We had a very successful Annual Membership Meeting this evening and we’d like to thank everyone who participated, attended, and made it a nice event.
Our meeting kicked off with our Secretary, Carol Rice, giving the minutes from our 2017 meeting, followed by our Treasurer, Dave Baker, giving the financial and building report.
We spoke about ways for members to become involved and a variety of upcoming events and projects, and then it was time for our Vice President, Nancy Schlanser, to talk about our extensive collection of Peg Doore information and artifacts.
Next, Trustee Julie DeMont gave a detailed explanation and history of the artifacts we have displayed relative to Gertrude Brinkle’s art and the life and legacy of Emily Bissell, as well as explaining the beautiful quilted piece she herself made and that is also on loan to us for the summer.
Our primary presentation for the evening was given by Holly Bancroft Brown, who grew up on Paris Hill and lives here still, having raised her own family here. Holly’s grandmother, Florence Hastings, lived well past her 100th birthday and was an incredibly gifted artist and maker. Holly brought breathtaking examples of her work, including quilts, hooked and braided rugs, tole painted pieces, and some reverse painted glass work. Holly’s presentation was filled with poignant remembrances of her grandmother and her work, historical highlights many of us didn’t know, and lots of funny anecdotes that kept everyone laughing. Holly’s mother, Mary Alice Bancroft, was also with us, making the connection to family and history even better. It should be mentioned that Holly is very creative herself, a gifted sewer, quilter, and interior designer.
Here are some pictures from Holly’s presentation, with captions.






Overall, it was a great evening and again, our sincere thanks to everyone who attended. We also are getting a very good response to our call for membership and donations, and we sold the first of our Peg Doore notecards, a sampling of which is below. We have twelve designs in all. They are 6 for $12 or 12 for $20.
We will be open again next Thursday, July 5th, from 1-4 PM if you’d like to purchase a set of your own or just see our summer exhibits.
For our membership application and schedule of events, click HERE.
Thanks for reading and have a great July 4th holiday!