The Peru Gazette

Chazy, New York – The Alice T. Miner Museum is pleased to announce the return of one of their most popular programs as well as two new events during the month of September. These programs are free and open to the public.

In what has become a fall tradition, Sounds of the Northway will perform at the museum on Saturday, September 17 at 7:00 p.m. Sounds of the Northway has been performing for over 15 years for many kinds of audiences at venues all over the North Country. While the composition of the ensemble has changed over its 15-year history, two stalwarts remain as the centerpiece of the group: Ann Hope Ruzow Holland, Ph.D. playing guitar, piano, and singing; and Cathie Davenport playing flute and singing. Patricia Nelson and Vickie Putman of Willsboro recently joined the group to enhance vocals and add violin and percussion to the ensemble. 

Sounds of the Northway performs a wide variety of music, including folk songs from the traditional to the contemporary; songs about the environment, natural resources, and the world around us; contemporary Jewish, folk, and liturgical music; and historical and popular songs dear to mothers, daughters, sisters, and wives.

On Saturday, September 24, children of all ages are invited to help Alice Miner celebrate her 153rd birthday. Guests can play a variety of historic games popular during Alice’s childhood, including croquet and rounders, an early form of baseball. Materials for craft projects will be provided and there will, of course, be birthday cake and other refreshments! The party will be held from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. on the museum grounds, weather permitting, or in the museum’s ballroom in case of rain.

Get a sneak peek at some rarely seen textiles from the Alice’s collection on Friday, September 30 at 7:00 p.m. Textile conservator Abby Zoldowski will present “The Fabric of Time,” a discussion of the history, conservation, storage, and display of textiles, from quilts to clothing. Attendees are invited to bring an item from their personal collection for Abby to examine and provide advice. 

Abby Zoldowski has been working as a textile conservator for New York State Parks Bureau for Historic Preservation since 2002, and as a gilded objects and frame conservator for the state since 2011. While working for the state she has had the opportunity to work on everything from tapestries to the US Naval Academy’s 1813 “Don’t Give Up the Ship” flag. She also has her own private conservation studio, A to Z Textile Conservation, where she has performed upholstery conservation for such sites as Eisenhower National Historic Site and Kykuit, the John D. Rockefeller Estate, tapestry stabilization for the Folk Art Museum of NYC and Vanderbilt Mansion, rug conservation for Rockefeller University, and assisted private clients with their textile collections. She has a Master’s degree in Fashion and Textile Studies with a concentration in Textile Conservation from FIT. 

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The Alice T. Miner Museum is located in Chazy, New York. This fifteen-room Colonial Revival museum houses Alice T. Miner’s collection of furniture, ceramics, glass, samplers, silhouettes, quilts, dolls, and more, most from the 18th and 19th centuries. The museum also displays artifacts related to Alice and William Miner’s life and philanthropic work in the North Country.