By Allen Lea

Read the full December issue of Viewpoints.

Whew! Where has this year gone? For some, it was just another year to scratch through on the calendar, but for us here at the McFaddin-Ward House, well it was somewhat busy. In addition to the plethora of daily tours, projects and events that we provide annually, we had two memorable additions to the year. In April, we were thrilled to participate with the Texas Association of Museums as they held their annual conference here in Beaumont and, if we weren’t tired enough from the first conference, we hosted our own triennial conference in November. We had a lot of fun planning and executing both but I think it’s safe to say that we are “conferenced” out.

But it’s not all play. Hosting events and programs means hours of planning must be done by museum staff, all the while work must go on behind the scenes in order to keep the museum in pristine condition. Two of the bedrooms on the second floor of the museum received paint restorations in October and the front porch got a fresh coat of paint. Just in time for the Christmas season!

As 2014 comes into focus we are planning forward. Hosting educational lectures and activities for the public is part of our mission as a museum and it is also something we enjoy doing. The word ‘lecture’ can sometimes raise thoughts and feelings of having to sit through an hour-long snooze fest, but we would not bore you with any of those. Each year we host two or three lectures, but for 2014 we will be increasing our lecture series to quarterly lectures; two of which have been planned. On January 30th, Meredith Meuwly, Director of Appraisal Services at Heritage Auctions in Dallas, Texas, and appraiser for the Antiques Roadshow on PBS, will speak to us about fakes and forgeries in the art market. And on May 1st, Perry McFaddin-Clark from the Amizetta Estate Winery in Napa Valley will address us on different grape varieties and the art of wine making.

We hope you are as eager to attend the lectures as we are to host them. Remember, all of our lectures are free and open to the public. See you there!

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