This month we spotlight our Museum Pass program available to all Hamden residents with a Hamden Public Library card. We also discuss day trips to the Book Barn and speak to Tabitha Logan, the organizer of Compassionfest, a yearly vegan festival that takes places right here in Hamden at Whitneyville Cultural Commons (July 23rd this year). Also features interviews with Jennifer Holmes Weston of West Hartford's Children's Museum and John Proto of the Shoreline Trolley Museum. This is a fun episode!
This month we spotlight our Museum Pass program available to all Hamden residents with a Hamden Public Library card. We also discuss day trips to the Book Barn and speak to Tabitha Logan, the organizer of Compassionfest, a yearly vegan festival that takes places right here in Hamden at Whitneyville Cultural Commons (July 23rd this year). Also features interviews with Jennifer Holmes Weston of West Hartford's Children's Museum and John Proto of the Shoreline Trolley Museum. This is a fun episode!
Michael Pierry
Hello and welcome to another episode of the Hamden Library Podcast. I'm your host, Michael Pierry, and with me as ever is my co host and partner in crime, Alyssa Bussard. So it's July, the kids are out of school, and a lot of folks are on vacation. So for this episode, we're highlighting day trips and other fun local events and activities you can participate in this summer.
One of the many great perks of having a Hamden Public Library card is the museum pass program. And for those unfamiliar, the Hamden Public Library loans out passes to many local and regional museums and other attractions such as the Beardsley Zoo, the Children's Museum of West Hartford, the Discovery Science Museum, Shoreline Trolley, Museum, and a whole lot more. The passes provide either reduced or free admission, depending on the venue. So if you check out our website, hamdenlibrary.org, you can see the full list. And you can also reserve a pass online with your library card. And since many of the passes are also print on demand, you don't even have to come into the library to use this service. Although we're happy to see you, of course, whether you have a Hamden Library card or not.
If you have kids, there's more great news that just was announced a couple of days ago. On June 29, Governor Ned Lamont announced that Connecticut Summer At The Museum is returning for the 2022 summer season. That means that from July 1 to September 5, Connecticut children age 18 and under plus one accompanying Connecticut resident adult can visit participating museums free of charge through the Connecticut Summer At The Museum program. You can visit CTSummerMuseums.com for the full list of participating museums, which is quite long and includes some of the museums that we offer passes to. Later on in this episode, we have interviews with representatives of two museums for which we offer passes. We have Jennifer Holmes [Weston] of the Connecticut Children's Museum in West Hartford, as well as John Proto of the Shoreline Trolley Museum. And they talk about what's unique about each of their museums, as well as the benefits of visiting using our library passes.
Now, once upon a time, okay, not that long ago, I was the librarian in charge of the museum pass program. So I took it upon myself to visit many of the places where we offer passes. Not only because my wife and I happen to love museums, but I felt like it would be helpful to see these places for myself so I could offer advice to patrons. So for example, I can tell you that one of the passes we offer that sometimes gets overlooked is for the Old State House in Hartford. And it's well worth the trip, especially if you love learning about Connecticut history. We went there a few years ago and had a great time. In addition to the original Senate chamber that's restored to how it looked in 1818, the lower level is laid out in a really fun, chronological historical exhibit including an antique fire engine and lots of other eye catching mechanical pieces, like for Colt, which is fun for both kids and adults. And at the very top of the building, there's a special unique exhibit of curiosities that dates from the original Hartford Museum in the late 18th century. So Alyssa, do you have any favorites among the museums we offer passes for?
Alyssa Bussard
I actually do. So you mentioned the Connecticut Summer At The Museum. And you know before -- the before times, I should say -- when we did use our passes, I actually used our state parks pass a lot to go to Dinosaur State Park in Rocky Hill and Gillette Castle up in East Haddam. Gillette Castle I've been going to since I was in college, it's one of my favorite places. I was up on that side of the state for school so we would go there for hikes and for picnics, but I just love, you know, going inside and seeing everything as well but the grounds are honestly really beautiful.
Besides that, I think I've probably gone to the Mark Twain house most often. My mom and I tend to go there once a year, anyway, because they have ghost tours, which you know that I love. So we do go through for that. But also, it's just really interesting to see the museum. And we've actually gone to a couple of different events at the Mark Twain house, I think they had a Halloween party a couple of years ago, and it's always cool. The talks are just always amazing. And we have different people who come and talk about Mark Twain and his works and, and things like that. So I love going there. And it's just, it's pretty amazing to me that we have something so you know, awesome. And just, I love Mark Twain anyway, so being able to go and it's so close and learn about everything like that. And also, as you know, I was an English major. So being able to go and hear about the literature from people who, you know, studied literature is very cool for me.
You know, I love to hike. So I love our nature centers. We have a lot of passes to the different nature centers in this state. My kids really enjoy Mystic Seaport a lot. Actually, they both went to sailing camp for a long time. So we grab that pass sometimes and just take a day trip up there. And it's it's pretty awesome. So I it's I use almost all of our passes, or I have used them all over the years here. So it's pretty great.
Michael Pierry
Yeah, it's great. I mean, I haven't been to the Mark Twain House. So I'm excited to hear you talk about it sounds great. And I do love Gillette.
Alyssa Bussard
You, the ghost tours at the Mark Twain house are very, very cool, I gotta tell you. Very fun, yeah --
Michael Pierry
I'll have to check that out. I'll have to bring, I'll have to -- I'm sure Molly will want to go.
Alyssa Bussard
Yeah, it's just cool to see anyway, like, I just I have a thing for like the furniture. And you know what I love every time we go to a place like that? The wallpaper. I'm always so --
Michael Pierry
Yeah.
Alyssa Bussard
--that's not a thing anymore, obviously. But I'm always like, Oh, this is so cool.
Michael Pierry
Yeah.
Alyssa Bussard
it's just, it's just really, I just think it's awesome that we get to do that kind of stuff. And it's so close to us.
Michael Pierry
Yeah, it's great. That's one of the you know, the nice things about being such a small state.
Alyssa Bussard
Yeah.
Michael Pierry
So speaking of which, what other fun day trips do you recommend for people? I know you're a big fan of The Book Barn.
Alyssa Bussard
The Book Barn is probably my go to when it comes to a day trip. You know, if I want to get out of the house, that's usually where I go. I do have to add a caveat that I don't go there over the summer, because it is down on the shore and the traffic is just insane to get there. It's in Niantic and it's amazing but you really -- I cannot go, it just makes me insane. You know, there's the one exit to get to the beach and to get to the Book Barn so any other time I honestly -- it's weird. I go every year, I think on the first of January. It's like New Year's Day I ended up -- it's like my first thing I do of the year.
Michael Pierry
Well there you go. Keep it in mind for, you know, those times when you're looking to get out of the house. Cabin Fever wintertime.
Alyssa Bussard
Absolutely. And it's you know, everything. So anyway, the Book Barn let's talk about it. So the Book Barn is amazing. It's a used bookstore, but it's, I should say used bookstores. It started off as like one barn that sells books and now there are so many different buildings on the property and also a little bit downtown. There's also another store, and then there's another one they call Midtown I think. They used to have four stores and now I think they have three but it's pretty awesome. So the main barn has, I think, fiction, mostly and there's like a lot of history books and there's all these like nooks and crannies like so for years after I was going there. I had no idea that I had like a basement and that's where all these history books are. And they have just so much fiction and of course everything is you know $1 or like $3 for a hardcover. Things like that. So it's really amazing. Also, obviously, my favorite thing too is that they have a lot of cats on the property and they live, you know, in the barn. I say "barn" but it is a -- it's a barn but it's also, like you know, a nice store. Like it's not just like a random barn; like, they have heat and they have air conditioning you know.
Michael Pierry
Right. Yes.
Alyssa Bussard
But the kitties live in there and it's just really awesome. And again in the before times, they let you have coffee, like they have like a coffee pot and they had like snacks and stuff. Everybody's always just very nice. The Midtown store is so great. There's a worker there who's been there forever and I'll get -- I've been going here also since I was in college -- and he knows everything about everything. So if you go in he, like, has the most obscure knowledge and he's so fun to talk to you and he's so happy to talk to you. And it's just, I love it. I found a lot of my favorite books with like, really neat covers that I never had because, you know, people are obviously donating. You can also sell your books there. I think you get 30% more if you get store credit, which obviously I always do and then I just, you know, sell it and buy something from there right away. So the money is used right away. They have goats. The property is really pretty. So you know, we usually bring a picnic.
But then downtown, there's like a little ice cream shop, like an old fashioned Ice Cream Shop kind of thing where they have like those nice big ice cream goblets, you know, and milkshakes. And it's like a little candy store where they have like some of the retro candy, and it's just really, really cute. And they have some restaurants and stuff. And obviously, there's -- the shore's right there. So obviously, you can also park and walk along, you know, the beach and things like that. And, you know, in all weather, obviously, it's not. Like I said, summer is a hard time to get there. And I mean, if you're dedicated for sure, go and wait in that traffic, and then get down to the Niantic. It's fun, and it's a nice, hopping place, but I like to go when it's a little bit quieter. But that's because I like to poke around the books. And it tends to be busier in the summer, obviously. And also there tend to be less books because so many people are down there, renting houses and things like that. So I like to go in the fall or in the winter, but obviously go whenever, but it's one of my favorite places to go. If you like books, and you like cats, and happy people, you should for sure. Take a take a trip down to the Book Barn. It's in Niantic.
Michael Pierry
Yeah, I remember going with you one time and you just -- it's got a great relaxed vibe, you just kind of -- you can just kind of sit there and sometimes the cat will come up to you and like
Alyssa Bussard
just lay on your lap.
Michael Pierry
Lay on your lap,
Alyssa Bussard
and it's like, it's "like I've been chosen".
Michael Pierry
It's great.
Alyssa Bussard
It's the best feeling and it is really chill. It's
Michael Pierry
Yeah.
Alyssa Bussard
it's like the best part about like a library, you know, as well. But you also don't know what you're gonna find. And also unfortunately, we can't have cats here. But you know, so it's really it's really nice. Like, you can just sit and people just like let you be and you just can look and enjoy the space and I tend to love going there. So it's -- I go a couple times a year and it's one of my Happy Places in the state.
Michael Pierry
Awesome. Another fun thing to do in the summer is attend festivals. And we've got an interview with Tabitha Logan, the organizer of the vegan themed Compassion Fest, which takes place right here in Hamden at the Whitneyville Cultural Commons. We're going to listen to that interview next, followed by the aforementioned interviews with the Children's Museum and the Shoreline Trolley Museum.
We have with us today the event organizer for Compassion Fest 2022, Tabitha Logan. Hi, Tabitha.
Tabitha Logan
Hello. Thanks for having me.
Ryan Keeler
Oh, you're welcome. Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and the history of Compassion Fest?
Tabitha Logan
Sure. So Compassion Fest started in 2014 and the the events really ended up happening in July of 2015. And it all started with looking for a Veg Fest when I moved here and I couldn't find a Veg Fest. So yeah.
Michael Pierry
Yeah. And so Compassion Fest is primarily a plant based or vegan festival. Can you talk a little bit about what that means?
Tabitha Logan
Um, so the words that go with Compassion Fest, it's a festival standing for community, equality, and kindness. So it's a festival that all the vendors and presenters, they are presenting something that is vegan at the festival.
Michael Pierry
And what does it mean -- a lot of people have probably heard things like "vegan" or "plant based" or "vegetarian". Can you talk a little bit about what those mean?
Tabitha Logan
Sure, so a vegan lifestyle is, isn't just what you eat, it's how you live. And that's living without exploiting animals. So you're not buying products that are tested on animals, that aren't made from animal skin, or feathers, or their fur. It's about non-exploitation.
Ryan Keeler
And vegetarians are different than vegans.
Tabitha Logan
Yes, they are. So vegetarians could consume milk products and eat cheese or fish. Vegans do not and they they also don't participate, like, in even exploiting insects. So it's like honey-free and yeah.
Michael Pierry
And a lot of labels now, a lot of restaurants will have things listed as plant based. And that would typically mean vegan, right?
Tabitha Logan
Um, it could. Some I think that that's a tricky one because sometimes people could label something "plant based" just meaning predominantly made from plants. So there could be ingredients in that product that are not vegan.
Ryan Keeler
Right.
Tabitha Logan
Such as sugar with bone char in it or honey.
Ryan Keeler
And what kind of lifestyle benefits do you see? I've been vegan for about six years, and it's made a lot of difference to me. Talk a little bit about what that lifestyle has done for you.
Tabitha Logan
Well, I feel like it's more of a journey. Like, there'w some of my friends that have these like vegan anniversaries and it's never been something that that I had, there wasn't like a magic date where I said, "Okay, today I'm vegan", you know, and I knew exactly what that meant. It gradually happened over time, and I'm still on that journey of doing the least amount of harm that I can. And that's through educating myself and learning from others. So yeah, there wasn't that magical date that I circled on the calendar, it's just been gradually happening over the years of feeling comfortable with that word and trying to live up to it.
Ryan Keeler
Yeah, I think most people who get there, I know me personally, transition from a lifetime meat eater to just less meat, then to vegetarian, and then eventually, to vegan. And people will probably see a lot of options at grocery stores and restaurants now that are vegan and plant based.
Tabitha Logan
Yeah, in the early 2000s I went to PETA's site and they had a list called "Accidentally Vegan". So I printed that out and I go to the grocery store, and I'd find these products that just happened to be vegan. And there was also an app called "Is It Vegan" that I used to go to the grocery store with and I'd scan food. And if I was unsure if there was a product that was vegan friendly, that's how I navigated that, but that was long ago, and I'm not even sure if that is still out there. But yeah.
Ryan Keeler
And Compassion Fest is really, a lot of all the vendors and performers and the food will be vegan there. But it's not just for vegans, right?
Tabitha Logan
Yeah, the festival is about inclusiveness. And for me being inclusive, that means including the animal kingdom in that. So, hopefully, people are curious about veganism, and they can come to the event and check it out, see what's there for them. If they're a foodie, and they want to try different kinds of plant based food, there's a vegan version for every everything out there. There's vegan fried shrimp or calamari or, you know, fried clams. You know, it's amazing what people are doing today with plants and with mushrooms and jackfruit. I I'm a huge foodie, vegan foodie. So I like to go to festivals and try different things and try to guess what's in there. And it's a lot of fun. So even if you're not vegan, this is -- I'm sure there's something there for you at the event that you can participate in and partake in and have a good time.
Ryan Keeler
Yeah, I was there in 2019, which I think was the last Compassion Fest, right? And, yeah, it is completely accessible to all, all people and a lot of fun and fun for families too, right? There'll be activities and things for kids to do.
Tabitha Logan
Absolutely. There's yoga first thing in the morning, there's sound healing, and there'll be space ambient music. There'll be talkers. JP Farm [Animal] Sanctuary is going to be talking about their residents. They're this year's compassionate cause. The event is free but there'll be -- at the gate we'll be asking if people feel comfortable giving some money to donate to JP. So yeah, there's going to be a lot of fun things we've -- in the past for children, there's been these wish rocks, big huge pile of rocks that they would go over to and write a little wish down. Decorate the rock and then I would bring it back to the ocean and, you know, send their wishes off. But yeah. In the past, there were vegan potlucks that I would organize to bring new ideas to the event. And unfortunately, with COVID, the vegan potlucks were put on hold. But I definitely do really enjoy the part of the festival when it you know, when it comes to getting ideas from other people and really, truly making a community event.
Ryan Keeler
What's the story with Compassion Fest's logo?
Tabitha Logan
So the logo changes with every event. So it's to represent the compassionate cause. So this year's compassionate cause is JP Animal Farm Sanctuary. And it is Rusty the rooster, he's a resident there and it's just to bring awareness to Sanctuary animals and their story.
Ryan Keeler
What sort of craft type vendors will be there?
Tabitha Logan
There's going to be a lot of craft vendors, there's going to be a lot of vegan apparel companies too. There's is going to be vegan soap, you know, oh, gosh, cleaning products, haircare, there's going to be, all day, a mishmash of all different things. It'll be a surprise for me, because some of the vendors that we have this year have not participated in the past. So we have a lot of new exciting vendors that I'm really excited to see what they'll be offering.
Ryan Keeler
Should people plan on bringing cash with them to the event?
Tabitha Logan
Yes. And also if they could bring reusable bags, that would be extremely helpful too. So bring your yoga mat, your reusable bag and cash. I'm sure that there'll be some vendors that will take card transactions. But yeah.
Ryan Keeler
I think the feature that everyone's really looking forward to is going to be the food. So what kind of food trucks will will be there?
Tabitha Logan
So this will be the biggest year event for food. I am -- as of right now there is 17 vegan food vendors at this year's event. The G Monkey Mobile will be there, Soulfully Vegan Food Truck will be there, Hardcore Sweet Cupcakes, they'll have their truck, and many others. There's going to be the Stay Vocal Shirt Company that, he has a truck that he's actually converted into a home. So this will be a new feature. It's a mobile that you can go into and check out so that's that's exciting. Resilient Clothing Company, they'll have their truck as well.
Ryan Keeler
Okay, so Compassion Fest is going to be on July 23 from 10 to 5 at Whitneyville Cultural Commons. Where do you think people should be parking if they're coming from out of town?
Tabitha Logan
So parking can be a little tricky in that area, but directly across the street from the venue is a parking lot. There's also on the street parking in the surrounding neighborhood. There's a school nearby that I believe will have an empty parking lot on 60 Putnam Street. So yeah, come check out. If you could, you know, ride your bike there, even better.
Michael Pierry
Excellent. Hopefully we'll see a lot of people there on July 23. And it will be a great event.
Tabitha Logan
Thank you so much.
Ryan Keeler
Thank you.
Ariana Davis
I'm delighted to interview Miss Jennifer [Holmes] Weston. Her official position title is Manager of Development and Visitor Services. However, she wears many hats within her position at The Children's Museum, located on Trout Brook drive in West Hartford. Thank you so much for joining me today. Miss Jennifer.
Jennifer Holmes Weston
Hello, how are you?
Ariana Davis
I'm well. And thank you again for being willing to be a part of today's podcast and this month's episode. My first question for you is, if you could please explain briefly to our listeners, the history behind The Children's Museum.
Jennifer Holmes Weston
Yeah, so we actually have a very unique and long history. We are the fifth oldest Children's Museum in the nation. So we've been around a while. We were actually founded in 1927. So we're celebrating our 95th year this year. And--
Ariana Davis
Congratulations.
Jennifer Holmes Weston
Thank you. Even more interesting: if listeners are familiar with the Hartford area at all, we were actually founded in Elizabeth Park in Hartford back in 1927. So we started as a very small room in a house at Elizabeth Park in Hartford.
Ariana Davis
Very interesting and nice little bit of history to know. My second question is: what makes the experience at The Children's Museum unique?
Jennifer Holmes Weston
Yeah, so we are especially unique, and we have a lot of things that sort of set us apart from other museums. Not only are we the museum itself here in West Hartford on Trout Brook Drive, but we also have a preschool on our campus. So the preschool is part of our Children's Museum group. So that gives those little ones the opportunity to not only attend the school here, but part of their curriculum includes going to museum visits so they can access the museum. So that's really unique. And our Children's Museum group also includes the Roaring Brook Nature Center in Canton, Connecticut. That is our sister site just over the mountain from us here.
Another thing that sort of sets us apart: we have a planetarium, and there are very few in the state. I don't want to quote how many exactly. I don't want to get that wrong, but believe we're one of four or so in the state. So we have our planetarium.
Yeah, so another thing that sets us apart is that our animal sanctuary is actually a sanctuary, a little different from a zoo. We don't purchase any animals, we don't breed any animals. They are all rescues. So they come to us, for example, they could be a pet that was abandoned, somebody has a -- could be a domesticated pet like a guinea pig they could no longer care for. We would take them in. It could be wildlife that gets injured, and then we rehab, or comes to us from a rehab facility, but for whatever reason can't be re-released back into the wild. And this becomes their forever home.
One of our most interesting residents -- kind of falls into that category of unwanted pets -- is Stanley, our Burmese python. He was found wrapped around a dryer in New Britain after somebody purchased a home. So imagine they just bought a new home, did the inspection and nothing was found. It all passed. They close the deal and they go to move into their house, and here is 14 foot Stanley wrapped around their dryer in the basement. So they did not want to keep him as a pet. So they reached out to us. And this was years ago. They reached out to us and so Stanley has been a resident here for some time. And one of our newer residents is an opossum named Pocket and she is an example of wildlife that couldn't be released back into their natural habitat. She was one of five siblings that had a mom who was hit by a car. And so Pocket and her siblings were rehabbed, and three of them were released back into the wild, but for whatever reason Pocket and one of her brothers could not be released. And Pocket came to live with us here at the museum.
Ariana Davis
Wow, thank you for sharing those personal stories. And it's so nice to know that these animals have a safe haven at the Children's Museum and what an experience for children and their families that come to be able to meet them and interact with them. And that's a perfect lead in into our third question: are there any upcoming summer programs or yearly programs and events that you would like to share with our audience?
Jennifer Holmes Weston
Yeah, I'm really excited to share that we have an exciting summer. We are going to have our planetarium open three days a week: Monday, Wednesdays and Fridays, and we're going to have five shows throughout the day. Now, like a lot of places, we always say check our website for the latest schedule and the show time so we'll be doing an alternate of pre-recorded shows that will change weekly interspersed with what we call our live sky tours. Those live sky shows focus on what you might actually see that particular day when you go out in the evening when you look above you, so it'd be very tailored and specific to that day that you attend the show. So that's very exciting.
So besides the planetarium being open three days a week, we also have our butterfly releases, which will be on Tuesdays and Thursdays starting July 12. We actually do have them starting as soon as Thursdays in June, but it won't be until July 12. When we have the butterfly releases on Tuesdays and Thursdays, I would suggest to people just to give us a call if the butterfly release is something that you're really interested in, we do have a limited supply of butterflies. So it is a first come, first serve basis. So if we are very crowded, you might not have the opportunity to release your own butterfly. But you can always watch the butterflies get released and also enjoy the butterfly house itself, which is open every day that we are open to the public. It's just those special releases happen starting July 12 on the Tuesdays and Thursdays. But it's a really unique experience because folks get to hold their own little butterfly and a wax paper envelope. And they come shipped to us from Florida and they're chill, they're a little sleepy. And when we get them, you're going to help wake them up by opening very gently a little envelope and placing them on your hand and then the warmth of your hand or the sun will help wake them up and then they will fly away into our covered butterfly house.
Ariana Davis
That is so beautiful. What a nice experience in in all the other activities that you that you brought out that we can look forward to, in their visitors can anticipate being a part of thank you for explaining that. And how can Hamden Public Library patrons benefit from our partnership with the Children's Museum?
Jennifer Holmes Weston
Yeah, so as a museum member, the library gets a buy one get one free ticket for admissions. So there's the money savings, which is always nice. But also for our members, we never limit capacity. So if we have any restrictions on capacity for a certain day, our members are always welcome. And that doesn't just include our children's museum group members, that does include our library members, library patron members, as well. So we will always make room for those members. And they also actually can walk in anytime that we're open. Certain tickets require pre registration on our website. So it's a lot easier to be spontaneous ff you decide, you know, you want to do something last minute, looking for something to do. Rainy day, your outdoor plans were curtailed, then come on up here to West Hartford, and we'll be glad to see you.
Ariana Davis
That's wonderful. And thank you again, Miss Jennifer, for not only for your time, but also for all that you and your colleagues do to educate, entertain and inspire young ones and their families by means of your work at the Children's Museum.
Jennifer Holmes Weston
Thank you so much, you know. And our mission, in fact, is to provoke lifelong experiential learning and innovation among children, adults and their communities and really get kids interested at an early age focusing on the early childhood education, getting them interested in STEAM, you know, and museums and that love of learning. And I'm happy to be a part of it. And really, again, thank you for the opportunity to speak today.
Ariana Davis
Thank you for your time.
Jennifer Holmes Weston
Thank you.
Mike Wheatley
Hi, I'm here with John Proto, the executive director of the Shoreline Trolley Museum, the oldest continuously running suburban trolley line in the USA, on 17 River Street in East Haven, Connecticut. Good morning, John.
John Proto
Good morning, Michael.
Mike Wheatley
Can you tell us a bit about the history of the museum and what led you into it?
John Proto
Sure. So you know that the history of this museum goes actually all the way back to the early -- the turn of the last century. On July 31, 1900, this line connected the city of New Haven with the sleepy town of -- the sleepy farm town of Branford and really opened the first commuter mass transit system in the state of Connecticut. It was originally intended to bring employees -- workers -- from the city into Branford to work in the farms in the fields. And this remained an active trolley line connecting the city with the resort towns in Branford, Clinton, Guilford and Madison until 1947, 1947. In fact, it was March 5 -- I'm sorry, it was March 8, the Connecticut company ceased operation on this line, which was the F line -- and remained the F line in bus service until a few years ago -- and turned it over to a group of gentlemen that wanted to preserve the history of the trolley cars and their significance in the state of Connecticut. And it's been operating as a museum since then. And hence that's what makes it the oldest continuously operated suburban street trolley line in the country.
We became a national historic district in 1984. And, you know, now we have a -- when I first started here, 20 years ago as an active volunteer, there were a lot of people that remembered the trolleys. My mom and dad remembered the trolleys growing up in Hamden and New Haven. And as the years have progressed, there are fewer and fewer people that remember the trolleys. And they're really becoming a, almost a suburban legend. And it's our job to keep the importance of the significance of transportation alive.
Mike Wheatley
Thank you. I had a friend, Jean Aiken, who, in Hamden, who ran our used bookstore and I worked with, that talked about the trolley during her youth, and talked about the Whitney Avenue run that had a turnabout actually, where Best Video is now located right in that area in near Thornton Street. There was a roundabout that the trolley would come all the way down and then turn and then go back towards New Haven. I'm sure -- are there still hidden trolley tracks and routes that are still out there?
John Proto
Sure, you know, if you go into New Haven, in the areas of Lexington Avenue, there -- or Lexington Street, there are people that have trolley tracks in their backyards still. The Whitney Avenue run actually ran right down into Mount Carmel. In fact, Dudley switch was a very important switching point for the trolleys, right about where Sleeping Giant State Park is right now. And that continued all the way into Cheshire and Waterbury. That route got shut down in 1934. The Whitney Avenue line that you're talking about got shut down in 1938. And traffic was stopped, trolley traffic was stopped at Canner Street in New Haven, where you would transfer from trolley to bus. And then once the war started in 1941, the line reopened again, up to -- I believe it was somewhere -- it wasn't quite into Hamden, but it was extended a bit. And you know, and there are people that you know, still remember that are in their 80s taking the trolleys from Millbrook into New Haven and then transferring to go to points east along the shore.
Mike Wheatley
I've seen pictures of the Yale games with Yalies hanging over all the trolleys and I know that yeah, the shoreline trolleys are very, very, very famous in a lot of the pictures of people going to the beaches by trolley. Yeah, we don't want those memories to fade.
John Proto
Yeah, Connecticut really had the Rolls Royce -- actually, the New Haven line had the Rolls Royce of the trolley system. There were 256 miles within the city of trolley tracks, and that extended into the Hamden line. The second line went up to Benham Street and Dixwell Avenue, and that ceased existence in 1948 when trolley service ended in New Haven. New Haven was really the last holdout of all the major cities. At one point in the heyday in the early 1920s there was 780 miles of track within the state of Connecticut and you could go from every major city to every major city by trolley car. You know the iconic Yale Bowl photos with the open car. There were 130 open cars on the New Haven line. You'd get 30 or 40 of them lined up from Union Station in New Haven all the way down Chapel Street to Yale Bowl. And the most iconic photo that people see was the final, final run of the open cars for a Yale game, and oddly enough, it was not a Yale-Harvard game. It was a Hill House high school game that was held in the Yale Bowl.
Mike Wheatley
Oh, wow. What got you interested and how were you involved in trolleys?
John Proto
Oh, I've been coming here since I was five years old. This was something that, you know, I was -- I always liked rail. I always liked trains, and my parents thought, "Jeez, this would be great to take me here." And I was hooked from from the minute I set foot on the place. You know, I remember coming here every single year and asking, "It's summer vacation. Can we go to the Trolley Museum?"
My favorite story growing up was -- my parents didn't have a lot of money, but at one point, I was probably in sixth or seventh grade. They had enough money to take us to Disney World. And they excited my brother and I by telling us that and I said, "that's okay, but can we still go to the Trolley Museum?"
So, you know, in 1991, I joined as a member and being a younger guy at the time, my -- you know, life gets in the way and you can't volunteer. And about 20 years ago, I started being an active volunteer. And four years ago, a position of executive director came up. We had expanded to the point where we needed paid-level management, and it just seemed to be the right fit for me.
Mike Wheatley
That's awesome. Can you tell us a little bit about the programs that you offer, especially in the summer?
John Proto
Sure. So this summer is -- I'm just so happy that we've survived the COVID pandemic, we've come out stronger. We're going to be open for full operation Wednesday through Sunday in the month of July and August. We're open most weekends now for special events, we've got a couple of really good programs starting for the younger kids.
We're starting with -- we had a storytime program that was very well attended. And that's on Tuesday mornings at 11 o'clock. We're going to be expanding that to include having the kids take a nice, have a nice takeaway, and the takeaway is going to be the book of the story that was read. We have a retired librarian, actually several, that are going to be our storytellers for the summer. And hopefully we've got a different story coming every single week. And you know, we're also supplementing that with something brand new. And this is thanks to in part funding from the Community Foundation for Greater New Haven we're starting an awareness event for autism. And that's going to be Tuesday afternoons. So Tuesday afternoons is going to be sensory friendly. So we are going to do away with the standard tours, we'll be doing away with all the noise and the hubbub of the music that most people like. We're going to train our volunteers to release the air brakes a little more slowly so that there's not so much noise and we're going to cater to an audience that is -- they're very good. They're very good patrons of ours, they're very good visitors, and we want them to be able to, to visit us in a safe environment -- in a safe and friendly environment for them.
Mike Wheatley
That's awesome. I have two nephews that adore the Trolley Museum. So I, I really appreciate that. Is there anything that you'd like to add? And can you tell us a little bit about the museum passes at the library?
John Proto
Sure. So actually, we are we're opening this weekend, and we're opening with a -- with a real signature event that we started several years back, and it's called Museum in Motion, and there's going to be a lot of equipment that normally is not out on display and certainly is not in operation. This is going there is going to be two parades, one at 11:30 and one at 2:30. And that's sort of the summer kickoff. Library passes: the Hamden Library does have a pass and the rates are 50% off for up to five visitors. So you can come visit us for a very affordable price and Hamden is one of 28 library systems that use, that use our passes.
Mike Wheatley
That's awesome. That's great. And thank you, John, for your time today. And unfortunately, I think the podcast will be broadcast after the Museum parade, but I'm sure you'll have a lot of pictures and you know, we're -- I'm actually looking forward to that myself.
John Proto
All right.
Mike Wheatley
Well, thank you.
John Proto
Thanks very much.
Michael Pierry
And now it's time for Mike Wheatley's film recommendations for the summer.
Mike Wheatley
That was the famous love theme from 1959's "A Summer Place" composed by Max Steiner and played by Hugo Winterhalter and his orchestra. "A Summer Place" was a film based on a popular novel by Sloan Wilson and directed by Del Mar Davies. Troy Donahue and Sandra Dee star as two young lovers whose relationship spurs on the end of their parents' marriages during a vacation on a Maine island. Most famous for its music, "A Summer Place" now stands as both a glorious melodrama and a fascinating document of 1950s sexual constraints. It was controversial for its time, and a fun vacation from movies about Navy jets and marvelous superhero Nordic gods. Although I must admit that the new Thor movie looks like it might be funny.
This month's films are a tribute to summer. When I started looking up films with summer in the title or a main theme, I was overwhelmed and couldn't decide whether to talk about movies like "Jaws", which at the time scared people enough to keep them out of the water, or "Summer of Sam", a 1999 Spike Lee movie about murders in New York City during the summer of 1977, which kept people home. So I limited myself to six or so films some of which you might know. And a few that might be new to you.
Three summer documentaries came to mind as I thought about what to share. Two are older, and one is very new. The oldest is "Jazz on a Summer Day," also from 1959, a tribute to the 1958 Newport Jazz Festival, directed by Bert Stern, a prominent American commercial fashion photographer, and Aaron Avakian, who also edited. It was released August 1959 at the Venice Film Festival. In 1999, the film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant. In 2009, it was remastered and re-released to theaters. It's great to see clips of performances by -- among others -- Thelonious Monk, Anita O'Day, Dinah Washington, Gerry Mulligan, Chuck Berry, and Louis Armstrong. Also appearing is Eli's Chosen Six, the Yale College student ensemble shown driving around Newport in a convertible jalopy playing Dixieland. The film concludes with Mahalia Jackson's performance of "The Lord's Prayer". This was Bert Stern's first and pretty much only attempt at filmmaking. It's worth reading up on how and why this film was made. Whatever faults it has, it's a fascinating and rewarding summer run.
Next is another period piece, Bruce Brown's 1965 "Endless Summer" and its follow up, 1994's "Endless Summer II" available at Best Video here in Hamden. Almost single handedly, "Endless Summer" and its global search for the group of surfers' perfect wave enhanced the sport of surfing into a global phenomenon. With a soundtrack by the Sandells, the documentary toured the waves of California, Ghana, Senegal, Nigeria, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Tahiti, French Polynesia and Hawaii. It's interesting to watch the changes in the surfing culture in the second and better filmed movie, if you can find it. Director Bruce Brown creates a film so powerful it's become a timeless masterpiece that continues to capture the imagination of every new generation.
Then there's the most recent "Summer of Soul," Questlove's 2021 Academy Award-winning documentary about the 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival, otherwise known as the Black Woodstock. "Summer of Soul (...Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised)" features footage shot six weeks during the summer of 1969 when some 300,000 people flocked to Mount Morris Park -- now Marcus Garvey Park -- in New York City. About 40 hours of video were shot at the festival by Hal Tulchin with the intention of turning it into a TV series with film, but he was unable to attract the network interest and the tape sat in his basement for about 50 years until "Summer of Soul" was produced by Questlove. This is a work of love that chronicles much more than the music of its time, but concisely balances performances, interview and history in its own rhythmic fashion. "Summer of Soul" is both a tribute to the artist, and just as importantly, their audience, which is what makes it not just a great concert film, but a great documentary, period.
Finally, I would like to recommend two fictional teenage coming of age summer movies. "Stand By Me" (1986) -- from the Stephen King novella "The Body" and directed by a great, underappreciated filmmaker, Rob Reiner -- is one of my favorite King adaptations and a wonderful story. Wil Wheaton, River Phoenix, Corey Feldman and Jerry O'Connell star as four boys who, in 1959, go on a hike to find the dead body of a missing boy. Richard Dreyfus as The Writer narrates and frames the story as the adult Gordie. And "The Way Way Back" from 2013 stars Liam James, Steve Carell, Toni Collette, Sam Rockwell, Allison Janney and Maya Rudolph. Duncan, an introverted 14 year old who goes on a summer vacation near Cape Cod, Massachusetts, with his mother and her overbearing boyfriend. While exploring the town at a pizza restaurant, he runs into Sam Rockwell and the staff of Water Wizz, a local theme park run by Sam and Maya. Steve Carell plays the overbearing boyfriend and Toni Collette his mother. The Village Voice call the film "a crowd pleasing summer treat, predictable in its sweetness, but satisfying all the same". I couldn't agree more. Enjoy the summer as we leave with the endless summer theme.
Michael Pierry
Well, that's all the time we have for this episode. We hope you got some good ideas for fun outings, whether with family or friends or just on your own. Get out there and enjoy some of the great museums and unique places our state has to offer. And don't forget to subscribe and rate us on Apple podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Thanks for listening and we'll see you again next month.
Transcribed by https://otter.ai