The Museum is of course still a work in progress, but on April 26th it became a reality with the first opening with a wine & cheese celebration attended by about 40 JRTCA members. It seemed that all those who attended were impressed by this first look at the Museum & Library, and great enthusiasm was shared by all.
Many thanks to Jack Batzer who did the majority of the setup, to Nita & Wayne May, Bob & June McCarty, Joan & Jessie Crouse, Sally & Charles Hickey, and Catherine Brown who have also assisted in the setup and in donations of furnishings to the Museum. A huge thanks to Bettyann Senf for taking photos the night of the open house, which are shared here for all to have a sneak preview of the museum.
Rob & Deb Mahon of Canada attended the open house and presented the museum with a lovely custom- made cabinet with a stained-glass Jack Russell design on the front. Thank you – it will be displayed with pride for many years to come!
Thanks to Sally & Charles Hickey for the food setup, Joan & Jessie Crouse for their assistance, and Chip McDaniel for his beautiful veggie trays. It was quite a spread enjoyed by all, many thanks to all who attended.
Some of the Museum contents include the original JRTCA registration book, posters from the first JRTCA National Trials, many books including several first editions of Parson Russell’s memoirs, trophies from the first trials, great artwork, and much more. Videos run for visitors with much history.
Although the Museum is now a reality, it is far from completed. It is just the beginning. The memorabilia collected so far is mainly pre -1990’s. There is much still needed, including input from our foreign affiliated clubs so that all JRT clubs who share our common goal are represented. We also want to have displays from Russell Rescue and the JRT Research Foundation.
The next planning to step is gathering photos of the terriers and breeders who were influential in the early pedigrees that were our foundation in the USA. Also early judges, conformation and working, many of whom are no longer with us but are not forgotten. Videos are being gathered for displays. Scrapbooks are being made with articles and other important information over the past 40 years. Artwork and more to be expanded.
Perhaps most importantly, we need to display a good portrait of our founder and President Emeritus, Ailsa Crawford, with a biography of her life. Without Ailsa Crawford, none of this would be a reality.
As you can see, there I much work to be done. If you would like to help, we are also forming committees to do the projects needed. Just email us at office@jackrussellterriermuseum.com.
The Museum Benefit Trial is coming up on June 22 & 23 at the Fredericksburg Fairgrounds in Fredericksburg, VA. This is a big undertaking for the Museum Board, and very important to raising operating funds for the Museum. Help is needed for the trial weekend – stewards, setup/teardown, etc. It is very important that we make a good profit on this only fundraising event, please sponsor a class or send a donation! You can sponsor a class on-line.