A mid-century celebration at the Seashore Trolley Museum.
The visitors come to see the restored trolley cars from almost every major city in the United States and from around the world. They come to take a ride along the mile or so of track that was built by volunteers, or to hike along the Kennebunkport Conservation Trust’s Smith trail system that crosses the property.
Some visitors are local, taking advantage of one of the only nearby museums that offers ample parking and is pet-friendly. Some are there with a bus group, touring the oldest and largest trolley museum that was founded in
1939 by a group of college-aged men from Boston who bought a car that was about to be scrapped because they just liked trolleys.
On Friday, about 150 people will get to see a different side of the museum at its annual gala, which is focused on the 1960s and titled
“Martinis and Mad Men: A
Mid-Century Evening and
Dinner.”
“Martinis and Mad Men” will run from 6-10 p.m. and feature transit cars from the ’60s, along with a raffle, music from the period and a costume contest.
Executive Director Sally Bates organized the event. That included choosing which cars to show off and how to arrange them inside and outside the event barn and pine grove area where the gala will take place.
“We’ve got a different sort of turnout for a themed event” as opposed to a normal day, said Bates. “You really do get transported back.”
While it is a fundraising gala, Bates sees a deeper purpose.
“No museum I’m aware of can meet its operating costs with just tickets,” said Bates. “But even more important is the awareness it creates.”
The Seashore Trolley Museum – technically named the New England Electric Railway Historical Society – curates more than just trolley cars. It has a broader goal to “collect, restore, preserve, exhibit, interpret and demonstrate the operation of significant transit vehicles,” according to its 75th anniversary booklet.
Bates said the museum is more focused on maintaining its current collection than expanding it.
“We haven’t been able to restore them all, but at least we’ve gotten them here and prevented them from being destroyed,” she said.
Transit vehicles are brought to the museum by train, truck and even boat, as the collection includes cars from Japan, New Zealand, Australia and Hungary.
Restoration of the cars is done on-site, with priority levels determined by individuals or groups interested in specific projects and the means to fund them.
Each restoration costs around $100,000 per vehicle, and some cars, such as the museum’s famed Golden Chariot, have been restored multiple times.
“Because they’re antiques, they’re a little temperamental,” said Bates. “They need maintenance all the time.”
Fully-restored cars are stored under cover in barns, while the rest are typically outside, stored by the tracks under tarps as they await restoration.
The museum relies heavily on volunteers to keep everything running smoothly. It currently has many people helping out with everything from running the trolley rides to cleaning out the display barns.
Volunteers from Waban in Sanford, an organization that helps people with special needs, are especially involved with keeping the facilities spotless, and many local businesses sponsor small gardens around the museum.
Bates says that level of support “doesn’t just happen” – it takes a lot of networking and giving back in return.
“Like all museums, it’s hard … many of our members have gotten older,” said Bates. “We try to think about how to be good community members. That’s the kind of inclusion that’s so important.”
Typically, the museum is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily from Memorial Day through Columbus Day. It operates rain and shine; only thunder puts a stop to the trolley rides.
After Columbus Day, the museum closes, then reopens for three weekends during Kennebunkport Prelude in December.
Tickets for “Martinis and Mad Men” are $55, which includes a 1960s-style barbecue dinner catered by Ned’s Bakes and BBQ. Tickets must be reserved in advance. Call 967-2800, ext. 101 or 111; email director@neerhs.org; or visit the “Special Events” page of trolleymuseum.org.
Comments are not available on this story.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
