Visit our Sister Sites at:
www.kidslovenutcrackers.com and
www.nutcrackerday.com
We are pleased to announce that a total 34,347 people visited the Nutcracker Museum in 2022, including children under 5 and active military with their families who receive free admission. This is the record number to date, and would have been higher except for the extremely cold weather in November and December which kept the mountain passes closed many days.
The
museum has had visitors from every state in the Union, every province in
Canada, and from over 100 other countries.
Many international visitors will find specimens from their
countries, and those from India find a display of betel cutters larger than
any in their own country! We
also have a display for students to identify nutcrackers in the costumes of
different countries.
The Nutcracker Hunts (our version of the scavenger hunt) create much excitement for all ages from 3 to 93, and the adults are having as much fun as the kids New hunts have been made for various animals, different Steinbach designs, and for the numerous hats that nutcrackers wear. We also have hunts written in Spanish for the many visitors who come our neighboring countries. Reread the January 2019 quarterly newsletter and you will see examples of how the hunts vary with age. Here is one example that shows while a student looks for a man with long nose, the adults will congratulate themselves for finding a bird biting a man’s nose.
KILROY
The phrase “Kilroy Was Here” and the
distinctive accompanying doodle became associated with GIs during World War
II displaying a bald-headed man with a prominent nose peeking over a wall
with his fingers clutching the wall. Servicemen
adopted the slogan and would draw the picture and the text on the walls and
other places where they were stationed, encamped, or visited. An Ad in ‘Life’ magazine noted
that WWII-era servicemen were fond of claiming that “whatever beachhead they
stormed, they always found notices up ahead of them that “Kilroy Was Here”.
Historians
point to James
J. Kilroy (1902–1962),
an American shipyard inspector who worked at the Fore
River Shipyard in Quincy,
MA as the author of these posts.
During the war, Kilroy marked work he had inspected and approved with
the phrase "Kilroy Was Here" in durable crayon. Later he added the
drawing. Many of these figures
remained on the ships as they landed in foreign ports.
NEWS FOR ANTIQUE NUTCRACKER COLLECTORS
If you collect antique nutcrackers, you will be
interested in knowing about the Nutcracker Collectors Club under the
direction of Susan Otto of Chesterland, Ohio. The group includes collectors
from every part of the US and several foreign countries.
A modest yearly fee brings 4 newsletters a year full of information
about carved figural nutcrackers as well as other types of nutcrackers in
various materials and from various locations.
This includes all kinds of
nutcrackers except
the wooden toy soldiers so popular
at Christmas time.
An annual convention hosted by a prominent collector gives you a
chance to view their collection, meet other collectors, learn more about
your own collection, and even buy or sell pieces.
For more information contact Susan Otto directly at
nutsue@roadrunner.com
COMING IN THE NEXT
NEWSLETTER
We will give
news about NUTCRACKER DAY to be
held on June 1 with free admission and a chance to win a prize.
On this day we will also be cracking nuts with antique mechanical
nutcrackers like your grandparents used.
The Second
Quarter Newsletter will also list all information about the contest we have
for kids to make anything that will crack a hazelnut.
Judging for the contest will be June 24, and cash prizes will be
awarded to those with winning designs.
If you want a head start, all information for the contest is already
online at
KidsLoveNutcrackers.com
Arlene Wagner, The Nutcracker Lady
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Dogs that are able to be carried at all times may come into the museum.
Service animals are
always welcome.
735 Front Street
P.O. Box 2212
Leavenworth, WA 98826
(509) 548-4573
MUSEUM HOURS
11:00PM - 5:00PM Daily
We suggest visitors arrive at the museum at least 30 minutes before closing.
"To foster and encourage the interest of the general public of the importance of nuts in the diets of humans throughout history and in the evolution of the nutcracker. No other tool or collectible has shown such a wide diversity of material and design as the implements used to crack the hard shell of a nut".
Adults - $5.00 (Ages 17 - 64yrs)
Seniors - $3.50
(Age 65yrs +)
Youth - $2.00 (Ages 6 - 16yrs)
Child - FREE (Ages 0 - 5yrs)
Active
Military - FREE (Spouse & Children Free with ID)