Recent Happenings

RECENT HAPPENINGS Winter Wrap-Up

If ever we need a reminder of the warm days of summer, January is the time and the new season of “Samantha Brown’s Places to Love” provided just that when it began running on PBS stations. Brown, one of PBS’s most beloved television travel presenters, filmed parts of Episode 2 of the new season on June 12 and 13, 2021, right here in Cape May. The episode included shots at The Cove, with the Cape May Lighthouse in the distance, and, most exciting, an interview with Cape May MAC’s Curator Ben Ridings at the Physick Estate. Our Director of Media Relations, Susan Krysiak, very ably handled the coordination of this.

This year we didn’t have our typical sixweek winter hiatus from programming. With visitors in town looking for things to do, we’ve been operating the trolleys and Lighthouse continuously since the New Year began. We did expand programming for Presidents Weekend with the addition of Crafts & Collectibles in Winter which attracted 1,600-plus visitors and evening Ghosts of Cape May Trolley Tours.

Usually this is the time of year our Special Events folks are busy with a variety of programs. Due to venue challenges, we were not able to offer several of our usual Presidents Day weekend offerings as well as our Spring Sherlock Holmes Weekend. Director of Visitor Services and Special Events Janice Corkery and her staff in Hill House have been busy nonetheless, locating other venues for programming, nailing down details for the Cape May Music Festival and planning not one but two Gardens of Cape May Tours for the Spring.

There are always lots of activities going on behind the scenes during the winter. Director of External Affairs Eliza Lotozo spent that time coordinating the pieces of our grant from the NJ Department of Travel and Tourism. This allows us to mount a major marketing plan for our Group Tour Division. Eliza also managed a number of major publications at this time and trained in a new Outreach Manager. Sara Kornacki joined the staff right before the Christmas Tour season. She’s finally caught her breath and is managing all outreach to Members and volunteers.

Thanks to our grant from Travel & Tourism, the folks in our Group Tour Division have been busy attending trade shows and conventions. Group Tour Manager Susan Gibson and Tour Director Nanci Coughlin are very effective at presenting the best that Cape May has to offer and it shows. Our group tour business is showing signs of rebounding. We entertained a few groups already this year and are looking forward to a busy Spring. Our keepers at the Cape May Lighthouse have had a busy winter, entertaining nearly 4,500 people since January 1. We opened for our first Full Moon Lighthouse Climb of the year on March 18 and followed it on April 1 with a Stairway to the Stars which gives visitors the opportunity to view the stars and planets during the new moon. The Lighthouse grounds have also been a happening place as our memorial paver project is being installed. With nearly 600 bricks purchased to date, Chief Operating Officer Melissa Payne has had to recruit a few volunteers to help on the project. Hats off to volunteer Dave Morais for all the time he has spent on

Photo by Susan Krysiak

Food and monetary donations were collected outside of the Carriage House Museum Shop and Carroll Gallery, Emlen Physick Estate, 1048 Washington St., from noon to 3 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 21. Donors received a coupon for a 10 percent discount on purchases at the Carriage House Museum Shop on the estate grounds and the food and monetary donations were given to the Cape May Community Food Closet.

NEWSLETTER

Published by Cape May MAC, a not-for-profit corporation P.O. Box 340, Cape May, NJ 08204 • Phone: 609-884-5404 New Jersey Relay Center for TTY Customers: 800-852-7899 Web Site: www.capemaymac.org • E-Mail: info@capemaymac.org

Editor: Jody Alessandrine • Assistant Editor: Jean Barraclough Contributors: Sandra Adams, Sara Kornacki, Susan Krysiak, Anna Marie Leeper and Mary E. Stewart

OUR MISSION

Cape May MAC (Museums+Arts+Culture) is a multifaceted not-for-profit organization committed to promoting the preservation, interpretation, and cultural enrichment of the Cape May region for its residents and visitors. ---- v ----

OUR VISION

Preserving Cape May’s rich heritage and assuring its vitality through superior cultural programs and events

Cape May MAC’s public history programs are funded in part by the New Jersey Historical Commission in the Department of State.