News, Events, & Workshops:
News / Events / Workshops / Paper Airplane Workshop or Contest / Kite-Making Workshop / Toy-Making Workshop / Aerospace Badge Workshop / Introduction to Aviation Field Trip / Workshops “on the Road” / Birthday Parties / The Red Baron: Manfred von Richthofen / Group Rates
News
Museum Now Open in Fitchburg, Massachusetts:
April 21, 2007, was a banner day for us! A little over a year since we closed our doors in Winchendon to pack everything for moving—and not quite a year since the moving vans came on May 22, 2006, and we’re once again open to the public in our new location: 21 Prichard Street, Fitchburg, MA.
Mayor Mylott was kind enough to do the ribbon-cutting honors.
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Events
You can also check on events by telephoning the Museum—(978) 342–2809—for a recorded message about our next special event, or sometimes even a live person! We also respond to e-mails, topfun@attglobal.net. And we send press releases to the local media, which they sometimes print!
Our Sundays at 2 programs are on Sundays, starting at 2 p.m., unless otherwise noted. They are usually scheduled for the third Sunday of the month, though there are occasional exceptions. Your regular admission includes these special programs unless a materials fee is noted.
Upcoming “Sundays at 2” programs:
March 16, 2008—“Amelia Earhart’s Last Flight.” What really happened to Amelia Earhart? To this day people ask that question. And there are lots of opinions about what happened onher last flight. Are you curious? Join our Curator, Rosalie E. Dunbar, for the facts—and some of the speculation—about the flight that ended in Earhart’s disappearance. April 20, 2008—“Tips for Air Travel.” Kit Tucker, local pilot and travel agent, has agreed to be our speaker for this event. He’ll be sharing some ideas about how to make your next flight safer and more pleasant. May 18, 2008—“Go Fly a Kite!” Materials fee: $2. In this workshop, participants will decorate and assemble a simple kite. Kids as young as 3 can successfully complete this workshop with a little help. Weather permitting, at about 3:30 a staff member will take anyone who is interested to nearby Riverside Park to fly their creations. June and July 2008—No scheduled programs. August 17, 2008—“Birthday Party.” Katharine and Orville Wright were both born on August 19, though not the same year, and the Museum first opened to the public on August 19, 2000. Join us at the Museum as we celebrate these various “birthdays” with free cake and juice. And anyone who can tell us how many wheels the 1903 Wright Flyer had gets free admission, as well!
Photos from recent events
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Workshops
A variety of activities, workshops, and seminars are available to groups. Prebooking is required to take advantage of these possibilities. A maximum group size of 20 is best for most workshops, but larger groups can be accommodated, as long as you are aware that increasing the group size also increases the time a workshop will take. Please plan to pay by cash or check, as we do not take credit cards.
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Paper Airplane Workshop / Paper Airplane Contest:*
Got a bunch of active youngsters? We’ll show them how to make 3 different paper airplanes. Then it’s time for “test flying” or a contest, if you prefer. If you wish to have a contest, let us know the information about your organization in advance, and we’ll provide custom-designed certificates for the winners. Prizes are up to you, as there is no additional charge for this activity, but there’s plenty to choose from in the Museum Shop!
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Kite-Making Workshop:*
This is a workshop that appeals to a broad range of ages. Children as young as 3 or 4 can successfully decorate and fly a kite, and older youngsters enjoy showing off their artistry and flying skills. In this workshop, your group will decorate and assemble a simple kite kit. If the weather permits, we’ll then adjourn to a nearby park to fly our creations. There is a $2 per kite materials fee for this workshop.
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Toy-Making Workshop:
Workshop participants assemble and paint a wooden model airplane (or helicopter). Allow 2 to 3 hour to complete this activity. After assembing their models, participants are given a tour of the Museum to allow time for the glue to dry. Then the models can be painted. We’ve found that a “lunch break” at this point gives the paint time to dry before participants try to transport their models home.
This workshop fulfills one activity for the Girl Scout Toymaking Badge. There is a $3.50 per toy materials fee for this workshop.
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Aerospace Badge Workshop:
This workshop is one of the more extensive we offer, and fulfills 5 of 6 required activities for a Girl Scout Aerospace Badge. Participants construct three different paper airplanes, which they then test fly to determine their differing flight characteristics. The Museum’s Curtor then takes the group on a tour of the Museum exhibits. After the tour, we “settle” back down to make kites and, if the weather permits, fly them.
A talk and a handout about some of the jobs available in aviation is followed by an interactive discussion of what it would be like to be in space. Then the adults leave the room so the youngsters can have a 15-minute planning session for a 5-minute skit about a “typical day” in space. If the participants want to, and there’s time at the end, we have an optional “Treasure Hunt” that’s just for fun (there’s a nominal prize for successfully completing the “hunt”).
The workshop takes about 4 hours with a small group (10–12), but more time should be allowed for a larger group. It’s best to plan for a lunch break during the activities, and this generally falls most conveniently between making the kites and flying them. Please review lunch options with Museum staff prior to your arrival.
There is a $2 per person materials fee for this workshop.
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Introduction to Aviation Field Trip:
This all-day field trip is particularly suited to school groups (including home schoolers). Allow a minimum of 5 hours; larger groups will take longer.
The field trip opens with a talk, “How Airplanes Fly.” After this, larger groups break into sections. One section does the hands-on workshop module, while the other listens to a talk on the Wright Brothers. Then the sections change places.
Larger groups may choose between the Paper Airplane Workshop module and the Kite-Making Workshop module as described above. Kite flying, weather permitting, would take place after both sections had built their kites. If there are 20 or fewer participants, the Toy-Making Workshop is also an option for this segment of the program. In this case, the entire group would stay together, listening to the Wright Brothers talk while the assembled models dried. Because the Toy-Making Workshop takes about 3 hours, split into two 1 1/2 hour sections, you’ll want to plan for the extra time required.
This is usually the point at which the lunch break falls. Please review lunch options with Museum staff prior to your arrival.
A Museum tour follows the lunch break. The final sessions, discussing “Careers in Aviation” and “Who Can Learn to Fly” are followed by the optional “Treasure Hunt” (there is a nominal prize for completing the “hunt”). The Museum Shop is open during the lunch break, as well as during and after the Treasure Hunt.
Materials fees for this workshop would depend on the hands-on workshop modul chosen: Paper Airplane Workshop—no additional charge; Kite-Making Workshop—$2 per participant; Toy-Making Workshop—$3.50 per participant.
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*Workshops “on the Road”
Workshops marked with an asterisk (*) can be taken “on the road” and brought to your site—whether it’s a classroom or a summer camp.
The base fee for a traveling workshop is $45, plus any materials fees, for locations within about two hours driving distance of Fitchburg. This covers a workshop for up to 30 youngsters. Additional youngsters would be charged at the rate of $1.50 per person. If there are fewer than 30 youngsters, the materials fee(s) would be charged on a per person basis, but we would have to charge the full base fee to cover the presenter's expenses in getting to the workshop. We cannot provide a traveling workshop for fewer than 10 participants. Contact us for additional details or to reserve a date.
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Birthday Parties:
Want to have a different birthday party? Book a workshop! The Kite-Making and Toy-Making workshops are especially suited to the birthday party context—and everybody gets to go home with a toy they made themselves! In addition to the workshop and a space for the group to gather for party treats and present opening (we supply tables and table coverings, you supply any food and drink—no alcohol is permitted, no matter what the age of the birthday group), the group would have access to the entire Museum, including the Museum Shop for any purchases they wish to make. Regular group rates would apply. Contact us for additional details or to reserve a date.
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The Red Baron, Manfred von Richthofen:
“Baroness von Richthofen” speaks about her famous (or infamous) son, Baron von Richthofen, World War I German “Ace of Aces,” with 80 airplanes shot down credited to him. The Baroness is impersonated by the Museum’s Curator, Rosalie E. Dunbar. To see photos, click here.
This program can be booked for presentation to your organization. Because this presentation is done by arrangement only and usually takes place outside normal Museum hours, the Museum and Museum Shop will be open for your members for up to 2 hours after the program at no additional charge. We can comfortably accommodate up to 40 people in the Baroness’s “parlor,” so please let us know the size of your group when you make your booking.
There is a flat fee of $200, which covers both admissions and the program, when this is given to a group at the Museum. If we come to your location, there would be an additional charge, based on distance, for travel. Contact us for additional details or to arrange a booking.
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Group Rates
Groups are always welcome at the Museum, and no advance notice is required for a Museum tour. For special activities or to visit the Museum at other than its regular hours of opening (Saturdays 10:30–4:30 and Sundays 1:30–4:30), however, advance booking is required. We recommend that you book at least 4 weeks in advance to ensure the availability of your preferred date. Minimum group size to take advantage of group rates or special Museum opening times is 10.
For Scout, school (including home schoolers), and other youth groups, the group rate is $3 per youngster, with 1 adult chaperone admitted free with each 5 youngsters. A minimum-sized group of 10 youngsters plus 2 adult leaders/chaperones would pay $30 for the entire group. Additional adults are charged at the reduced $3 rate. Materials fees are charged per participant.
For bus tours and other groups of adults, the charge is $3 per person for everyone touring the Museum. There are no free admissions.
Please note that all payment is by cash or check only. We do not take credit cards. A nonrefundable deposit of $25 is required to confirm a booking for a time other than regular Museum hours.
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