Download Fall 2009 - DeBence Antique Music World

Nickelodeon News
Our busy season is about over, so I can give
you a report on how this summer went.
Serving our Community
1) Our attendance was 3159 for 2008, and this
year to date it is 2562. It appears annual
attendance will be down from last year.
2) The Mini-Event program of free one hour
presentations was strengthened by a grant
from the Rees Trust which allowed us to pay
for things like transporting the Greenville
Steel Drum Band to perform. Attendance was
up from just over 200 last year to 351 in 2009,
with one event still to go
3) Music storage space for the Franklin Silver
Cornet Band was established.
4) We repaired 8 machines for the public.
5) We appeared at several public events with
one or another of our self playing machines,
and established a new program for assisted
living facilities which we took to 3 locations.
6) The free fourth grade tours were continued,
but the emphasis on teaching to the test for no
child left behind cut attendance this year and
it seems this program will continue at a
reduced level in the future.
Progress on updating the building:
1) The new elevator installation which was
completed in 2008 has been used to make the
Ballroom accessible for our mini events and
other gatherings. The Ballroom, which was
redone by the Franklin Rotary Club last year,
has undergone detailing with drapes and trim
Fall 2009
refinishing, and has turned out to be quite
acoustically friendly.
2. The third floor bathroom has been put back
into service through volunteer labor.
3) The third floor back hall is in the process
of rehab.
4) The third floor elevator lobby and the
second to third floor stairs were cleaned and
painted with our own volunteer help and lots
of assistance by a work detail from St. Marks
Episcopal Church of Storr, CT.
5) The last three old windows in the building
were replaced by new insulated ones.
6) We are still removing unused piping and
other items from the building and estimate
about another ton was disposed of.
Progress with the collections:
1) We received and repaired a Kohler &
Campbell Tom Thumb player piano built in
1925 from Patricia Vrankovich.
2) Ed Bottegal completed the repair of the
Duo-Art/Aeolian grand piano and it was
moved to the main floor.
3) Member Wally Venable helped us get a
1920 barrel piano last year. This year he
bought us a wagon for it that was built in
London ca. 1900. We went to West Chester,
PA and got it, along with a Chiappa barrel
piano that was alleged to belong with it. The
piano was in many pieces. Greg Chandler is
putting it back together.
4) Our Link 2E orchestrion which has been in
storage was put in the basement where it can
be played for 25 cents by visitors.
5) We received over 46 separate items
ranging from Reed Organs to radios, all of
which are suitable for use in our exhibits.
6) Through Rachel Ashbaugh and Bill Black
we received 2 large lighted display cases from
the Meadowcroft Rockshelter and Rural Life
division of the Carnegie Museum. One now
contains the Silver Cornet Band display.
7) Tory Smith, one of our volunteers, and her
brother William, got us two manikins which
now wear the Silver Cornet and Franklin High
School band uniforms.
The Financial Situation:
As expected this has been a difficult year for
non-profits, and we are no exception.
1) Our sustaining membership dropped from
171 to 150 due to the economic situation.
2) Most of our grant requests were denied,
again due to the economy.
3) Utility costs were down for 2009 compared
to 2008 due to a cooler summer and our
efforts to tighten up the building
3) We did generate an operating surplus, but
all of it was used to pay down the remaining
loan taken to pay for the elevator
Current Needs
As our main financial goal is to pay off the
loan there are several improvements we
would like to make that we cannot afford
right now that you might help us with.
1) If you have a manikin or 3 hanging around
we have five more band uniforms we would
like to display.
2) We need to replace our dehumidifiers used
in the basement during the summer with more
efficient models.
3) The ballroom will not be usable in
midsummer or winter until we can insulate
the ceiling. The only thing between the
ballroom and the vented attic space is a single
layer of tin. It will cost about $8,000 to
properly insulate it so we can heat or cool the
third floor properly.
4) Our future plans do not require getting
back into debt, so once the elevator loan is
paid off we can devote our budget to restoring
instruments, ongoing programs, and building
improvements as we can afford them.
Please consider cutting off the bottom portion of this page, filling in the appropriate blanks, and
returning your fully tax deductible donation in the enclosed envelope. Thank you for your past
interest and we look forward to hearing from you. You may contribute via Visa or MasterCard if
you prefer.
Yes, I’d like to help you out with the debt reduction so you can eliminate the interest
payments and use that money for longer range purposes
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