17th Century Saturday Portal Opens!

Today’s the day! The 17th Century Saturday Portal is open!

The Brick Store Museum, celebrating local history, art and culture year-round, will mark the dual bicentennials of the State of Maine and the Town of Kennebunk this year. The Museum recently received a major grant from the Maine Humanities Council to fund its Century Saturdays Program, which kicks off May 2^nd with “16^th Century Saturday.”

The Century Saturdays Program will run once a month (on a Saturday) from May through October, ending on October 12^th with 21^st Century Saturday to ask the community “where do we go from here?” The Museum has planned an immersive experience for visitors to get the chance to see, smell, taste, hear and touch the different centuries that led us to the present. Timing perfectly with Maine and Kennebunk’s dual Bicentennial celebrations this year, this six-month programming schedule allows visitors and locals alike to explore our shared history in a new way. Studying one century per month allows for easy compare and contrast, observation of change, and a focused discussion about social systems and everyday life in Maine over hundreds of years.

While the June 6th program was supposed to be a physical event, the Museum staff has created an online program that includes:

• Speaker Astrida Schaeffer, clothing historian, on costuming and culture in the 1600s;
• An online “pop-up exhibit” exploring indigenous and colonial history through our collections;
• Offering at-home activities that families can undertake together, including making 17^th Century foods to try and hands-on activities to explore.

This program is funded through a grant from the Maine Humanities Council and generous sponsorship from Kennebunk Savings Bank.

Admission to these programs is typically included in the cost of regular museum admission; however, online programming is free with donations gratefully accepted.