Fleas and Warrior Backpack Program

Handcrafted jewelry by the Hickman Gals of Lebanon. These earrings are so cute, you have to get some.  If you can tell from my not very good photo, the pair of earrings in the foreground are a fudge stripped cookie on the left and one with a bit out of it on the right.  The whimsical ideas from these kids are super.  There is one set that's a bag of fries for one earring and a cheeseburger for the other. Another set features a fried egg for one earring and bacon for the other.  Some sets match, like the pumpkins in the top right hand tea cup.

If you don't know already, the WCHS rents out spaces in the Old Post Office for our quarterly flea markets.  Today and tomorrow is the summer edition of the event and we have some new vendors as well as some old favorites.  One of the new vendors I thought you might like to know about is the Itsy Bitsy Project run the The Hickman Gals here in Lebanon. These three enterprising young ladies and their folks are offering their handmade jewelry in support of the Warrior Backpack
Program out of the Lebanon Public Schools.  The Warrior Backpack Program supplies weekend meals for kids in need in our community. The Hickman Gals are donating the proceeds from the sale of their jewelry to to the program.  They have earrings, hairpins and necklaces, all very reasonably priced starting at $2.00 and all handmade by the girls. 

Lots of great fleas to see! Open Friday and Saturday, July 27 and 28 from 10:00am to 4:00pm.
Free admission to the flea market!!

Mona Says Visit the Flea Market!

Mona like to stretch out on plastic!

Our quarterly flea market held inside the air conditioned Lebanon Conference & Banquet Center opens tomorrow morning, Friday, July 27 at 10:00 am.  The event is free and open to the public. 10 vendors are on hand to offer their antiques and flea market items. Something for everyone. Come see us!

Vintage Mustang

Hand crafted, folk art Apple Fest Dolls, highly collectible

Antique Cradle

Milk glass bowls, candlesticks, china dolphin etc.

Weather vane, cat pictures and lots of other good stuff.

Lamp and kitty

From Craftsman to Fleas

What a beautiful show we had this past weekend with the fourth annual American Heritage Craftsman & Artisan Show.  If you missed it this year, they will be back next year, so make plans NOW to attend.  One of our good volunteers tells me she saves her change and a few bits of "folding money" all year long so that when the show comes to town she is armed with cash and ready to buy. She's a Nantucket basket collector among other things and she got some beauties this year.

Greg Shooner at his potters wheel

I am always so amazed when I watch Greg Shooner of Shooner Pottery working with his red ware.  Here he is demonstrating the potter wheel.  But Greg does so much more than throw pots!  His decorations of the pots are amazing.  While he was at the show this weekend he "decorated" a jar he'd thrown with scribed drawings of a whaling ship with a whale spouting.  His customer for the pot wanted some specific designs and he happily obliged making it a one of a kind work of art.  Greg is also  poet. Some of his jars are inscribed with his poetry as well as his drawings. Wonderful stuff. No wonder his work is on display at the White House and Camp David!

So its on to the quarterly Flea Market this weekend. We are open Friday and Saturday from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm.  As always, the museum will have some fleas of its own to sell, collected from members over the last quarter.  Also present are a dozen other vendors ranging from antique dealers, to artists, to ordinary folks wanting to get rid of their stuff!  It's a free event at the Lebanon Conference and Banquet Center so come on down and check it out.  This Friday and Saturday, July 27 and 28.

Shooner Pottery to be given as Door Prize



Tall Ink bottle hand crafted by nationally famous potter, Greg Shooner. One lucky winner will receive this tall ink bottle as a door prize for attending the American Heritage Craftsman & Artisan Show.

Greg Shooner and his wife Mary Spellmire Shooner returned for our fourth annual American Heritage Craftsman and Artisan Show & Sale this weekend.   The Shooners are nationally recognized for their fine hand crafted red ware items including jars, plates, ink wells, ink bottles, lamps and many other decorative items.  Mr. Shooner hand decorates his work with colored "slip" decorations and inscribes original poetry on some of the larger pieces.  His work is on display around the country including the White House and Camp David.

Greg Shooner demonstrates "throwing" a pot at the American Heritage Craftsman & Artisan Show at the Warren County History Center this weekend. Hours on Sunday, July 22 are 11:00 am to 4:00 pm. Admission is $5.00 for adults, students under 18 free.

A $50.00 gift card to the Golden Lamb is also one of the door prizes at the American Heritage Craftsman & Artisan Show.

Artisans demonstrating their work

One of Donna Weavers finished was portraits. Donna is an artist for the US Mint. She is responsible for the designs on several of the state quarters and won the commission for the 911 Commemorative coin last year.

Donna Weaver works on a wax portrait.

R.W. Stewart demonstrates making an eastern woodlands Native American arrow.  Steward is from Cincinnati and is noted for making reproductions for museums and for the movies. His bows and arrows were used in the "Hunger Games" production.

Greg Shooner, nationally recognized potter, demonstrates red ware pottery at the American Heritage Craftsman & Artisan show, Sat, July 21 from 10-5 and Sunday 11-4.  Greg's work is on display in the White House and at Camp David among other places.

American Heritage Craftsman & Artisan Show

The show is all set up and ready to open tomorrow at 10:00.  We have a wonderful group of craftsman, many demonstrated their work.  Doors open at 10:00 tomorrow. Adults $5.00, students under 18 FREE.  Come see the demonstrations and the wonderful hand crafted  pottery, furniture, quilts, paintings, baskets, pewter, wax portraits,  Native American items and much, much more.

Good Banana Bread Recipe



Here's Reena who volunteers in the office. She makes great east Indian food!



Everyday we have a different set of volunteers who work at the museum. They are all self starters who have specific jobs to do and just come in and get to work.  There is a Tuesday bunch, a Wednesday bunch, Thursday bunch, etc.  The highlight of the day for most of us is lunch time.  We all bring a lunch and sit around a big table on the "Village Green" and have a good visit. 

Every now and then someone brings in baked goods to share.  Here's a really good recipe for Banana bread one of the archive volunteers shared.  Most of the banana bread recipes I've seen have no fat - relying on the bananas to make the recipe work. This one has a generous amount of sour cream and that makes all the difference.  Jeanne cautions not to over bake the bread or it will be too dry.

Jeanne Doan’s Banana Bread

From Marian Ashley

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

1 cup granulated sugar

½ cup (one stick) softened butter

2 large eggs

2 medium ripe bananas, peeled and mashed

4 heaping tablespoons sour cream

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

Grease a 9inch by 5 inch bread pan.  Set aside.  Cream the sugar and butter together. Add the eggs, one at a time mixing well after each addition. Add the mashed bananas, sour cream and vanilla, mix well.

Sift together the flour, soda, baking powder and salt. Add to the wet ingredients and mix until all the ingredients are combined. Don’t over mix.  Pour into prepared bread pan and bake at 350 degrees for 40 to 50 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.  Cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Turn out of pan and continue cooling.  When completely cool, wrap in plastic wrap and store at room temperature or in the refrigerator.

Lantern Light Cemetery Tour

We are all hopeful that the weather will break in time for the sixth edition of our Lantern Light Cemetery Tour in Lebanon Cemetery.  Tickets are on sale now for the July 13 event which repeats on July 14th. The tour begins at 8:00 pm at the gates of the cemetery. Advance ticket purchase is required.

The tour is presented by our Glendower Historic Characters and are a great way to learn about Lebanon's history. Call the museum at 513-932-1817.