Find out what’s happening behind the scenes
Tying Knots with the Children’s Club
Tuesday, 30 December 2014
by Nikki Jennings
Children’s Club Coordinator
On December 13th the TCNM Children’s Club hosted Mr. Hartley Squires, who came to teach us nautical rope knots. We learned 6 knots, including the clove hitch for which Hartley especially made a wooden pylon so we could practice that knot. In the photographs you see Chelsea Been practicing her clove hitch.
Chelsea Been practicing her bowline.
We learned to do a perfect bowline, in which both ends are on the same side of the knot. Antranay shows us her skills.
Antranay shows us her skills with a bowline.
Hartley also put together a cleat so we could practice our Cleat Hitches. Here Hartley is showing Andrew how to do the Cleat Hitch. As is usually the case, Andrew picked it up right away!
Mr. Hartely Squires teaching Andrew a cleat hitch.
We finished the session with a talk about nautical safety, which is very dear to Hartley. He left us with the adage: Cats have nine lives, we only have one so let’s be smart about safety!
Knot tying was the last session of the year for the Children’s Club. The New Year should be exciting as we welcome a new Children’s Club Coordinator, Katharine Hart. We say good bye and thank you to Nikki Jennings who has enjoyed her time with the Club immensely and who can always to asked to come along on the day the kids go to Gibbs Cay!
We wish all current and former members of the Children’s Club and their families a very Merry Christmas and all the very best for the New Year.
- Published in A Day at the National Museum, Children's Club News
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Charming Charms and other Goodies
Sunday, 16 November 2014
With our all new exhibits and recent “facelift” we decided to reconfigure the shop, making the books easier to see and browse.
There are TCI history and slave history section, a cookbook and craft section and a dive/ocean section and a bird section!
New ornaments and key chains with a nautical theme to go with our new exhibits. We have some new charms, key chains, and ornaments to go with our new exhibits.
They’ll make great stocking suffers or a fun memento of your visit. Come by, say hello, and see what else is new in the gift shop!
- Published in A Day at the National Museum, Museum News
The Tele Booth “Lands” at the Museum
Sunday, 16 November 2014
By Pat Saxton, Director
The antique tele box being placed with the help of Olympic Construction, Seamus Day and Neil Saxton.
On this past Wednesday evening Seamus called to tell me could deliver the UK phone booth Friday morning! Great news…but…where to put it? Fortunately, Neil Saxton knew exactly what to do and got to work leveling the space between the donkey cart and the flag pole in front of the Museum. First job was to pull out all the aloe plants (aloe, aloe, aloe ..some (UK) Dr. Who humor).
Luckily we had some new pavers left over so they were put down, leveled and then filled in with soil. On Friday morning the Olympic sky track came with the phone booth, after a bit of maneuvering it was gently put into place. It weighs about 500 pounds and is cast iron. Most of the hard work to restore has been done by sandblasting, so now we just have to get some replacement glass, cherry red tele paint, and telephone window signs. Then wait for a visit from …. Dr. Who!
All it needs is paint, glass, and signs. Stop by the museum and see our newest attraction.
- Published in A Day at the National Museum, Museum News
A Visit to North and Middle Caicos
Tuesday, 04 November 2014
Mr. Alton Higgs on North Caicos in 2011. Photo courtesy Times of the Islands, Siri White photographer.
By Candianne Williams
I recently visited North Caicos and Middle Caicos with Bryan Naqqi Manco, my very able guide. It was a great experience because I was able to see first-hand traditional Caicos lifestyle and visit with a number of the older residents.
I was enthralled by 94 year old Mr. Higgs. He shared some of his knowledge of bush medicine with us. He had an outdoor oven in his yard that he used up until recently, so it was great to see that.
We also visited quite a few basket weavers and fortunately two of them were actually weaving. Many belong to the older generation and they complain that they are no longer strong enough to go into the fields to collect grass themselves. Regardless of where the grass comes from, the baskets are works of art and each one an individual treasure. They are for sale in the Museum gift shop and we hope you will support our local basket weavers by buying several.
- Published in A Day at the National Museum
Footsteps4Good Charity Walk
Tuesday, 04 November 2014
Jill Beckingham, Governor Peter Beckingham’s wife, has helped to raise more than $25,000 for charity by walking more than 100km across the Turks and Caicos Islands. Scores of residents, young and old, joined Mrs. Beckingham during her Footsteps4Good walk across five of the country’s six inhabited islands.
Mrs. Jill Beckingham with Footsteps4Good supporters and participants. Photo courtesy Turks & Caicos Weekly News
And it was all for a great cause as walkers and supporters pledged thousands for their favorite TCI charity while getting fit and having fun in the process.
The walk began in Grand Turk on October 25, then onto South Caicos, Middle and North Caicos, Salt Cay, ending on Providenciales on October 31. On Saturday, November 1, Mrs. Beckingham finished with a major walk and run organized by Provo Road Runners from IGA to Blue Haven in Leeward.
The Museum collected $1,737.00 in donations from the walk! Thank you Mrs. Beckingham!
- Published in A Day at the National Museum, Museum News
Hot and Spicy in the Gift Shop
Thursday, 16 October 2014
We are about to heat things up at Guinep House Museum Gift Shop with Sakaja Gourmet Pepper Sauce. It’s 100% local, all natural, great tasting and oh so exotic!
Sakaja Ltd., founder Delano Handfield has made his dream of producing a line of local food products a reality and puts his heart and soul into the creation of these exotic sauces so that you can experience the flavor of the Turks and Caicos.
So come visit us today and try either the Super-Hot “Ghost” flavor, the Hot Exotic “Papaya Special” or mild “Blue Hills Breeze”. See you soon!!!!
- Published in A Day at the National Museum
Birding Guides Unveiled at TCNM
Friday, 13 June 2014
A new set of guides to bird watching in the TCI were unveiled at the Providenciales, Grace Bay branch of the Turks & Caicos National Museum on July 12, 2014. The guides are designed to help extend the TCI’s tourism offer year round, especially on its less populated islands. They were jointly created by the UK Overseas Territories Conservation Forum (UKOTCF) and the TCI National Museum. Read more about it at: https://www.gov.uk/government/world-location-news/birding-guides-to-extend-turks-and-caicos-islands-visitor-season
- Published in A Day at the National Museum, Museum News
Water Wise Garden Exhibit Opens
Friday, 13 June 2014
The new wise water garden exhibit demonstrates rainwater harvesting from roofs, garden irrigation and use of native and other medicinal plants adapted to local conditions at the Museum’s historically accurate recreation of a typical 1800s Caicos family dwelling. The new exhibit was featured at a grand opening on June 12, at the Providenciales branch of the Turks & Caicos National Museum. To read more about it https://www.gov.uk/government/world-location-news/wise-water-garden-opens-at-turks-and-cacios-national-museum
Brian Naqqi Manco explaining the “three sisters” crop system used by both the original Taino Indian inhabitants and again in the post-plantation era.
- Published in A Day at the National Museum, Museum News
A Different Perspective
Thursday, 12 June 2014
From May 29 to June 2, Donald Keith (Chairman of the Board) and Richard Coberly (Windward Media) were at the Museum laying the groundwork for the Jeremiah Murphy and Grand Turk Lighthouse exhibits. One of the things professional videographer’ and photographer Richard Coberly did was get a different perspective on the task. Richard kindly shared this with us: Quite often we look at things without thinking much about how we’re seeing them. As a photographer, I learned to look for a different perspective of even the most ordinary object in order to produce an interesting image. When it comes to very large things like lighthouses, that perspective is often from the air.
JR and Richard getting ready for the Mountain Air heli flight.
This is not only a great way to show the lighthouse in its larger environment, but more importantly it allows seeing the things that give it its purpose; the dangerous reefs surrounding Grand Turk. Views from above are unlike any other, and serve not only to make the lighthouse more interesting, but give it context and easily illustrate what a vital structure it is, not only now, but in the past when navigation aids were sparse and inaccurate.
Donald (left) and JR (right) getting a bird’s eye view of the reef.
To accomplish this, the weapon of choice is a helicopter, unsurpassed in its ability to get “the shot”. As someone who flies often, it’s imperative to locate a skilled pilot and trustworthy aircraft that are suited to the specific job. Enter J.R. Cousinau, pilot for Grand Turk Helicopter Adventure (www.flygrandturk.com) run by Mountain Air Helicopters. After only a few minutes, it’s easy to see the shoot is going to go great, and be entertaining as well. Following every direction and request, J.R. executed our flight without a single issue. Unlike some other resources, an excellent pilot and helicopter are at the top of the list when it comes to capturing that different perspective.
- Published in A Day at the National Museum
Children’s Club Visits Grand Turk Airport
Sunday, 25 May 2014
By Nikki Jennings
Children’s Club Coordinator
The Museum Children’s Club is always looking for new ways we can explore and learn about our islands, our history, our culture and environment. Over the years we have studied the sand on our beaches, found and measured all the cannons on Grand Turk, made a model of Front Street and so much more. Recently I started to think that we hadn’t yet explored how our islands work. What exactly do they do in the courthouse or at the dock? How does the post office get our mail and do they really have pigs on the prison farm? With this in mind, the Children’s Club has embarked on a of series outings to find out how our island works.
Our first field trip in this series was to JAGS MacCartney International Airport on May 24th. Mr. Shivago Missick, the airport manager, took us on a very informative tour. First we were given a thorough briefing on how airport security works. Security officers taught us how they do body searches and we were allowed to see what our bags look like in the scanner. In the departure lounge we learned how important it is for the runway to stay clear of animals and how migrating birds can cause serious problems to the aircraft. This being the month of May, birds are foremost on the runway supervisor’s mind. From there we walked through the international arrivals building and learned what immigration officers do and we stopped at Caicos Express where Ms. Williams gave us a little talk about tickets and boarding passes.
Children’s Club visiting the Grand Turk Airport and fire station.
Once we finished touring the airport Mr. Missick said with a big smile: “And now we are off to the most exciting part of the airport – the fire station.” Little did the children know what was in store for them. When we arrived at the fire station, which is all the way across on the other side of the runway from the terminal building, the entire staff of the fire station and two fire trucks were waiting for us.
Station Manager Charles Tipton explained to us exactly what they do if there is an emergency. We learned that no plane can land or take off if the fire station is not ready, and, if there is a fire in town and the team is off fighting a blaze, the airport is shut down for the time being. Then he pointed to the two fire trucks, explained how they work and asked if the children would like to ride in the truck! How could they resist? Thirteen children had a chance to ride the fire truck, with its siren wailing and warning lights flashing, and watch water shoot out the front nozzle. What could be more exciting than that!
You are not allowed to take photographs in any secure area of the airport, and so I was not able to take pictures of the children learning how to do body searches. But I really wanted to take a picture of the children with the fire fighters. So we stepped outside the gates and took a picture there. In the front is a fireman who very kindly accepted to put on all his gear for us, including the face mask and oxygen tank, and explained how it all worked.
Thank you to the entire staff of the airport and the fire station for having welcomed us so warmly. I am sure our visit will long be remembered. I’d also like to thank Etienne Leblanc of Caribbean Tours and Adventure for donating his bus and driver to make this excursion possible.
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The Turks and Caicos National Museum Children’s Club is open to all the children of Grand Turk between the ages of 8 and 12. We usually meet on the 2nd Saturday of each month. For more information please call 946-2160.
- Published in A Day at the National Museum, Children's Club News
