MUSEUM EVENTS

APRIL 27, at 3:30PM, the House of David Echoes will host the 2008 "Blossomtime Royals" at Eastman Field, Mary's City of David, for a match of "Vintage" base ball, using the 1858 BOOK of RULES. Following the 102^nd "Blessing of the Blossoms" ceremony, the SW Michigan Community Blossom Queens and Mister Blossomtime and his court will take on the House of David in this annual fun-filled event.

MAY 3, at Noon, the House of David Echoes will participate once again in the 75^th annual Blossomtime Grand Floral Parade, in Saint Joseph and Benton Harbor.

The annual Blossomtime Festival is Michigan's oldest and largest multi-community festival that lasts the entire "Blossom Week", April 27 through May 3. For further information please visit: www.BlossomtimeFestival.org

MAY 31, beginning at 1:00PM, Opening Day ... the Season opener will be a special day that will feature the local and visiting Eastman families for a history page on Eastman Springs. The Museum opens at 1PM and the guided walking tour will begin at 1:30PM from the museum and will highlight the Eastman history. The tour will begin in its normal manner with a history overview presentation and visiting adjacent sites, but then will divert directly down to the Eastman Estate properties where several of the Eastman family will assist in telling the fascinating and unique history of the family and their founding and developing of the Eastman Springs Resort in 1879. Along the walk we will visit several of the more renown springs, of which the Silver Queen and Psyche are most famous. From both of these we can get a cool drink of water that has been flowing from this very site for over 4000 years. Also through the mysts of the serene and magical woodland we might step lightly as to chance seeing the families of fox or deer or WHO KNOWS ... even the mythical and legendary "Silver Queen" mermaid of Eastman Springs.

JULY 4, Eau Claire Cherry Festival ... the House of David Echoes will be in the Cherry Festival parade and following the parade will play a match of vintage base ball with their hosts from Eau Claire, the Friends N Faith Cherry Pits at Veterans Park.

JULY 27, "Welcome Back to 1934" vegetarian lunch date open to the public by reservation only. Please see the Luncheon Season pages for details.

AUGUST 3,  Fables and Mythologies of the House of David ... once again, after its first two years of sell outs, the museum director and archivist will present a programme, as requested over the years, on the many fallacies that have been and still are printed and circulated about the colony. The many lurid stories about the colony practices, faith and history will be brought forward and examined with the numerous archival documents brought to the presentation to clarify the many legends and stories of mythical proportion. Seating is limited to 50. Reservations are required with a pre-payment to secure your seats. The programme will cost 4.00 and usually lasts 2 hours. We ask all ticket holders with reservations to meet at the museum between 1 - 1:30PM, from which we will walk over to the original 1932 Vegetarian Restaurant for the programme.

RESERVATIONS: call M-F, 1-5 PM, (269) 925-1601 or email:
rjtaylor@maryscityofdavid.org

AUGUST 11 - 16, Colony Booth at the Berrien County Youth Fair.

AUGUST 13, beginning at 6PM, House of David Echoes VS the Blossomtime Royals at the Berrien County Youth Fair Grounds; SE corner parking area, Shawnee entrance to Fair Grounds.

AUGUST 23, Colony Resort Furnishings, Collectibles and Oddities Sale ... this year's sale is perhaps our largest selection of new items still collected and brought for sale from the colony properties.

The sale begins at 9 AM and lasts until 5PM. TERMS ARE STRICTLY CASH N' CARRY. NO RETURNS OR REFUNDS.

Many new items from the colony shops, storage units and service departments among which are some rather unusual and one-of-a-kind pieces. The inventory variety is quite large, prices are very reasonable (we like happy campers) and there will be three buildings full, one of which is two floors).

SEPTEMBER 13, SW Michigan Car Collectors Club Show ... last year's club auto show was wonderful in the variety and quality of vintage vehicles that were placed on display at the colony. This year we expect an equal and better showing. We will have a first time, vintage vehicle authentic/original parts sale from our mechanic garage parts storage; plus a display of automotive and related advertising copies from 1936 through the late 1950s for sale. The auto show will be in conjunction with museum hours of 1-5 PM.

SEPTEMBER 28, Closing Day ... "Welcome Back to 1934" vegetarian lunch date open to the public by reservation only. Please see the Luncheon Season pages for details, reservation costs and information.

Mary's City of David Tours

Using an aerial from 1937, the picture captures the first seven years labor in the earliest and most desperate hours of the Great Depression, in which most of the "City of David" was built under Sister Mary Purnell's direction. This serves today as both the nucleus of the 300-plus acre Christian-Israelite community and the entire tour area of significant historic sites that help tell this fascinating story of faithful perseverance and spirited resilience yielding the most amazing chapter of all the 100+ years in America.

1. Museum and Gift shop. Arrival and departure points.
    
2. Bethany where is given the slide presentation on the English roots to the present day, covering 3 ½ centuries. Print shop is also at this location.
    
3. Going through the Garage Bldg. (1930) with its active mechanic shop and 1930s tools. Shop rules that have worked for 100 years: "if you make a mess, clean it up"; "if you don't know how to operate, leave it alone"; " if you open it, close it."
    
4. Walking over to the Carpenter shop, with its vintage tools and today's sawdust.
    
5. Cannery and Powerhouse with the 1934 Fair Banks Morris Electrical generating plant. A lesson in self-sufficiency of a family in common faith. Common sense ...
    
6. Greenhouse Agriculture bldg. A lesson in recycling from the "have-tos" of 1935.
    
7. Mary's House, a walk through the yard of this structure that served as a makeshift headquarters in 1930, as well as a hotel and basement restaurant.
    
8. Shiloh gardens tell their intimate story of the new 1930 Administration and plantations of over 50 years in garden.
    
9. "Gate of Prayer" Synagogue, 1938 (not in this 1937 photo) where the "Welcome Back To 1934" vegetarian luncheons are held in this quaintly restored building.
    
10. Eastman Springs nature trails that are on 54 acres of woodland serenity. 1-½ miles of trails and bridges that wind through spring fed ravines that attracted Native American populations for over 4,000 years. The Silver Queen Spring (1883) is on the walk for a cooler on a warm summer day.
     
11. Colonel Harry and Elizabeth Eastman Field (1890s) today is the home field for the "vintage" House of David Echoes Baseball Club, playing pre-Civil War rules and members of the 120-plus Baseball Association in America.

General Public Museum Hours:
Saturdays & Sundays: 1-5 PM, May 31^st - September 28^th

If you have not visited the colony in several years, or have not yet visited, we strongly recommend that you take some quality time with friends and family this summer and come out for an afternoon to view an historic "vintage" base ball game, hike the 1 ½ miles trails through the serene and lovely Eastman Springs, visit the museum and see 355 years of history, get on board for the 1:30 PM tour each Saturday and Sunday to discover the amazing history of southwest Michigan's most renown historic site and "living history", and come to see the unique, one-of-a-kind gift shop next door to the museum; you won't find this inventory anywhere else in Michigan, America or the world.

Please refer back to this page for up-dates and further information, or call (269) 925-1601, Mon. thru Fri. 1-5 PM.