Join Events Celebrating The Neon Museum’s Anniversary

Named as one of “15 Most Fascinating Museums in the U.S.” by VacationIdea.com, the Neon Museum is dedicated to collecting, preserving, studying and exhibiting iconic Las Vegas signs for educational, historic, arts and cultural enrichment. In commemoration of their upcoming anniversary on this Saturday, the Neon Museum will offer you a variety of opportunities to celebrate its past successes as it looks toward a dynamic future.

Events Included Are:

Free self-guided access to the Neon Boneyard, food trucks, cake, crafts, paper flower creation celebrating the “Day of the Dead.” Flowers will be used to decorate an altar created by artist Favela in memory of prominent sign designer Raul Rodriguez. Rodriguez designed the Flamingo sign that resides in the Boneyard and he earned national recognition for his Rose Parade float designs.

The  “Family Fiesta” event presented by artist Justin Favela in the Boneyard. "Family Fiesta" incorporates Favela’s real-life family, food, drinks and music in an unconventional outdoor setting. The public is encouraged to participate in the celebration by engaging in games, dances, music, cuisine and piñata time. In "Family Fiesta," the event is taken out of its traditional context - a cookout in a backyard or a park - to highlight people’s expectations of a fiesta while, at the same time, dismantling notions of location and institutional inclusion.

Twhey will also host a Open-Top Bus Tour through Downtown Las Vegas and the northern stretch of Las Vegas Boulevard, highlighting classic signs from the Neon Museum collection. The evening concludes with a special nighttime tour of the Neon Boneyard focusing on the museum’s conservation and restoration efforts, and there is a fee of $50 per person for this particular part of the festivities.

Plan Your Visit To The Neon Museum

For more information about the Neon Museum, theanniversary festivities and to make reservations for ticketed events, visit www.neonmuseum.org/happenings or call (702) 387-6366.

Photo Credits: Neon Museum

Read More +

San Jose Museum of Quilts and Textiles Presents 40th Anniversary Exhibition

This weekend kicks off the San Jose Museum of Quilts and Textiles 40th Anniversary Exhibition. They have four special exhibitions planned that will be opened in stages starting at the end of October thru January 2018:

• Juncture I
• Expressions of Identity: 40th Anniversary Exhibition
• Identity Tapestry: Mary Corey March
• JUNCTURE II

The San Jose Museum of Quilts and Textiles is at a juncture in time, where they  can both reflect on the past and look forward to the future. A juncture can also be an intersection of place or events, often one laden with symbolic potential: In many folk traditions, junctures as represented by crossroads are a potent metaphor for transition. Though a juncture can be a time for reflection, the word can also describe a critical moment or crisis that demands immediate action. With the concept as their point of departure, artists may take the exhibitions theme for "juncture" where it leads them.

“Since our 35th anniversary, the Museum has focused its collecting efforts on historic and contemporary quilts and fiber art since 1940, with an emphasis on California artists” said Executive Director Nancy Bavor. “This exhibition, which includes over 40 art works acquired since our 35th anniversary, is tangible evidence of that concentrated focus and includes important art works by some of California’s leading fiber and quilt artists, as well as works by other internationally known fiber artists.”

Among the exhibits to explore on your visit is Expressions of Identity: 40th Anniversary Exhibition that is currently on display in all galleries thru January. This exhibit reveals the how inserting one's identity is inherent in the process of an artist and their body of work.

Plan Your Visit To The San Jose Museum of Quilts and Textiles

San Jose Museum of Quilts and Textiles, last caged atb520 South 1st St. in San Jose, CA 95113. Hours are:

11:00am-4:00pm Wednesday through Friday
11:00am-3:00pm Saturday and Sunday
Closed Mondays, Tuesdays and major holidays.

Admission to the museum is $8.00; $6.50 for students and seniors; and free to Museum members and children 12 and under. Admission is ‘pay what you can’ on the first Friday of each month. For more information, call 408-971-0323 or visit www.sjquiltmuseum.org.

Photo Credits: San Jose Museum of Quilts and Textiles

Read More +

Alcatraz East Crime Museum Presents True Crimes Utilizing Rare Artifacts

There's something about crime that keeps us intrigued. For anyone who has ever had a interest in the mob, unsolved mysteries, and criminal proceedings, the Alcatraz East Crime Museum is a must see when visiting Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. This is defiantly one of those attractions draws you in, and keeps you stunned and curious as to what awaits around the corner.

We enjoyed the exhibit space on Pirates that explores the flags used, and history of the escapades. There was also an exhibit on the Old West that revealed details on the life of Billy, The Kid and others like Jesse James, who lived outside the law. Throughout the exhibits you'll find artifacts that include the Pocket Army Revolver owned by Allan Parmer, who was married to Jesse's sister, Susan.

We live in Morgan County, Indiana, which is where John Dillinger once lived, and actually robbed a local grocery store. So, it was interesting to see the exhibit on mobsters, and the death mask of Dillinger himself. The details described by both sides of the law are fascinating. There are newspaper clipping and Public Enemy poster featuring many mobsters you will recognize.

Did You Know? The origins of NASCAR can be traced back to bootlegging - you can learn more about this history and more at the Alcatraz East Crime Museum. And, if you'd like to try some free samples of moonshine visit the Ole Smoky Moonshine Distillery that has a location right behind the AE Museum at The Island. They also have locations in Gatlinburg too, and they offer free concerts with artists like Monroeville!

We are in the heart of the Great Smoky Mountains, so there are many moon-shining tales to be told. Learn about the law and lawless who brewed shine by moon light, and the extraordinary skills of the drivers running the loads during prohibition. These drivers, like NASCAR legend, Junior Johnson, became famous for their skills on and off the track. - Oh, Johnson is a partner in "Midnight Moon" moonshine today, and they use his family recipe to craft the shine.

Remember, the Alcatraz East Crime Museum has a huge collection of artifacts on so many aspects of crime. It's so diverse, and wide ranging you'll spend hours moving from one exhibit to another. It was a strange feeling to see the headlines on the serial killing from my youth. Some of the exhibits stir memories of where we were when these events happened.

There are moving exhibits to Missing Persons like Nancy Halloway, and to the victims and heroes of 9/11. This is one off those moments when you just pause, and take a moment of silence in their honor.

This museum is more than just a achieve of historic relics. Whether it is Bronco that O.J. Simpson drove or postcards written by Charles Manson - each piece within the Alcatraz East Crime Museum has a story to tell. There are so many tales to be told that you'll find yourself discovering new stories each time you visit.

Plan Your Visit To Alcatraz East

Alcatraz East is located at the entrance to The Island, at 2757 Parkway in Pigeon Forge, near the Margaritaville Hotel and Paula Deen’s Family Kitchen. For ticket information and current exhibits visit their website at www.alcatrazeast.com.

Read More +