Clowns take over historical museum
BY MARY PERHAM THE LEADER

BATH - Hurry, hurry, step right up- circus clowns have invaded the Steuben County Historical Society Museum and taken over the Chelsea and Liliane Kelly Historical Museum and Library.

The clowns, part of the Gertrude Blancher collection, are among new exhibits at the county museum, located on Old Cameron Road.

There are doll clowns and miniature clowns, tumbling clowns, a clown that holds an ash tray, an elephant clown, tumbling clowns, sad clowns and beaming clowns. There are clowns of every shape and size to delight every shape and sized visitor.

The exhibit, on loan from the Glenn H. Curtiss Museum of Aviation in Hammondsport, will be on display during the museum's regular hours of 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Monday through Friday, and during summer hours of 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday.

"So many people say they can't come during our regular hours," said exhibit organizer Joseph Paddock. "They work or are in school. So we tried the Saturday hours last year and it worked out great."

The Kelly room is located down stairs in the society's Magee House, next to Elm Cottage and rooms packed with other local historical memorabilia.

Paddock said the room is popular with parents who home school their children. In addition to the clown exhibit, there is a Victrola, old books and simple toys.

"I remember, I had a big top, a Big Beauty," Paddock said. "I could make that spin for two or three minutes."

Other new exhibits upstairs include a display case dedicated to the Bath Nursing School, which opened in 1912. The school was associated with Ira Davenport Memorial Hospital.

Another glass bottle display harkens back to the days when milk was delivered to homes in bottles by a horse-drawn cart.

"I don't know if kids even know milk wasn't always in cartons," Paddock said.

Paddock said there are always plenty of volunteers on hand to answer questions or conduct tours.