Gingerbread house decorating tomorrow at AGHC

Winter has definitely come quickly to the American Gothic House this year!  Though the house is beautiful when in snows (which has happened a few times already), we think it could have waited at least a few weeks.  The one benefit of this weather is that it has definitely put us in the holiday spirit! 

Some of that holiday fun awaits tomorrow, Saturday, December 6 when we host our annual gingerbread house decorating activity.  Children of all ages are invited to this free event from 1:00-4:00 p.m.  Graham crackers, candy decorations and gooey frosting will be provided for participants to make their sugary creations. For more information please contact the American Gothic House Center at 641-652-3352 or email TheAmericanGothicHouse@gmail.com.

Though this will be our last event of 2014, we are very excited to share our 2015 Calendar of Events with you soon!  You will find more programs, workshops, and a new amazing exhibit unlike anything we have hosted before.  We hope to have a few final programs confirmed shortly and the calendar shared in the coming weeks.  

The leaves are changing and a chill is in the air, which is getting us very excited once again for our American Gothic House Halloween Party! 

The festivities will take place Saturday, October 25 from 2-4 p.m. on the American Gothic House Center grounds. Children from preschool through fifth grade are invited to attend and admission is free. Participants will play Boo Bowling, make creepy crafts, decorate monster cookies, and much more. A Mad Scientist will also perform fun experiments and the Eldon Public Library will feature a Spooky Story Walk on the trail. Children are encouraged to come in costume for a fun photo-op in front of the house!



Upcoming events:

Saturday, October 25: American Gothic Halloween Party
2:00-4:00 p.m. at the American Gothic House Center
Ages: Preschool – 5th grade. Small children should be accompanied by an adult.
Free admission

Celebrate Halloween in front of the American Gothic House! Arrive dressed in your costume, make your own spooky American Gothic Parody, make fun crafts, play games and enjoy delicious treats.

Sunday, November 9: Lecture series:  “Iowa History in a Cloth Bag”  
1:00 p.m. at the American Gothic House
All ages welcome, free admission

This program explains how cloth bags and the revolutionary idea of marketing to women helped Iowans survive the Great Depression and the shortages of World War II. Flour sacks, feed sacks and seed sacks will tell the story from relief work by Herbert Hoover to clothes and quilts in the 1950’s.

Saturday, December 6: Gingerbread House Building at AGHC
1:00-4:00 p.m. at the American Gothic House Center
Open to children, free admission

Join in a great holiday tradition for the family!  Arrive early to create your own gingerbread house made out of graham crackers, frosting and candy while supplies last!

The American Gothic House Center strives to become financially independent through gift shop revenues, sponsorships, and by establishing an endowment fund. Funds raised in this campaign will become endowment funds to support the Center's annual operations. As a subscriber to the weekly newsletter, you have already shown support for the American Gothic House Center. I invite you to strengthen your role in the valuable experience we provide the community by making a contribution to our fund drive. Click here to give your tax deductible gift, or head to our website for more information. Thank you to all who have donated so far!

        Our Mission: Integrating the pieces of American Gothic

300 American Gothic St | Eldon, IA 52554 | 641-652-3352 | TheAmericanGothicHouse@gmail.com

Celebrate Iowa Museum Week by attending the Southeast Iowa Museum Crawl

Museums across Iowa are participating in Iowa Museum Week, which runs from June 9-15.  Iowa Museum Week was created to highlight the importance of museums in Iowa.  To celebrate this event, the American Gothic House Center has teamed up with other area museums for the inaugural Southeast Iowa Museum Crawl. 

The event will take place Saturday, June 14 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. There are four museums being featured on this year’s Museum Crawl: Davis County Historical Complex (Bloomfield), Maasdam Barns (Fairfield), Pearson House (Keosauqua) and the America Gothic House Center (Eldon). As a part of this Museum Crawl, “Star Passports” will be available.  People having their “passport” punched at all four locations will be eligible to win a Southeast Iowa Museum Crawl gift basket.

Highlights at each of the locations include:

American Gothic House Center, Eldon

·        Exhibit of Grant Wood original works on loan from Indian Hills Community College

·        Art station to sketch your own version of the iconic house

·        Tour the American Gothic House Center

·        Strike a pose for your own “American Gothic photo” (costumes, pitchforks and glasses available)

Davis County Historical Complex, Bloomfield

·        Rededication of Civil War Medal of Honor at 11 a.m.

·        Activities throughout the day: spinning wheel, quilting, blacksmithing, dutch oven cooking, butter making, cream separating, and more

Maasdam Barns, Fairfield

·        Youth activities from 10 a.m.- 3 p.m. – egg gathering, tug of war, hay stacking, wheelbarrow races, egg toss

·        Demonstrations – putting up hay at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m., milk separating

Pearson House, Keosauqua

·        Quilting demonstrations showing technique and revealing the hidden meaning of some blocks

·        Old Time Revival Sing with performances at the top of every hour

·        Guided tours of the complex

·        School-in-Session at the one-room schoolhouse

·        Free refreshments- sorghum and molasses cookies, butter cookies, and glasses of Ginger Switchell

Whether you attend the museum crawl, or stop by your hometown favorite, we hope you take the time this week to visit and celebrate Iowa museums!

American Gothic Days Approaching!

It is almost time again for Eldon’s annual American Gothic Days!  The Center is hosting three events in conjunction with American Gothic Days, which take place June 13-15.   

The American Gothic 5K Run/Walk will be held Saturday, June 14 at 7:30 a.m.  Early bird registration is $15 if paid by May 23, or $18 after.  Registration includes a t-shirt, map of the route, and awards for winners in different age/gender categories.  This event is sponsored by Libertyville Savings Bank and Crossroad Graphics.

The American Gothic Bike Ride 18 mile bike ride takes place Sunday, June 15 at 7:30 a.m.  Early bird registration is $15 if paid by May 23, or $18 after.  Registration for the 18-mile ride includes a t-shirt, map, and post-ride pizza.  This event is sponsored by Libertyville Savings Bank, Riverside Cyclery, and AJ’s Bicycle Shop.

Amateur and professional artists are invited to enter the American Gothic House Art Contest.  There will be cash awards for first and second place winners in each division, and registration is free.  This event sponsored by GATE.  Entries must be received by June 10 and entries will be on display at the Center during American Gothic Days.

An entire schedule of events for American Gothic Days can be found here.  For more information, or for registration forms, please call 641-652-3352 or visit www.AmericanGothicHouse.net.

The American Gothic House Center strives to become financially independent through gift shop revenues, sponsorships, and by establishing an endowment fund. Funds raised in this campaign will become endowment funds to support the Center's annual operations. As a subscriber to the weekly newsletter, you have already shown support for the American Gothic House Center. I invite you to strengthen your role in the valuable experience we provide the community by making a contribution to our fund drive. Click here to give your tax deductible gift, or head to our website for more information. Thank you to all who have donated so far!

        Our Mission: Integrating the pieces of American Gothic

300 American Gothic St | Eldon, IA 52554 | 641-652-3352 | TheAmericanGothicHouse@gmail.com

A new connection to the Wood family

I recently had the privilege of talking to Debbie Beilstein, the great niece of Frank Wood, Grant Wood’s brother.  Frank served very much as a grandfather figure to Debbie and she also shared a close relationship with Nan Wood Graham as Nan resided nearby in Riverside, California.  As none of the Wood siblings had any immediate descendants, it has been a joy to speak to Debbie about her memories.  To the right is a photograph from 1960 of Debbie and Frank when she was 3 in his backyard in San Diego.

Debbie has started a Facebook page where she is sharing photographs and stories about Frank and Nan.  I welcome you to visit and follow her page to learn more:  www.facebook.com/nanwoodgrahamandfrankmwood

One of my favorite things Debbie shared with me is a recipe for cheese bread that Nan Wood Graham would bring to every family gathering.  Debbie’s family has kept the tradition alive and still makes “American Gothic cheese bread” today.  To join in the tradition, I plan to make Nan’s recipe this weekend to serve at our lecture series event on Sunday.  Be sure to join us Sunday at 2:00pm for a great presentation by Mark McWhorter on “Regionalist Art During the Great Depression” and try some of Nan’s cheese bread for yourself!

Holly Berg, Administrator
American Gothic House Center

Upcoming Events:

Friday, April 4: New exhibit:  Fruits, by Grant Wood
5:00pm-7:00pm at the American Gothic House Center
All ages welcome with free admission.
In his last few years of work, Grant Wood turned his focus to the print medium.  Fruits is an important piece of this work.  The American Gothic House Center is pleased to display this work as part of the Center’s permanent collection.  View the work and learn about the history behind this series of lithographs and its relationship to the Great Depression. The acquisition of this work made possible with funding from Ottumwa Regional Legacy Foundation, City of Eldon, and John Deere Ottumwa Works.

Sunday, April 6: Lecture series: “Regionalist Art During the Great Depression”
2:00pm at the Eldon Library Hall
All ages welcome with free admission.
Join us as Mark McWhorter, director of the Indian Hills Art Gallery discusses the implications the Great Depression had on the Regionalist art community.  Several works from the IHCC collection will be on display, including works by Grant Wood.

Saturday, April 19: Easter Egg Roll at our “White House”
Easter Egg Hunt at 1:00pm
1:00pm-3:00pm on the American Gothic House grounds
Open to children and free admission.
Join us for our annual Egg Roll!  A popular tradition at the White House, this event will be sure to please!  Spring themed crafts and activities to accompany the event.  Sponsored by the American Gothic House Center and GATE.

Saturday, May 3: Wildflower Pastel Class
1:00pm-2:00pm on the American Gothic House grounds
Open to children K-6 grade
$9.00 fee for supplies
Pre-registration needed, limited to 15 participants
Celebrate May Day with a stroll through the Center’s wildflower gardens!  Students will learn about of the flowers and create their own with pastel chalk.  Local artist Chris Abigt will host the class and guide the students in their creations.

The American Gothic House Center strives to become financially independent through gift shop revenues, sponsorships, and by establishing an endowment fund. Funds raised in this campaign will become endowment funds to support the Center's annual operations. As a subscriber to the weekly newsletter, you have already shown support for the American Gothic House Center. I invite you to strengthen your role in the valuable experience we provide the community by making a contribution to our fund drive. Click here to give your tax deductible gift, or head to our website for more information. Thank you to all who have donated so far!

        Our Mission: Integrating the puzzle pieces of American Gothic

300 American Gothic St | Eldon, IA 52554 | 641-652-3352 | TheAmericanGothicHouse@gmail.com

Celebrate Grant Wood on February 8

The chill in the air must mean it’s almost time again for our annual Grant Wood Birthday Soup Smorgasbord.  The celebration will take place Saturday, February 8 from 11:00 am-1:00 pm at the KD Center in Eldon. You can enjoy an amazing array of soups, homemade bread, and birthday desserts.  Thank you to our wonderful volunteers who help make this event possible—their cooking is out of this world!

Door prizes will be awarded throughout the event, donated by the following businesses:  Chommy’s, Just A’little Junk’e in the Trunk, Libertyville Savings Bank, and Ostrander Flowers and Greenhouses.

Free will donations will support educational programs at the American Gothic House Center. Come celebrate what would be Grant Wood’s 123rd birthday, have a wonderful meal, and support a worthwhile cause at the same time.  Be sure to mark your calendars!

Don’t forget to take a look at all of the great events we have coming up this year at the American Gothic House Center.  Visit our website to see our Calendar of Events:   

http://www.americangothichouse.net/plan-your-visit/calendar/