World War I Changes Fashion

By | February 12th, 2016|Categories: Edwardian Era, Fashion, Uncategorized|Tags: , , , , , , , |

by Donna Klein   At the beginning of World War I, women were still wearing hobble skirts, which allowed for very little freedom of movement. But, as women took to the workforce to fill the void of the men who were off fighting the war, it became evident that the style of the day was [...]

Celebrating the 60th Anniversary of My Fair Lady

By | February 4th, 2016|Categories: Edwardian Era, Fashion, Uncategorized|Tags: , , , , , , , , |

by Donna Klein   Celebrating the 60th Anniversary of My Fair Lady   It's an exciting time for the Rogers City (Michigan) Community Theatre (RCCT). I've been involved with RCCT for more nine years as an actor, director, and techie. The Lerner and Loewe musical, My Fair Lady came up every year as the group [...]

Evelyn Nesbit – Super Model, Sex-Goddess, and Bona-fide Celebrity

By | January 8th, 2016|Categories: Edwardian Era, Uncategorized, Victorian Era, Women's History|Tags: , , , , , , |

By Donna Klein   Long before Twiggy and Jean Shrimpton, there was Evelyn Nesbit, who is considered to be America's first super model. But, how did she attain this status and that of sex-goddess?   Evelyn Nesbit's Meteoric Rise to Celebrity and Stardom   Her story begins in Philadelphia. She was discovered at the age [...]

A Gilded Thanksgiving Celebration

By | November 26th, 2015|Categories: Edwardian Era, Uncategorized, Victorian Era, Victorian Era Celebrations|Tags: , , , , , |

By Donna Klein   Thanksgiving During the Gilded Age   Thanksgiving is here! As I thought about the holiday, I wondered what it was like during the glory years of the characters on Downton Abbey. I know the British don't celebrate Thanksgiving, but  what was it like for their American counterparts? What was Thanksgiving like [...]

Emmeline Pankhurst: Suffragist – Part 2

By | October 30th, 2015|Categories: Edwardian Era, Uncategorized, Victorian Era, Women's History|Tags: , , , , , , , , , |

by Donna Klein continued from part 1 ... The Suffragette Gets Radical By 1903, the women’s suffrage movement saw a lot of talk but little action in Parliament. She left the ILP, and in October helped found the Women’s Social and Political Union (WSPU), which was only open to women and focused on direct action [...]

Emmeline Pankhurst: Suffragist – Part 1

By | October 29th, 2015|Categories: Edwardian Era, Uncategorized, Victorian Era, Women's History|Tags: , , , , , , , , , |

Who was Emmeline Pankhurst? I recently saw a trailer for a new movie called "Suffragette," in which  Meryl Streep portrays Emmeline Pankhurst, a political activist who championed women’s rights in Britain during the late 19th and early 20th century. I decided to find out more about this historical figure and found Emmeline Pankhurst’s story to be [...]

Recollections Fashion Show at the Centennial Building

By | October 23rd, 2015|Categories: Ball Gowns, Civil War, Edwardian Era, Fashion, Hats, Old West, Pioneer Dress, Uncategorized|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , |

Recollections Fashion Show Recap The Lake Huron Discovery Tour 2015 has come and gone, but the Recollections fashion show at the Centennial Building in Alpena continues to live in the memories of those who joined us on October 10 for the festivities. The day started early for Recollections, with the models from the show prepped [...]

The Centennial Building; Alpena, Michigan: Part 4

By | October 9th, 2015|Categories: Edwardian Era, Uncategorized, Victorian Era|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

by Donna Klein   Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3   Second Floor - Rooms to Rent and the Odd Fellows Banquet Facility   We've gotten some background information, visited the first floor and the basement. Next, we headed for the second floor. A massive stair case leads directly to the third floor, [...]

The Centennial Building; Alpena, Michigan: Part 3

By | October 8th, 2015|Categories: Edwardian Era, Uncategorized, Victorian Era|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

by Donna Klein   Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 4   First Floor - Retail Space and Offices   Once I was brought up to speed on the early history of the Centennial Building, Mike and Kate took me on a tour of the building. I was about to embark on a trip back [...]