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Cobble the Mouse will make debut to promote local museum

Photos by Tom Rivers Posted 2 July 2016

CHILDS – Georgia Thomas holds the cover of the new coloring book she wrote about Cobble, a mouse that lives at the Cobblestone Museum.

The coloring book includes illustrations by Patty Blackburn of Medina and shows the mouse inside the historic buildings at the museum, a complex near the intersection of routes 98 and 104.

The coloring book is expected to be available next week at the museum’s gift shop. Thomas, a Medina resident, is a member of the museum’s board of directors. She has been working on the coloring book for about three years.

“Other museums have coloring books with a character,” she said. “Cobble is a wonderful mouse and he gives you an enchanting tour of the museum.”

Thomas introduces children to 19th Century terms, such a farrier who works with horses and “necessaries” for using the outhouse.

Thomas will be dressed as a mouse during Lyndonville’s Fourth of July Parade at noon on Monday to help promote the museum and the new coloring book.

The museum also is selling finger puppets of Cobble the Museum Mouse made by Shirley Farone of Albion. The puppets are $3 each while the coloring book is $7.

The museum has other special events planned for this month including a lecture series every Friday at 7 p.m. at the Cobblestone Church.

The lecture series includes:

• July 8 – “The Lost Generation: Orleans County in World War I” by Matthew Ballard, Orleans County historian and president of the Cobblestone Museum’s board of directors;

• July 15 – “Famous Fakes: Popular Victorian Paintings” by C.W. Lattin, former Orleans County historian and retired Cobblestone Museum director;

• July 22 – “Stories that Kill: Infamous Criminals of Orleans County” by Matthew Ballard;

• July 29 – “Church Stories You Don’t Hear in Church” by C.W. Lattin.

The Ward House, which was built in circa 1840, is decorated for Christmas in a Victorian style during the month of July.

The museum will also host a 7 p.m. lecture on July 24 by Ken McPherson of Shelby. He will discuss the life and legacy of Charles W. Howard, an Albion resident who started a school for Santa Claus in 1937. Howard ran the school until his death in 1966. The school continues today in Midland, Mich., and still bears Howard’s name.

The museum also hosted a “First Fridays” art show on Friday that features paintings by Tom Zangerle of Medina. The art shows will continue through October with opening receptions the first Friday each month.