Upcoming Events
Click here for details about the monthly Lecture Series and Art Gallery shows!
It Must Be Something In The Air!
People in Alameda like to dress up and role-play characters from yesteryear. For example at Museum lectures, we have welcomed Governor George Pardee, jailbird Ricardo Reprobate, Louis Comfort Tiffany, King Edward VII and his Queen Alexandria, architects A.W. Smith and Julia Morgan, home builder Joseph Leonard and his wife Annie, Prince Albert, and of course Queen Victoria. Up there in the ethereal zone, she must have heard that at the Alameda Museum we hang artwork based on the history or her times. This year we host the 15th annual “Kids & Queen Victoria” exhibition, the only such show throughout the land.
You too are invited to meet the Queen, graciously played by Edison School teacher Connie Turner. Each year she visits the ACT costume shop in San Francisco where she rents an authentic gown. Her crown, a masterpiece in foamcore, fake gems and faux ermine, is a creation of the late artist Richard Knight. Admire the art and the Queen at the Museum Saturday April 14, 2012, from 11:00 a.m. until noon. When you meet her, please observe the normal courtesies by saying “Good morning, Your Majesty,” then gentlemen bow or nod the head and ladies curtsy.
Image: Queen Victoria making the royal progress through the museum to meet the artists and view their work. Credit: Richard Knight
ALL ABOARD! Don’t be left standing at the station!
Save Saturday May 19th for the first annual Alameda Train Station Trolley Tour!
Trains on an island? Yes, Alameda once boasted two rail lines that ran on tracks down the middle of our widest streets, stopping at stations along the way. Curious? Grant Ute, author of Alameda By Rail, and Judith Lunch, author of Victoria’s Legacy, will be our guides to Alameda’s train stations of yesteryear and the vintage architecture along the way.
Your $30 ticket includes a two hour journey aboard a cable car with wheels and lunch at the 1400 Bar & Grill in historic Croll’s. Departure times and other details to follow. A Historic Preservation Season event that benefits the Alameda Museum. To reserve your seat, call 510-748-0796 or email judithal@comcast.net.
Southern Pacific steam train on Encinal near the High Street station. Courtesy Alameda Museum