| One fine day in March, I decided to take
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| | creative environments that make learning
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| a break from article writing and pay a
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| | about the past and the present lively and
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| visit to my old home town of Rochester,
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| | fun, whether you're a kid or a kid at
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| NY. It has been about 30 years since I
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| | heart. In One History Place, a learning
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| last visited the place in 1980. With air
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| | center for ages 3 to 7, children can play
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| fare and hotel bills and a lot more
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| | in a turn-of-the-century attic, kitchen,
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| expenses pulling at me to stay home, the
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| | parlor, and train station.
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| next best thing was to visit the web and
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| | If you ever want to find a place in
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| see what I could dig up. It was a
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| | Rochester where the time races by and
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| fantastic trip and I plan to "visit"
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| | your kids will be pulling on your sleeves
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| there many more times in the future.
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| | to "lets go back there again," the Strong
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| Let's take a look at some of the good
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| | Museum is the place. They will love a
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| places to spend a few hours or more.
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| | return trip there, and so will you.
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| Ontario Beach Park
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| | George Is Everywhere
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| In my toddler days I remembered the place
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| | In Rochester, you cannot go very far
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| as being "Charlotte" or sometimes "down
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| | without encountering the name of George
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| the lake." One photo I cannot find (dated
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| | Eastman. If you ever heard the
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| 1936 or thereabouts) was me in a toddler
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| | expression, "Let George Do It," Rochester
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| bathing suit running through the water
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| | is the place where George did it, many
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| puddles next to the beach. The place
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| | times over.
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| hasn't changed much in the ensuing
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| | The George Eastman House is the world's
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| seventy years, except it has gotten
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| | oldest photography museum. It is also one
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| better.
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| | of the world's oldest film archives, The
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| Whether taking a romantic stroll along
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| | Eastman House opened to the public in
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| its picturesque pier, riding the 1905
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| | 1949 in Rochester, New York, USA.
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| Dentzel menagerie carousel, or going
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| | World-renowned for its photography and
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| boating, Ontario Beach Park provides all
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| | motion picture archives, the Eastman
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| that's necessary for a perfect summer day
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| | House museum is also a leader in film
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| at the beach. Ontario Beach Park attracts
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| | preservation and photograph conservation,
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| tens of thousands of visitors annually.
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| | educating archivists and conservators
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| The park offers seven shelters that are
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| | from around the world. The museum is home
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| available for rent in the summer months.
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| | to the Dryden Theatre, a 535-seat
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| The seven open air shelters come with
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| | repertory theater. The museum is located
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| picnic tables, grills, electricity, water
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| | in and around the house built by George
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| and bathrooms nearby. The Roger Robach
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| | Eastman, the founder of Eastman Kodak
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| Community Center (Bathhouse) has been
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| | Company.
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| renovated and available to rent for
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| | The George Eastman House Museum of
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| picnics, parties and weddings. These
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| | Photography was chartered in 1947. From
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| facilities have been in existence for as
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| | the outset, the museum's mission has been
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| long as I can remember.
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| | to collect, preserve, and present the
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| In the early days, there used to be a
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| | history of photography and film. It
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| trolley line which linked downtown
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| | opened its doors in 1949, displaying its
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| Rochester to the beach. After the 40s,
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| | core collections in the former public
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| buses that ran along Lake Avenue provided
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| | rooms of Eastman's house. Entire
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| the transportation. The bus line (Lake
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| | archives, corporate collections, and
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| Avenue #1) still operates to this day.
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| | artists' lifetime portfolios have been
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| You can access my blog for more
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| | donated to the Eastman House, as well as
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| information.
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| | an assemblage of rare motion pictures and
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| There used to be a roller skating rink
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| | ephemera.
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| located in the middle of the park area,
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| | By 1984, with the collections growing at
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| but the most recent map of the place
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| | a rapid pace, the museum increasingly
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| shows it being missing. You had to be a
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| | suffered from its own success. With an
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| certain age and height for the park
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| | increasing number of materials to store,
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| monitors to let you in. Besides being too
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| | protect, and study, additional space
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| small, I also didn't have roller skates.
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| | became critical. A new facility opened to
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| It was fun just watching them skate
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| | the public in January 1989. It now houses
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| around there. Most of the skating crowd
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| | more than 400,000 photographs and
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| were in their teens or older. I sometimes
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| | negatives, 23,000 films and several
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| think to myself how many of these people
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| | million film stills,43,000 publications,
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| are now running out their last miles in
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| | and more than 25,000 pieces of
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| old age homes and other nursing care
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| | technology.
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| facilities.
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| | In 1996, the museum opened the Louis B.
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| Besides the beach and the picnic grounds,
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| | Mayer Conservation Center in nearby
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| the biggest attraction there was the
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| | Chili, New York. One of only four film
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| "merry-go-round." If I was ever a pest in
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| | conservation centers in the United States
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| my toddler and later days, it was always
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| | (as of March 2006), the facility houses
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| to ride the merry-go-round. This was the
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| | the museum's rare 35 mm prints made on
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| 1905 Dentzel menagerie carousel named
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| | cellulose nitrate. In 1997, the Eastman
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| "The Duchess." It is situated at the east
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| | House launched the first school of film
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| end of Ontario Beach Park. The Duchess
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| | preservation in the United States to
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| has the distinction of being one of only
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| | teach restoration, preservation, and
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| fourteen operating antique menagerie
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| | archiving of motion pictures. The L.
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| carousels in the United States. It is
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| | Jeffrey Selznick School of Film
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| also one of only a few that still remain
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| | Preservation is supported by a grant from
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| in its original location. This Gustav
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| | The Louis B. Mayer Foundation.
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| Dentzel creation is a three-row carousel
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| | In 1999, Eastman House launched the
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| consisting of fifty-two animals and two
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| | Mellon Advanced Residency Program in
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| chariots. The animals were horses,
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| | Photograph Conservation, made possible
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| rabbits, cats, ostriches, pigs, and
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| | with grant support from the Andrew W.
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| mules, among others.
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| | Mellon Foundation. The program trains top
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| In 1980 the Preservation Board granted
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| | photograph archivists and conservators
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| the carousel landmark status. In 1984 the
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| | from around the world.
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| Parks Department began extensive
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| | George Eastman (1854-1932) built his home
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| restoration of the carousel, which lasted
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| | at 900 East Avenue between 1902 and 1905.
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| for many years and included improvements
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| | He created a unique urban estate complete
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| on the building and surrounding walkways.
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| | with 10.5 acres of working farm land,
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| Until recent years, Wurlitzer Military
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| | formal gardens, greenhouses, stables,
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| Band Organ Style 165 paper rolls were
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| | barns, pastures, and a
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| used, but a Stinson MIDI system replaced
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| | 35,000-square-foot, 50-room Colonial
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| the organ and continues to play the same
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| | Revival mansion with a fireproof
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| music once heard on the original rolls.
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| | structure made of reinforced concrete.
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| The Duchess is a unique joy for
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| | Eastman's house presented a classical
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| Rochesterians and visitors. It celebrated
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| | facade of decorative craftsmanship.
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| its 100th year at Ontario Beach in 2005.
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| | Beneath this exterior were such modern
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| From the Duchess carousel, you could look
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| | conveniences as an electrical generator,
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| out over the Genesee River and on
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| | an internal telephone system with 21
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| occasion, you might see one of the lake
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| | stations, a built-in vacuum cleaning
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| steamers coming into the Port of
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| | system, a central clock network, an
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| Rochester. Overlooking the Genesee River
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| | elevator, and a great pipe organ. This
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| is a stone lighthouse. This forty-foot
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| | made the home itself an instrument, a
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| high lighthouse was built in 1822 to
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| | center of the city's rich musical life
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| guide the growing number of commerce
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| | from 1905 until Eastman's death in 1932.
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| ships into the Port of Rochester.
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| | George Eastman did not like to see kids
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| Following a long and storied history, the
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| | go around without superb medical and
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| lighthouse was rumored to be demolished
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| | dental facilities. He donated a major
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| in 1965. Concerned students intervened on
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| | grant of money to the University of
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| its behalf. Later renovations led to the
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| | Rochester which maintained the Strong
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| tower being relit in 1984. There is a
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| | Memorial Hospital and the Rochester
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| Fascinating museum and well-stocked gift
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| | Dental Dispensary.
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| shop on-hand.
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| | George Eastman also loved music. He
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| Strong Museum
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| | didn't care if it was jazz or classical.
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| If you think of museums as stuffy, musty
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| | As long as a kid could bang on a piano or
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| places, think again! The Strong Museum in
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| | make a fiddle sound like a dying cat, he
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| Rochester, New York is rated one of the
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| | or she was scooped up into the musical
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| nation's top 10 children's museums by
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| | education program in the Rochester school
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| Child magazine. It overcomes any such
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| | system, courtesy of George Eastman.
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| notions you may have about museum-going.
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| | Out the other end of the musical pipeline
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| At Strong Museum, kids of all ages are
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| | emerged world-renowned musicians and
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| invited to touch, explore, discover, and
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| | artists such as Mitch Miller, Chuck
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| participate in whimsical, interactive
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| | Mangione, Jacques Lipson, and other
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| learning environments. Here kids can step
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| | eminent talent. The Eastman School of
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| onto Sesame Street, pilot a helicopter,
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| | Music educated talented musicians from
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| and travel through time. Children can
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| | around the world who become leaders and
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| enjoy a live theatre experience twice
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| | innovators in all fields of music. More
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| daily every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.
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| | than 900 students are enrolled in the
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| The museum also houses a breathtaking
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| | collegiate division of the Eastman
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| array of collections. There are more than
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| | School. They come from almost every
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| 500,000 objects of Americana, including
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| | state, and approximately 20% are from
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| toys, dollhouses, home furnishings, and
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| | other countries.
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| the world's most comprehensive collection
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| | Each year, about 260 new students enroll,
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| of dolls.
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| | selected from more than 1,400
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| Everything at Strong Museum is geared
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| | applications. They are guided by a
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| towards making your family visit a
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| | renowned faculty, which includes more
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| memorable one. There are kid friendly
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| | than 90 full-time, resident members.
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| exhibits, along with the warm and
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| | Seven Pulitzer Prize winners have taught
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| welcoming staff in their purple polo
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| | or studied at Eastman, as have several
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| shirts. Craft tables throughout the
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| | Grammy Award and other major
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| museum are always well stocked with
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| | prizewinners. Past and present Eastman
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| colorful materials that keep little
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| | students have won many high-profile
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| fingers and minds busy. You can snuggle
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| | performance competitions, including the
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| up and read with your child in one of the
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| | BBC Young Musicians Competition, the NSO
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| many book nooks, which are located in
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| | Young Soloist Competition, and the
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| every exhibit. There is even a "guest
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| | Russian-American Music Association Young
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| rest" where parents can tend to their
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| | Virtuosos Competition. The vast majority
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| infants. The museum provides a spare
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| | of the School's 9,000 alumni make their
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| change of children's clothing in case of
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| | careers in music. Among them are opera
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| "accidents."
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| | singers Renee Fleming, Anthony Dean
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| After experiencing the exhibits, you can
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| | Griffey, and the late William Warfield;
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| take a break with the kids and have a
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| | jazz musicians Ron Carter, Chuck
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| quick meal in the museum's authentic 1956
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| | Mangione, and Steve Gadd; conductor,
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| diner. You can try an ice-cream sundae at
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| | oboist, and record producer Mitch Miller;
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| Louie's Sweet Shoppe, an old-fashioned
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| | and composers Dominick Argento, Charles
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| ice-cream fountain. And no visit is
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| | Strouse, and Michael Torke. Eastman
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| complete without a spin on the 1918 Allan
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| | graduates perform in all of America's
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| Herschell carousel!
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| | leading orchestras and are members of
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| You can take exciting expeditions through
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| | respected orchestras around the world.
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| awe-inspiring collections and compelling
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| | I was fortunate to have grown up in
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| exhibitions. At Strong Museum you can
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| | Rochester. I would love to go back there
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| immerse yourself in entertaining trends
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| | to re-visit my old stomping grounds. At
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| of American popular culture and gain
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| | Age 74, I still might find a few friends
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| illuminating insights into contemporary
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| | there.
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| American life. Take your kids into
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