Rumford, Maine 04276 ~ info@growrumford.com

Museums revived the fortunes of other depressed regions. Could the museum effect work in Rumford?

Best bet: a tobacco use prevention museum  There's a continuing tension in our culture between the consensus that smoking is harmful and the inevitable teenage tendency to do it anyway because it's cool.  This tension gives rise to a continuing flow of cash from the tobacco companies who want to hold off the opponents while not having to give up the business of selling cigarettes to those whose ability to judge the subsequent risks is limited. In Rumford, the community could take advantage of this dynamic with the establishment of a Tobacco Use Prevention Museum.  And the logical agency to take the lead in creating such a museum would be the River Valley Healthy Communities organization.  The RVHCC is funded in large part by monies from the settlement the tobacco companies made with the state several years ago.  Such a museum would drive home the anti-smoking message in a graphic and interactive way that would be more effective than the usual DARE officer standing in front of the classroom.  The museum concept would have a logical funding source in the tobacco settlement monies as well as grants from health-related agencies such as the American Cancer Society.  It would have a natural constituency, and draw traffic from, all the schools who would   Stephanie Thompson, RVHC tobacco facilitator find such a museum to be a perfect field trip for the middle-school aged students who most need to be discouraged from smoking.  Both Patricia Duguay, the executive director of the RVHC, and Stephanie Thompson, the tobacco facilitator for the agency,  told Grow Rumford that they would support such a museum, although both indicated that it is something on a scale more expensive and larger than anything their agency has done before.To pursue the idea with RVHC, contact them at rvhcc@gwi.net.  Their website is http://www.rvhcc.org

Most fun idea: the unicycle museum There is no, sit down before we tell you this... unicycle museum.  Anywhere. How can this be so?  Hard as it is to believe, it's true.  And the River Valley is a great spot for the creation of the world's first Unicycle Museum because it is home to a unicycle celebrity of sorts, Max DeMilner, seen at right with his unicycle.  Max, a resident of Peru, cycles hundreds of miles on his unicycle and has won such repute that he inspired a unicycle relay race in Nova Scotia, "Ride the Lobster", coming next summer.    Grow Rumford contacted Max to ask him about such a prospect.  His thoughts:                                                              "Sounds amazing! For such a thing to be feasible, it would have to do more than have some unicycles on display. It would have to offer lessons maybe a couple times a week, which is something I'd certainly be willing and interested in helping with or maybe even running. As for possible sponsors, Darren Bedford at Bedford unicycles is a great guy, and a friend of mine. He's in Toronto, e-mail at darren@bedfordunicycles.ca, and online at www.bedfordunicycles.ca   The other big name in North America is Unicycle.com, in Marietta, GA, 1-800-Unicycle, Fax 678-494-6987, Email helpdesk@unicycle.com There's also Seattle Bike Supply, which owns Redline bikes, which owns Torker bikes, which also manufactures Torker unicycles, the most popular mbrand of unicycles in North America. Their website is: http://www.redlinebicycles.com/bmxracing/contactus.html "As for what a unicycle museum would contain, I imagine it would *have* to contain a penny-farthing bicycle, better known as one of those old-timey high-wheel bikes. Then, of course, some of the unicycles formatted for specific types of riding (rough terrain unicycling, trials, freestyle, chain-driven, racing, long distance, and also oddities, like eccentric wheels, kangaroos). More than having unicycles, it would showcase famous unicyclists, and photos, and videos, even. I think John Foss would be a valuable contact for that. His website is http://www.unicycling.com/ " Max DeMilner, Peru unicyclist. Read more about Max at his website: http://www.unicyclemax.com   Other museum possibilities:

Androscoggin River Study Center Rumford is the natural mid-point on the Androscoggin River at which to establish a museum and research center focussing on water quality and the history of the river.

Soap Opera Hall of Fame There is a basketball, baseball, rock 'n roll and other halls of fame but no Soap Opera Hall of Fame.  Many famous actors started out in soaps and enthusiasm for these midday melodramas remains high.  A publication, Soap Opera Digest, does a "Soap Opera Hall of Fame" ceremony each year, but as yet there is no physical location for the Hall.  Rumford?

Muskie Museum Needless to say, Rumford's most distingushed native son was the former Secretary of State, Maine Senator and Presidential candidate.  Muskie's papers are at Bates, but there is no museum as such.  How about here, his birthplace?

A reader of this site writes: Hello Grow Rumford,      The idea for a museum in the area is an ambitious one and would take a lot of work by a lot of people. I'm sure it would have to be funded by State or National sources as well as local. To attract people on a regular basis the museum should be broad and contain many options for programs, study, workshops, films, lectures, and displays.  My idea for a museum would have endless possibilities, Museum for the Performing Arts! In this you could have a sections on Unicycle, Juggling, Theater, Magic, Stand up, Comedy, Mime, Improv. Then think about the performing musicians!  Western Maine and the River Valley is, and has been, very rich with performing artists. You may or may not know, but in 2006 The International Brotherhood of Magicians and the Society of American Magicians named Rumford "Maine's Capital of Magic" in honor of native Son J.W. Elliott. There are descendants of Mr. Elliott in the area who have memorabilia of Dr. Elliott  that ( If they chose to sell or donate) would make great museum pieces. Here is a short essay I wrote in 2006  to briefly explain the history...   Q: Why is Rumford, Maine's Capital of Magic?   A: To revive and honor an extraordinary man, whose legacy was in jeopardy of fading into the past.   Dr. James William Elliott. The good doctor hailed from Rumford Maine, and while attending college in Boston he befriended Harry Houdini. Elliott is most well known for creating and perfecting the front-back palm. Reference's to Elliott's work can be found in many sources among them are "Elliott's Last Legacy, The Illustrated History of Magic, New Era Card Tricks,The Magician and the Card Sharp." Elliott shaved his head, padded his stomach and toured the world as the rotund comedy magician Bosco in "Leroy, Talma and Bosco". He was the card trick editor in early issues of MUM. He died in Boston of diabetes, and on his deathbed he asked Houdini and Clinton Burgess to gather his notes and publish them in a book later titled "Elliott's Last Legacy". Elliott's grave site is several miles from here in Milton Plantation. Elliott was a very popular magician. Particularly some of his card effects were considered best of its kind. Nobody knew the secrets to some of Elliott's tricks. People waited impatiently for the release of this book.But it was met with some disappointment that not all of Elliott's tricks were described. We do not know which tricks these critics mean. The reason might well be that Elliott died before he could finish his book. Burgess and Houdini had to collect Elliott's notes and fill in some of the missing explanations. However, Elliott and Houdini believed that all the material in this book was new and has never before been published. If you would like to further explore A Museum for the Performing Arts Please contact me. Scot Grassette - Home: grassette@gwi.net - Work: sdg3@newpagecorp.com

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