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Oakhurst School Exhibit premieres on Holiday Weekend
If museums had hearts, there’d be a soft spot in ours for the Oakhurst School (today’s Board of Education offices at 163 Monmouth Road). It was our home for 25 years. And many of our first member were drawn to the Museum by their memories of the school. So what better way to culminate our 30th anniversary year than a tribute to the old place?
On Saturday and Sunday, December 6 and 7, the Museum holds its 30th Holiday Weekend, and included in the attractions is the premiere of a mini-exhibit on the Oakhurst School.
The Woolley House is transformed
For the two days of the Holiday Weekend, the Woolley House is transformed. The permanent exhibit in the Our Town Gallery makes room for model trains. The displays in the Hearth and Home Gallery are tucked away to accommodate an expanded Museum Shop and Bakery, stocked with homemade treats and one-of-a-kind gifts handcrafted by the Museum quilters. The porch is covered with wreaths and sprays freshly made and on sale by the Ocean Township Garden Club.
Weekend has something for everyone
Dropping by the Museum the first weekend in December has become for many families a welcome way to start the season. Children have fun finding hidden Christmas trees a “Holiday Hunt.” Children and adults alike enjoy the model trains. And it’s the perfect place to start holiday shopping - offering a rich source of locally crafted, unique gifts. The weekend is also the last chance to take a chance on the Museum quilt; the winning ticket is drawn at 3 p.m. Sunday afternoon.
Visitors are the first to see the new exhibit
The Oakhurst School is a rich topic for an exhibit. It operated as an elementary school for 78 years - the first 57 offering kindergarten through eighth grade. In the course of its almost eight decades, students marveled at the addition of electricity (in 1905) and indoor plumbing (1912). They saw gym classes introduced (1919), endured split sessions (1950), and witnessed the start of the space age (with the first U.S. sighting of the Russian Sputnik from our own Deal Test Site, 1957).
The school changed as the township and the country changed. The exhibit is a walk down memory lane for those with personal connections to the school and an engaging insight into Americana for everyone.
Mark you calendars and start the holiday season with us. Recommended donations: adults, $3; children admitted free.