Sleeping Bear Inn: Victorian Charm on Lake Michigan

By | October 23rd, 2017|Categories: Destinations, Fashion, Pioneer Dress, Victorian Era|Tags: , , , , , , |

Once a year, my husband and I head out on an anniversary adventure. This year we visited Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore on the Leelanau Peninsula in Michigan but had no idea our travels would take us to the Sleeping Bear Inn. After climbing the Empire Bluff, we headed to Glen Haven to visit the [...]

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 [...]

Halloween is Just Around the Corner!

By | September 3rd, 2015|Categories: Ball Gowns, Civil War, Downton Abbey, Edwardian Era, Fashion, Old West, Pioneer Dress, Roaring 20s, Uncategorized, Victorian Era, Victorian Era Celebrations|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , |

Halloween is Just a Hop-Skip-and-a-Jump Away!   Yes, the calendar just flipped from August to September, and the thermometer is still registering summer temperatures. But, make no mistake, it's almost heeeeeerrrrre! It's time to start thinking about autumn and one of its highlights - Halloween.   Themed parties, no theme parties, and everything in between [...]

Costume College 2015

By | August 21st, 2015|Categories: Ball Gowns, Civil War, Destinations, Edwardian Era, Fashion, Old West, Pioneer Dress, Roaring 20s, Steampunk, Uncategorized, Victorian Era|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

By Sue McDonald   Costume College - Whirlwind of Classes and Special Events   If you haven’t heard about Costume College, then you haven’t been paying attention! After hearing about it for years, a friend convinced me to enroll last year, and I am now positively addicted to the excitement, the many opportunities for learning [...]

Unstoppable Margaret Brown – a True Pioneer

By | August 20th, 2015|Categories: Old West, Pioneer Dress, Victorian Era|Tags: , , , , , |

The name is Margaret Brown - The Unsinkable Molly Brown is a Myth Margaret Brown, popularly known as Molly Brown, was never addressed as Molly by anyone who knew her personally. She was known as Maggie to her family until she married. Molly is the creation of legend and Hollywood. Margaret, the flesh and blood [...]

Harvey Girls – the Other Pioneers of the American West

By | August 10th, 2015|Categories: American West, Old West, Pioneer Dress, Uncategorized, Victorian Era, Women's History|Tags: , , , , , , , , , |

The Harvey Girls were an important part of the history of the western expansion remembered today in film and by women’s history enthusiasts excited to uncover the often overlooked role that women played in Frontier America. Their story is a fun mix of American ingenuity, the pioneer spirit, and the use of women’s traditional yet [...]

Columbia Stage Society and the Town Theatre

By | July 24th, 2015|Categories: Pioneer Dress, Uncategorized|Tags: , , , , , , |

Columbia Stage Society Mission   Developing talent and entertaining area residents has been the cornerstone of the Columbia Stage Society's mission since its inception in June, 1919. Founded by families in area, the productions brought to the Town Theatre have always been a community effort - from stage to audience. Today, upwards of 30,000 patrons [...]

Elks Opera House

By | June 21st, 2015|Categories: Pioneer Dress, Uncategorized, Victorian Era|Tags: , , , , , , , , |

Elks Opera House Backstory   More than 110 years ago the cornerstone the Elks Opera House was laid on East Gurley Street in Prescott, Arizona. The local Elks Lodge saw a need in the community and decided to incorporate a theater into the plans for their new building. Residents and lodge members raised the necessary [...]

Pioneer Dresses on the Silver Screen: Little House on the Prairie

By | June 10th, 2015|Categories: Pioneer Dress|Tags: |

Many people recognize the pioneer dress from the popular television series, “Little House on the Prairie.” This show was based on the novels that Laura Ingalls Wilder wrote about her life as she and her family moved West. “Little House on the Prairie” was the ultimate feel-good show, and Americans everywhere loved the Ingalls family. [...]