Brooks and after years at the Director of the Bristol Library. Coco has a Master’s in Women’s Studies/History and lots of experience in community organizing. She lives in Lincoln with her husband, 5 year old daughter, and puppy.
Coco talked about her experience in community organizing which made her eager to apply to this position and talk to the Sheldon folks. She sees this era for the Sheldon as a turning point and opportunity. The Sheldon was founded in the 1800s and Coco looks forward to how it can live on for more. She talked about the Celebration of Trains and excitement to bring on new things! The Sheldon will have their Open House on May 11th and there will be several new initiatives and exhibits. Some of these include a Patent Pending Exhibit, Ingenuity and Innovation Space, Model Boats, Homespun to Couture (Fashion) - read more here: https://www.henrysheldonmuseum.org/exhibits
The Homespun to Couture will feature clothing, hats, fashion, and shoes from Middlebury. There will also be an August Fashion Festival - a family fun event. The goal is to bring more people and be more accessible to the public through events and exhibits. This will also be a chance to honor two long-time community members: Susan Douglas and Mary Manley. Susan Douglas designed a lot of beautiful hooked rugs and those will be available through a Silent Auction in June.
Coco also talked about her plans to welcome back Volunteers and her hope to rebuild the program. She also asked Rotary members what it means to be a community museum and solicited ideas from folks (accessible, family friendly, hands on, local content, etc). Coco is hoping to bring a kid's maker space to have children play with things and be engaged in history/future.
Lastly, Coco mentioned the research and information that is held at the museum. Tillie Walden will be doing a graphic novel dedicated to Charity and Silvia at the Sheldon and talking about LGBTQIA+ history. They were one of the first known Queer Couples in VT and living in Weybridge.
Thank you, Coco!
Cow Tag - Ben
MINUTES SUBMITTED BY SYLVIE MORRISON
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