Learn How to Make Your Own Butter!

Did you know that a marble can help you make butter? Come to the Museum on Saturday, May 26, 2007 from Noon to 2 p.m. and learn how to use a marble and about other old fashioned butter making tools. Try your hand at a butter churn and see how long it takes to make your own sweet-cream butter. This is a free, drop-in program for the entire family to enjoy; children should not be left unattended. No reservations needed.

Art in Arcadia Exhibit Now Open

The Museum's newest exhibit, Art in Arcadia, will be on display through May 31st and features many beautiful renderings of Arcadia’s historic landmarks and picturesque landscape. Museumgoers will enjoy viewing various artists’ interpretations of Arcadia’s familiar sights. Historic photographs of the sites will also be on display.

Lunch at the Museum!

Do you work in or around Arcadia? Do something fun and different on your lunch hour by coming to the Museum on Thursdays, February 15 and March 15 from noon to 12:30 p.m. for the new Brown Bag Lunch Talks. These are specially designed for all who work near the Museum to enjoy a unique 20-minute tour of the special exhibition Morning Rhapsody. Bring your own brown bag lunch or enjoy free pizza (first-come-first-serve) on the Museum Patio. Come to one or both — each talk will be different! Reservations are not necessary, but space for the talk is limited to a first-come-first-serve basis. Need more info? Call the Museum at 574-5440.

Morning Rhapsody: A Photo Exhibition

Photographer, singer, writer, actor and composer, Karen Davis, captures behind-the-scenes moments at Santa Anita racetrack in the early mornings. Juan Reviriego, trainer, praises, “I have trained racehorses all over the world, and I have never before seen such a passionate tribute to thoroughbred and track as this original and astonishing treasure.”

Don't miss the opportunity to see this stunning collection of photographs, which will be on display from January 6 – March 28, 2007. For information about related events, check out page 17 of the City's Winter Recreation, Library, and Museum brochure.

Holiday Hours

The Museum will be closed December 23-25 and again from December 30-January 1.

Happy holidays!

Annual Holiday Ornament Workshop

Visit the Ruth and Charles Gilb Arcadia Historical Museum on Saturday, December 9 from noon to 2 p.m. for its sixth annual Holiday Ornament Workshop. You’ll get to make holiday ornaments of all shapes and colors. Bring your imagination! This program is free and no registration is required.

New Exhibit: The History of Toys and Games

Have you ever wondered how your favorite childhood toy was created? Come to the Museum from November 15, 2006 - January 17, 2007 to see a display of vintage toys. You may just see a toy from your youth!

In conjunction with this exhibit, the Museum will be holding a Family Fun Day Toy Making Workshop on Saturday, November 18 from noon to 2 p.m. Children and adults will have an opportunity to make some simple toys that bring great fun!

5th Birthday Carnival on October 28th

Come celebrate the Museum's 5th birthday at a free, special Birthday Carnival on Saturday, October 28, 2006 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

There will be a bounce house, face painting, carnival games with prizes, cotton candy, snow cones, and birthday cupcakes! And don’t forget to come inside the Museum to see its treasures, including a special exhibit with photographic highlights of the past five years and photographs of museums from Arcadia’s past. Learn about the first museum in Arcadia and the community’s contribution to the preservation of Arcadia’s heritage.

CELEBRATE DIA DE LOS MUERTOS AT ARCADIA MUSEUM

From October 9 to November 10, the Museum will have on display a small collection of figurines associated with Dia de los Muertos or Day of the Dead, a festive holiday celebrated in Mexico. Generally celebrated on November 2, families gather together for Dia de los Muertos to honor ancestors and deceased loved ones. Some of the festivities associated with this celebration include: creating an altar or ofrenda, painting and cleaning graves; as well as, making and enjoying great feasts.

On Saturday, October 14 from noon to 2 p.m. families will also have an opportunity to learn more about this festive celebration when the Museum presents a special Family Fun Day Workshop. An artisan will be on hand to teach participants how to make and decorate sugar skulls. Visitors will have the opportunity to make fun and exciting crafts, including mask decorating and making paper marigolds. Visitors will be invited to write special messages to their loved ones on these flowers, which will be put on display.

The Arcadia Historical Museum is located at 380 W. Huntington Drive, immediately behind the Community Center. The Museum is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is always free.

We're Celebrating Our Fifth Birthday!

The Ruth and Charles Gilb Arcadia Historical Museum is celebrating its Fifth Anniversary with a special exhibit with photographic highlights of its first five years. This exhibit will be on display from September 2 through October 14, 2006.

The exhibit will also include photographs of museums from Arcadia’s past, including the Parker Lyon Pony Express Museum (shown in photo), which came to Arcadia in 1935 and was located on a 6-acre lot on Huntington Drive at Colorado Place. The exhibit will also feature information about the first museum in Arcadia and the community’s contributions to the preservation of Arcadia’s heritage.

The Museum Is Cool!

Need a cool spot to go to that is both entertaining and free? Then come to the Arcadia Historical Museum any time Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.! Admission is always free and there are interesting permanent exhibits, as well as a special exhibit entitled the "Arcadia Immigrant Experience" on display now through August 25th. Using the techniques of oral historians, the students of Oliver Beckwith's Arcadia High School Advanced Placement U.S. History class created an exhibit that tells some of the stories of Arcadia's immigrants.

Family Fun Day - Learn to Draw a Peacock

If Lucky Baldwin had been president, perhaps he would have declared a month-long celebration for Arcadia’s peacocks since he imported the first peacocks from India in the 1880s. Not wanting to wait for an official declaration, the Museum is celebrating these beautiful birds with a fun event on Saturday, July 8 from noon to 2 p.m.

Children ages 6 and up will learn step by step how to draw a majestic peacock. This event is free, but registration is required due to limited space and supplies. To register, please call the Museum at (626) 574-5440.

Great Job!

Graduation
June 16, 2006

Alycia and I were honored to be invited to Kiev and Venus' graduation at the Santa Anita Racetrack on June 16, 2006. With flowers in our hands and great excitement, we got to the graduation, following Venus' directions to sit where I thought she said she would be. To our SHOCK, there were 600 or so graduates were way down in the field while we were way UP there at the grandstand. They looked like just a tad bigger than ants!! We could hardly make out who's who. We kept looking for Venus. Of course, since it's been quite a few moons since we graduated, we totally forgot to make a plan to meet up with Kiev and Venus, and we didn't think to bring anyone's cellphone numbers. No luck as we strain our ears to hear the 4 announcers zipping through the names on the list simultaneously. So I started just taking random pictures, hoping that I can use the 12x zoom on my camera to start looking for Venus. Finally, we gave up. The next day, Kanny pointed out that we were actually sitting where Kiev was, and there he is in one of my random pictures! Sorry Venus! Congratulations to Kiev and Venus for being Gold Seal Graduates! Now we know, we'll be better next year for Kanny and Adam's graduation.

Taiko Drums

Taiko Drumming Demonstration
May 13, 2006

Traditional Japanese art -- Taiko Drumming. Taiko, or "Big Drum" is the essence of a festival.

D for Docents and Deers

D for Docents and Deers
May 2006

Docent-led experience for 3rd Graders visiting the Museum on school field trip.

Exhibitions and Events at the Museum

Ancient Towns in Zhejiang Province --Exhibit, May 13 to June 14
Annual Antique and Collectibles Faire --June 3
Oral History Workshop -- June 10
Docent for a Day -- June 17
Family Tree Banner -- June 24
Peacock Drawing -- July 8
Peacock Safari -- July 22
Honoring All Who Served
Everything Peacock
Collections at the Museum