Executive Director Gark Parks with Frank Pellegrino, vice chair of First Community Foundation Partnership, and Trisha Marty, chair of Williamsport Lycoming Regional Advisory Board as well as a member of FCFPThe Taber has been informed that the museum shall soon receive a handsome sum from the First Community Foundation Partnership of ennsylvania for $33,000! This will support a project to upgrade the current lighting system to LED lighting throughout the museum.

As we have learned, by contacting other comparable museums and checking with organizations such as the American Alliance of Museums and the American Association of State and Local History. Our research indicates that LED lighting is safe for contact with artifacts including fragile textiles and paintings. The life of the LED light-bulb enjoys a prolonged longevity (though the initial cost is hefty), produces a brighter footcandle, and is cool to the touch, and once installed, the savings on electrical wattage will show a significant savings on our electrical bill.

Executive Director Gary Parks was responsible for writing this proposal. Referring to the two grants recently received, he stated, “I am thrilled with the awarding of these two grants. The legal documents reveal that our ancestors experienced many of the heartaches that we think are unique to our current generations- divorce, businesses failing, and disputes among neighbors, for instance. These documents present the same scenario, just with a different cast of characters.”

As for the lighting upgrade, Parks remarks, “Getting people to walk in the front door is winning half the battle! If a place looks dark and uninviting, people may not be tempted to walk in the front doors. If it is well-lighted and welcoming, they may take time out of their busy schedules to visit. Overwhelmingly, once visitors are inside this building people are amazed at how large our facility is and how professional it appears… However, the fifty-year old building is lighted with a random mixture of incandescent and fluorescent lighting. On dreary days, the building has lots of dark areas, making it hard for people to read labels and view artifacts. The light-bulbs burn out with great regularity and some of them are now impossible to replace. They are no longer manufactured.. An intern recently counted the number of light-bulbs and counted over 1,200 throughout the museum!”

In addition, John Hunsinger, and his late wife Barbara presented $2,000 for an upgrade to LED lighting in the cases of the model train room. It was given on behalf of the Model Train Committee.