This is not because of the volunteers (hard-working and wonderful) –

nor the attractions (please — like miniature farm animals even know how to do anything besides be incredible) –

nor the entertainment (our clown also provides sno-cones and popcorn — it’s fool-proof).

Nope, this year was bonkers because we had a whopping 750 attendees.  You know how many that is?  A MILLION.

(Oh, you think that sentence didn’t make sense?  Try entertaining 750 people for 5 hours, including a woman who insists you bring in police to ensure no one cuts in line for lunch.  She is firmly holding your wrist the entire time.  Now you make your brain work.  I thought so.)

Each year, Wren’s Nest is this amazing combination of community support, gleeful small children, and fun times, with a healthy smattering of “you’re kidding me.”  In short, it earns one of the best naps of the year, period.  I might still be napping — I’m not sure.

Thanks again to everyone who helped out this year — we very literally could not do it without you.  Check out the pictures if you’ve got a minute.

It’s ticking!

Applications to be an Editor in our life-changing, summer-making, generally enjoyable, highly competitive high school publishing program are due Sunday, May 9th.

I am super pleased to report that we already have a solid number of applicants, but we’re not nearly where we want to be by next week.  So far we’ve heard back from 1/12 of the high schools we contacted.  We can kick that up to 1/6, I just know it!

So!  Please help us get the word out where we couldn’t ourselves.  This really is a great opportunity for high school students — I wouldn’t lie.  Not about anything that isn’t funny, anyways.

All information about the program, including application forms, can be found here!

The Georgia Trust has released their 2010 “Places in Peril” list and, unlike 2007′s list, the Wren’s Nest was not included.  Phew!  In fact, we were even mentioned as a success story.  (See paragraph fifteen of the AJC’s great article to be inspired.)

The list details historic sites in Georgia, from a still operating hospital (Central State Hospital in Milledgeville) to an archeological site (the Leake Archeological Site in Bartow County) that need attention, funding, and general help to stay afloat or, in many cases, existent.

The list can be a tremendous boon to the sites listed on it, though inclusion doesn’t guarantee results.  It does, however, ensure attention and awareness, also known as “half the battle” (though I might push it to about 75% of the battle).

The list features two Atlanta locations, Morris Brown College and Herndon Plaza (pictured above), both of which are manifestations of African-American success in post-civil war Atlanta.  We wrote about the Herndon Home’s troubles recently, and Morris Brown has had no shortage of local coverage of late.  Still, I hope the Places in Peril list is the boost they both need.

Not to poo-poo our Atlanta brethren, but I am completely intrigued by two other places on this list.  First, you have Capricorn Recording Studios in Macon, who we have to thank for introducing the Allman Brothers to folks outside of Macon.  Southern rock aficionados, I leave this one to you.

My real favorite is The Old Dodge County Jail, mostly because looks like it was lifted directly out of Mayberry. The only difference I can gather, other than one being fictional and all,  is the fact that the Old Dodge County Jail features a quaint “hanging room.”  If the Mayberry jail had one, let me be the first to say that it was totally underutilized on the show.

Being featured on the 2007 Places in Peril list made a huge difference to the Wren’s Nest in 2006, and I hope it has a similar effect on these worthy sites.

For reasons unknown, we just don’t have any great pictures of the house all dandified in Christmas garb.

Instead, we have these.  Man, we’re terrible!

But wait — are you also terrible?  No?  You say you object to being called terrible because you are, in fact, actually good?  I’m not convinced.

I do know how you can prove it, however.

You should come take pictures at the Wren’s Nest, during Victorian Christmas.  Then, when you send them to us, we’ll say things like, “This is fantastic!” or, at the other end of the spectrum, “This reminds me of our old pictures.”

If we’re thoroughly convinced of your talent, we’ll offer you a fine looking t-shirt in exchange for your photos.  We may even use a sharpie to write “Wren’s Nest Official Photographer” on the back.  Everyone wins.

What do you say?

Thanks for your patience with our blog; there was many a kink to be ironed out, but now everyone can be happy again.  Especially since we have Decatur Book Festival pictures for you!

This is what Lain and I look like when we’re not in front of our computers.  You know, uneasy.

As a reminder, though the pictures are posted on Facebook, you do NOT need a facebook account to view them.  Just click on this link, sit back, and enjoy.

One teeny tiny asterisk: almost all of our applications came from women.  See: all but one.  And that one?  He’s got some major scheduling conflicts that, if we’re being totally fair, should prevent his acceptance.

Thing is, we really, really, really do not want this to be a single-gender program.  A coed dynamic is key, and I fear that an all-girls program will beget an all-girls program and so on.  Yuck.

So.  What do we do?  I figure the options are:

• (a) Extend the deadline, with heavy emphasis on men
• (b) Admit the sole fella, scheduling conflicts and all
• (c) Ignore it — smart students are smart students, period

Got a better idea?  Leave your brilliance in the comments!  I’ll be lightly fretting in the meantime.

The monsoon season that Atlanta has seen this spring slowed our roll a little.

Like the yellow, the trim color is a little bit different than before –

Some of the color difference is due to weathering, but some of it is also due to our historical paint analysis, completed after the house was last painted.

The paint job has made a tremendous difference.  Here’s what one back corner used to look like –

And here’s the same area now –

If you’re using your eyes, you might notice that we now have copper drain pipes.  If you’re using your brains, you might wonder if this is a risky proposition.

I’m here to tell you — it is!  Depending on the price of copper, theft can be a serious issue.

Before, we’d had a mix of copper and galvanized piping.  We decided to install the copper pipes after much deliberation.

If the copper gets stolen, it’ll be my fault.  We’ll replace ‘em with galvanized metal, and chalk it up to stupidity, idealism, or mismanagement.  All of the above is another option, but it’s one that I’m more comfortable with than not trying at all.

Here are some rather leading questions you may have –

1. Say, isn’t copper historically accurate?
2. I could understand installing copper in a swanky neighborhood like Buckhead, but in West End?
3. Isn’t this proposition a little bit like the moral dilemma Alexander Hamilton faced when dueling with Aaron Burr?

And here are my answers –

1. You betcha.
2. I don’t think that criminals discriminate; we probably shouldn’t either.
3. Maybe a little bit, yes.*  At least at the 1:40 mark.

Anyway, copper?  What copper?  Nothing to see here.  Just new paint.

* The Wren’s Nest does not condone binge drinking, not even for the sake of history or telling a good story.  Well, maybe this one time.

The event was hosted by the Metro Atlanta Arts and Culture Coalition.

Over 160 representatives from arts and culture organizations attended.  A panel of experts spoke about how cultural groups can use more strategery in current economic times.*

Big-time speakers included –

Karen Beavor, President & CEO
Georgia Center for Nonprofits

Mary Pat Crouch, Vice President
Coxe Curry & Associates

Penny McPhee, President & Trustee
Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation

Shirley Mitchell, Senior VP, Market Development
Bank of America

All of the speakers were effective, encouraging, and (very importantly) concise.

The audience then shared their own success stories (following one man who, apparently after wandering into the wrong meeting and tuning out the entire presentation, spoke about traffic issues and asked us to make a change.  Buddy, I’m flattered you think I have that kind of pull!).

Not everything was applicable to the Wren’s Nest (our HR department is actually a squirrel out back), but what didn’t apply to us was made up for by the $1 beers, which always apply to us.  And let me tell you, arts and culture folks really know how to knock 1 or 2 back.

But enough about us.  We want to hear from you.  Please, choose a question below and answer it in the comments.

• Which strategies work for your arts organization in this economy?
• Which strategies don’t work?
• What did you think of the event?

Don’t be shy!  We’re waiting with bated breath.

*They stink.

Even better, we get to name the drink ourselves. Oh, and we get to concoct the libation, too.  But come on, we get to name it!  Score!

Unfortunately, we are not entirely the most creative folks, Lain and I.  Thus, we have come up with the following:

• Brer-tini.  It’s a martini.

Let’s try to top that.

Because you’re so smart, we thought we would pose the challenge to y’all.  The person who comes up with the best name and drink will win a bag of things collected from around our office.  There is truly no telling what this mystery prize will contain.

Here’s what we’re looking for:

1. A drink with broad appeal.
2. A drink that contains alcohol.
3. A drink that people like to order in multiples of at least 3.
4. A name that can be said with a knowing wink.
5. Something that can be easily created and served.  No zests or sprigs here, thanks.

Perhaps it’s the color of tar.  Maybe it uses Brer Rabbit molasses!  Maybe it’s green beer because you think it deserves more than St. Patty’s Day.

The world is your oyster, but it might make sense to stick to the following topics: Brer Rabbit Stories, the Briar Patch (bonus points for a Star Trek reference), Uncle Remus, or Joel Chandler Harris (who didn’t mind a drink or two himself).

Ready?  Set.  Go!

Go on, listen to it here.  I dare you.

Uh-oh: Dwindling Field Trips

The story focuses on the enormous drop in field trips taken overall these days compared to, you know, other days.  They mention that at Chicago’s Field Museum field trip* numbers dropped from 300,000 visitors to less than 200,000 visitors in about 3 years.  Yikes.

As a survival measure, museum administrators have begun designing trips specifically tailored to include skills students will be tested on in school.   They see this as an opportunity to “demonstrate relevance.”  Cool, I guess.

Others worry “the real value of museums… wonder and discovery” will be eclipsed.

Pretty legit concern if you ask me.  And tricky, either way.

The Case of the Wren’s Nest

We host a fair number of field trips here at the Wren’s Nest.  Luckily, we fit neatly into many Georgia history and literature units at the ol’ elementary schools.

However, I have a favorite field trip moment from working here, and on a scale of 1 to educational relevance, I would give it about a 3.

Perhaps you recall cramming 20 kids in our office and having them all dance to our theme song?  Oh, I do.

Sure, it probably wasn’t the most academic of moments.  But I’ll bet you anything those kids will (a) remember the Wren’s Nest fondly, and (b) not become those awful people who claim all museums are boring.  Aren’t they the worst.

But really, what our museum and so, so many others do is provide the visuals to history.  And come on — that’s so dope!  Though if it would get us another 500 visitors, I might consider chanting basic arithmetic as we tour.  But I won’t be happy about it.

Striving to Have Standards

Regardless of my personal sentiments, there’s no question that being able to link to these educational standards is important currency.  Which is why we went ahead — well, Susie, Lain’s sister went ahead — and made sure our proposed programming adhered to the Georgia Performance Standards.

You may recall our hopes to work with a local middle school, which remain well planned but unimplemented.  With Susie’s help, they’ve become quite a bit more legitimate.

Flashy Marketing

In the meantime, we can’t have schools reject us if we don’t ask them to visit.  So we recently designed a brochure specifically aimed to lure in educators.

The kind teachers we know are currently inspecting it around the clock, looking for typos.

Really, it’s not much more than a colorful (literally …not full of curses) way of answering the questions teachers and trip organizers ask most.  But our hope is that sending something eye catching will help us grab those many educators we haven’t yet reached.

Consider it a supplement to our  “be nice and hope they tell someone!” marketing strategy.

*No, but seriously guys, how awesome were field trips to the Field Museum?!  The pharoah’s tomb scared me silly.  I loved it.