Support

Historic Saint Joseph's Cultural Center

St. Joseph's Cultural Center 2009 Newsletter

Download Newsletter In PDF
 

This year; St. Joseph’s Cultural Center took off with more events in the Hall than last year which resulted in additional recognition and a clearer vision of the future as a multi-use facility. A few repairs were completed, and we welcomed a new Board member, Kevil Pelton,.

Old, unsightly linoleum in the Hallway in front of the second floor bathroom was removed. Underneath was glue debris, which a volunteer sanded down to reveal the original wood floor that matches the wood floor in the entry way. The wood was sanded and sealed. The bathrooms were painted and soon donated linoleum will be installed. Slowly but surely improvements are being made. Two buttresses on the south side of St. Joseph’s Hall were repaired and the stairs to the Hall from the Garden were painted. One of the 143 year old wooden tables in the Hall was stripped and stained. It looks great! There are a few other tables in the Hall we hope to restore soon.

Some wonderful events took place in St. Joseph’s Hall again this year. The sweet falsetto of Hawaiian Leokane Pryor occurred in March. Forest Charter School held their graduation in April. Aaron Ross and the Heirs of Mystery performed as a benefit for St. Joseph’s their entire new CD that was recorded in the Hall. There were two birthday parties and a Junior Prom. Techung, one of the foremost Tibetan singer/songwriters was here in May, as was Fishtank Ensemble (they come every year, if you haven’t experienced the pleasure of Fishtank yet, you’ll have to wait for next year). Pianist Lynne Schugren performed in a benefit for St. Joseph’s. Little Players children’s theater was here in July. In August Community Players performed Paint Your Wagon; Willie K from Hawaii dazzled everyone with his guitar, and local musicians performed Michael Jackson songs on his birthday to benefit St. Joseph’s.

Our annual benefit to fund the down payment of our annual insurance costs was held in July. It featured 40 local performers and 17 volunteer workers. The audience was spellbound by the high musicianship of every local musician and/or drummer who performed. We made enough funds for the down payment.

Visit our website at www.saintjosephsculturalcenter.org to keep with events and classes or contact the Executive Director Joseph Guida at 530-272-4725 or email stjcc@nccn.net with any questions or comments.
 

Grass Valley Museum
The Grass Valley Museum lost one of its long time docents with the passing of Cece Fowler on January 12th. Cece tirelessly worked in and promoted the Museum for over twenty years. Everyone here misses her very much. The current volunteer docents are: Margaret Castle, Christine Brueckner, Carlos and Bernadine Astesana, Skip and Trudy Tyrell, Norma Buich, Maria Dilts, Edwina Swenson and Dorothy Yun.

If you are interested in becoming a docent please call Margaret Castle at 273-5509 or 477-8623

.
Among the recent additions to the Museum are two vintage shawls (one from the Clinch family and the other from the Coleman family), several dolls, an early 1900’s Coal stove (from the Hahn family) and a 1910 leather bound Encyclopedia Britannica from Mary Brock. The Grass Valley Museum is open Tuesdays through Fridays from 12:30 PM to 3:30 PM, depending on docent availability. The Museum is also available for group and private tours, and weekend visits; please schedule in advance by calling Margaret Caste at 530-273-5509 or 530-272-4725.

The Rose Garden
The end of September finishes my second year of caring for the garden. Most of the restoration took place in the first year and the second has been a time for recovery and encouraging better health for all the plants. Our biggest project this year was the removal of the old rotted Norway spruce. You can believe there were mixed feelings about removing such a majestic tree but I had such doubts that it would make it through the next winter without falling and doing some real damage. Thanks to the Grass Valley Rotary Club for funding the removal of the tree! And, thanks to the Sons of Norway for donating a young White-tip Norway spruce and a plaque as replacement for the old tree.
Last year we sold some palm tree seedlings from the garden for a bit of income. This coming year we hope to be able to provide young roses, taken from cuttings of the oldest rose bushes in the garden. At this point I have taken approximately 120 cuttings from 22 varieties, and usually averaging 50% with my primitive methods of propagation, we will have something to offer come spring to generate a little income for the garden.
 

We continued with our volunteer program and we welcome anyone to come join us for a social time of light gardening, from 9:00 to 11:00 a.m. on Wednesdays. If you have questions or would like to work with us, feel free to call me (Joy) at 346-6517. Please consider using the garden for your own quiet place. Remember, the garden is available should you be in need of a place for a private party.

The Save the Window Committee Update
The goal has been to save the O’Connor Stained Glass Window and the wall that houses it in. Our meetings are on the first Wednesday of the month chaired by Florence Hosbein. Our summer meetings are in the rose garden. This year's fund raisers featured a talk by Mark Brady of SJSU on the roots of the economic crisis and three lectures on health and healing by Dr. Lisa Hosbein.
This Spring we hosted an Appreciation Evening in the garden, thanking those members of the community who have made donations to Save the Window and volunteers who gave their support in the past year. That evening a lovely painting of the O’Connor Window in St. Joseph’s Hall was presented to Sibley Hansen for her generosity. The painting is by Margaret Huddy, a well-known Washington D.C. artist.

We welcome volunteers to help preserve this beautiful old (1894) window.

200 Membership Donor List
Carlos and Bernadine Astesana, Gerald and Connie Angove, Bob Bielenberg, Sandra Blake, Christine Brueckner, Cecil and Mary Caballero, John and Bea Carolan, Lawrence Casci, Margaret Castle, Richard and Shirley Dickard, Alfred and Joan Dayton, Leonard and Glennis Dole, Diane Durkin, Frank and Fran Francis, Bruce Frazier, Mary Lou Gibson, Sibley Hansen, Pat Green and Carl Balisteri, Madelyn Helling, Susan Hopkins, Jeanne Ingram, David and Ann Mann, Max and Ann McCann, Richard and June McKenzie, Gerald Chan and Lisa Moon, Kathleen Montavon, Herman and Jaqueline Nash, Edward and Sandy Pardini, Melba Polglase, Roger and Jean Poff, Roger and Nancy Sanford, Eileen Schnitger, Margaret Scotten, Orlo and Cathy Steele, Salvatore Tasssone, Mary Grace Tassone, Augustine Tassone, Elyse and Mark Warner, Nancy Wright

Letter from the President
The Mount St. Mary's Historic Preservation committee has worked to preserve and find suitable uses for our historic landmark since 1972 and once again I am asking our supporters for an annual, tax-deductible contribution in order to continue in this important effort. As you may know, our operating expenses are largely funded by the rentals, benefits, other ordinary income and small donations that allow us to continue as a nonprofit cultural and educational center for the benefit of our community. We rely on the generosity of our community to support our efforts. Please join your friends and neighbors in making an annual contribution to the Mount St. Mary's Historic Preservation Committee. Thank you.

Sincerely,
Bruce Frazier, President Historic Mt. St. Mary’s Preservation Committee

Membership: Download Membership Form In PDF
Annual Membership Levels
$25.00 Individual Renewal
$35.00 Family New
$50.00 Business
Other

The Historic Mt. St. Mary’s Preservation Committee is a 501 c 3 non-profit organization committed to preserving a Historic Landmark for community use and cultural activities. The Historic Mt. St. Mary’s Preservation Fund is an account to receive donations and bequests to be used for the rehabilitation and restoration of St. Joseph's Cultural Center. The account is at Edward Jones in Nevada City. Call investment counselor Jay Benecke at 530-265-1913 for more information or to make a tax-deductible donation.