2010

In February, volunteers Inez Johnson, Kaye Malins and Connie Lane represented Marceline at the True/False Film Festival for the two screenings of “Waking Sleeping Beauty” at the Ragtag Cinema and Missouri Theater in Columbia, Missouri. The director, Don Hahn, introduced the Marceline representatives to the packed Ragtag Cinema. We hosted a display table inside the theater featuring photos of Walt Disney visiting Marceline, answered questions and gave out Marceline brochures and business cards.

Museum guests will be thrilled to find a Midget Autopia car still in its original condition exhibited this year. Walt Disney retired the ride in Disneyland and sent it to his hometown Marceline in 1966. The car formerly exhibited had been modified.

We are again grateful to Tom James and Herff Jones Yearbooks for printing brochures promoting Marceline for us. You can pickup the brochures at City Hall, Magnolia Antiques , the Toonfest office and the museum. For more Marceline/Disney information please stop by Magnolia Antiques and Tourist Center located at 209 N. Main Street USA.

Marceline High School Alumni and guests are invited to the museum on May 8 for a pre-party 4:00 p.m. through 6:00 p.m. prior to the Alumni Banquet at the Walsworth Community Building. The newly refurbished Beanery Building and museum will be open for tours free of charge from 10:00 a.m. through 6:00 p.m. on May 8. We will be featuring newly acquired photos and artifacts of our railroad story in the Beanery Building. If you have copies of family photos or artifacts you would like to gift to the museum please bring to the museum.

Kaye Malins serves on the Missouri Travel Council and is a founding member of the Missouri Highway 36 Heritage Alliance. This group will promote pro-tourism and educate tourists who travel Highway 36 through Missouri. They are working on travel cd in conjunction with MODOT for the Highway 36 travel experience from Hannibal to St. Joseph, which should be a great tool for tourists. There will be a ribbon cutting planned for July 10 in Macon, Missouri.

We are looking forward to the model train show at the Marceline Masonic Temple in May 1 at 9:00 a.m. As a special treat for the first time we plan to allow train viewing and filming from the second floor of the Walt Disney Hometown Museum with the regular admission charge.

2009

Also in the past year we have had to replace some of the point tucking done in 2000 which was faulty allowing moisture to seep through. This expenditure of $17,000 has caused some of our plans to be delayed.

Dale Varner the artist of the Disneyland Miniature exhibited on the second floor died in 2009. He was working on additional pieces which were shipped to us and are included in the exhibit.

Ted Beecher, son of Ruth Disney, a big contributor of Disney artifacts died in 2009 too. His Disneyana Fan Club in Clackamas, Oregon planted a tree in his memory in our museum garden.

Judith McClure of Warrensburg gifted our museum with her late husband, Arthur McCure’s Disney collection. He was a professor of history and anthropology at Central Missouri State in Warrensburg. The public will enjoy his collection for years to come as they visit our museum.

In the fall we were gifted old Marceline newspapers dating from 1888 (Marceline’s founding) through 1963 which are a treasure of information. Because we are seeking accurate data concerning coal mining, railroad and Disney matters, they have been our main focus. Paul and Kathy Stark, John and Beverly Klumb, Lois Buckman and Inez Johnson were the readers. Articles of interest were copied and Deanna Lisac compiled each category in chronological order for easy reference. The main things we all observed were the large amount of advertising, the way obituaries were written and the constant reminders to shop at home. With the arrival of the AT&SF Railroad in 1886 Marceline mushroomed both with population and tax dollars.

2008

Disney Elementery Third Graders Marceline, MO June 2008 Cheryl Cavanah - Volunteer

Herff Jones Yearbooks has again gifted Marceline with new brochures. They are available at the museum, the Marceline City Hall as well as most stores. Thank you Tom James for this fine donation.

During the winter months additional rooms on the second floor of the museum have been restored with new plastering and electrical wiring. The rooms will be climate controlled soon and will be the home of future exhibits. A new handicap ramp is in place between the baggage and Santa Fe rooms.

David Jenkins and Deanna Lisac - Disneyland Miniature by artist Dale Varner of Portland, OR

The long awaited miniature of Disneyland has arrived and will be exhibited soon. The artist Dale Varner of Portland, OR has spent most of his life creating the masterpiece of the original Disneyland. It is sure to be admired and appreciated by all who view it. Ted and Carol Beecher of Portland assisted with the packing of this intricate collection. Ted is the son of Ruth Disney, Walt’s only sister. The Beechers have been very generous to Marceline donating many of the Disney artifacts you will find at the museum for the enjoyment and education of Disney fans from all over the world.

Because Walt Disney premiered the Midwest showing of the Great Locomotive Chase in Marceline’s Uptown Theatre in 1956, the museum now houses a display of memorabilia from the movie.

Marceline High School alumni gathered at the museum on May 10 for Greg Walton’s annual reception for all graduates, spouses and friends. Many attended and appreciated the occasion to rekindle old friendships and make new ones. Thank you Greg!

The museum gift shop is well stocked with Marceline souvenirs, Disney items, shirts and books. You do not have to tour the museum to come in and shop, which is open to the public during our regular museum hours, Tuesday through Sunday.

Inez Johnson showing Third Graders from Disney Elementary the Zurcher Railroad Clock - June 2008

Throughout the season the museum hosts many school groups. Third graders from Walt Disney Elementary School of Marceline recently visited the museum on June 17. They were told about Walt Disney, and his life in Marceline as well as how Marceline became a town because of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad. One of the enthusiastic students commented, "This is really history!"

Walt Disney Hometown Museum Rush Johnson Memorial Garden June 2008

The flowers are in full bloom at the Rush Johnson Memorial Garden located at the entrance to the museum. Come by, sit and enjoy the serenity of our beautiful flower garden and the sound of the fountain’s flowing water.

You are invited to spend the day in Marceline! Enjoy the museum, specialty and antique shops, an art gallery, restaurants and the best new homemade ice cream shop on Main Street U.S.A.

Sunday, July 13 the museum gave a tour to 25 members of the Harley Owners Group (H.O.G.) American Heartland - Kansas City Chapter.

For the first time since the 1930's there are Wolf River apples ripening on the Disney Farm in Marceline, Missouri. The trees, a gift from Disney author Dan Viet's were planted in 2003.

2007

Joe Collins (seated) and Wes Hamilton

This is the second grant written by Dr. Green that has benefited the museum in May of 2005 he and 2 of his students spent a week in Marceline researching a business plan for the museum. In case you haven’t guessed Dr. Green is a HUGE Disney fan. We feel honored to have him as part of our Marceline family.

Left: Tracy Jennings Right: Michael McNick

Tracy Jennings and Michael McNick from The Dallas Fort Worth area spent their Easter Holiday in Marceline volunteering at the Walt Disney Hometown Museum. They arrived just in time to scrape the ceiling and walls of the room being fitted for a film studio at the museum. Tracy is the President of his local NFFC chapter and you might recognize Michael as the King of Disney trivia. While they were here they sampled the famous Marceline ice cream treat “Dusty Miller” I believe they plan to serve it at their next NFFC event. Thanks for all of the help guy’s!

Andy Neitzert

March 15, Andy Neitzert a film student from CA arrived in Marceline to film for a documentary titled Walt Disney’s Missouri. During his two week stay he interviewed over 120 Marceline residents, many of whom had met Walt Disney and had great stories to share. Andy will be returning to Marceline to film the annual 4th of July celebration and Walt Disney’s Hometown Toonfest September 15. The intended length of the final film will 80 minutes and will be screened at private screenings and film festivals.

Andy is also providing the filmed interviews for the Walt Disney Hometown archives. Andy hopes to open a studio in Marceline.

Through a grant from the AT&T Foundation the Walt Disney Hometown Museum has recently purchased video, sound, lighting and editing equipment. And set up a permante studio at the museum. Since the opening of the museum many our guests have shared their Disney story with our museum hosts. We were concerned that these untold Disney stories would be lost unless we provided a way to capture them. Through the AT&T grant and a huge volunteer effort we now have a studio at the museum. Eisterhold and Associates from Kansas City Missouri advised us on the purchase of equipment set up of the studio how to film, interview, archive and edit the interviews.