Museum News
Well believe it or not we have survived to write another newsletter! I was told recently that we are one of only five doll museums open in the US today. We have started our summer hours Tuesday-Saturday from noon to 5pm. More time to visit. The tea in April was a resounding success and I was thrilled to have so many people attend. We were sold out in March and had to turn people away. We thought about having the tea at another location to accomodate more people but that would not promote the museum or gift shop. We have also been gifted with a number of new members from both in and out of state: Darlene Burnett, Bonnie Cotton, Becky Rice, Janis Aguilar, Dorothy McLaughlin and Gayle Bummer. Welcome to our clan. The museum is getting noticed and people are coming in. One couple found us on their blackberry as a "point of interest" and stopped by. One grandmother brought in her granddaughter so they could find the dolls pictured on our website. What a fun way to enjoy the museum. We will soon have an article about the museum published in the Antique Doll Collector magazine. The gift shop has also been busy as well as filled with lots of goodies so come by and check it out. Remember, as a member you can consign items in the gift shop, which you may want to do for the summer.
On April 17th, the Legacy Doll Museum had its annual tea. Over 46 people attended including Bonnie Cotton from Glasgow, Becky Rice and Janis Aguilar from Colorado and Barbara Griffith from Butte. The Newcomers club from Billings also attended. Sherry Daly from the Montana Vintage Clothing store downtown did a spectacular presentation on Children’s clothing and the museums newest addition (Ms. Huret) was accepting visitors. It was a fun time. That evening some of the doll ladies met with Becky Rice at the Golden Phoenix to catch up on UFDC events. The legacy museum presented Becky with helpers to assist with the regional convention set for September 22-25 of this year.
Daniel (my wonderful son-in-law) helped me catalog the museum in its entirety. I can’t believe how many items have been collected through the years. We have around 530 dolls and approximately 4,000 items of every kind. We cataloged the items into 8 categories, dolls, accessories, furniture, toys, animals, clothing, paper and dishes. We will use the information to market and advertise the museum.
Some wonderful new things are on display at the museum and are awaiting your visit:
Virginia Moss’s (youngest child of the Moss family whose home is a museum located just a few blocks south of our museum) 1903 christening dress is now on display as well as the trousseau for Ms. Huret.
We have an amazing set of 7 late 1800’s cloth Chinese dolls that need to be seen (as well as further researched). One of the dolls looks like he/she may be taking in an illegal substance.
A Kestner 241 (Hilda’s big sister) will be arriving by the September doll show at the museum.
June 26 – Antiques Roadshow
The Antiques Roadshow is coming to Billings on June 26th. I emailed them to let them know about our museum and they were nice enough to email me back stating that they already have three places (they didn’t tell me who or where) they were going to showcase but they would keep me in mind. Oh well, it was worth a shot!
July 10 1pm – Terri Lee Doll Lecture At The Musuem
Nancy Gerlock from Casper, Wyoming is conducting a Terri Lee lecture July 10 at 1pm here at the museum. She is very knowledgeable about Terri Lee and she has just returned from the Terri Lee national convention. Members are free and non-members are $5.00 (includes entrance to the museum). Please pass on the information to anyone you know that might like to play Terri Lee dolls with us for an afternoon here at the museum.
August 6 & 7 - Doll Sale At Billings Convention Center
This is the only other doll sale in Billings. There is an admission charged.
September 24 - Doll Lecture TBA 7pm Mary Ann Spinelli We will be discussing more details about bisque dolls and collecting. Last year was a blast! $5.00 for non-members and members are free.
September 25 Noon-4pm Legacy Doll Museum Annual Sale
Don’t forget our annual doll sale here at the Legacy Doll Museum for our third anniversary. There will be no admission for the sale and regular admission to the museum. Let us know if you would like a table. Our favorite doll dealer, Mary Ann Spinelli is coming and will be giving a doll lecture on Friday at 7pm before the sale.
September 22-25 United Federation Of Doll Collectors Region 6 Conference in Denver CO. The theme is Doll Holiday. For more information visit their website at
http://denverufdc.com/default.aspx or check the links page at www.legacydollmuseum.com
