Maridon Museum gallops toward Year of the Horse
With the Year of the Horse trotting ever closer, Butler’s Maridon Museum put the “neigh” in neighborhood at its Chinese New Year celebration Friday evening, Feb. 6.
Dozens gathered to celebrate the upcoming holiday at the museum, which primarily focuses on Chinese and Japanese art. The night’s celebration included food, drinks, live music and an activity.
Roxann Booser, director of the museum, said this year’s Chinese New Year is set for Feb. 17. She said the first day of the new year fluctuates as it is determined by the lunar phases, hence its other name, Lunar New Year.
While last year featured a scavenger hunt, this year, attendees were tasked with solving a murder mystery. In the corner of one of the rooms, caution tape cordoned off a chalk outline.
Throughout the rest of the museum, different pieces of art had an attached “alibi” that offered keywords to solve a crossword puzzle. Once the puzzle was solved, the name of the culprit was revealed.
Participants who correctly solved the puzzle were entered into a raffle for other prizes.
Booser said the Chinese New Year is celebrated widely across Asian cultures, especially in China, Vietnam and Japan.
“Their calendar is on a 12-year cycle represented by animals,” she said. “They say the Jade Emperor challenged the animals by saying ‘the first 12 to cross the river to my castle will be in my 12-year calendar.’”
She said the legend goes the rat cheated its way to victory by working with the ox before jumping off its back at the finish line.
She said the museum used to host its Chinese New Year celebration at the country club, but decided to switch it out for a Harvest Moon Festival in the early fall. However, the museum decided to bring it back as a smaller ceremony at the museum itself.
One attendee, Jack Fruehstorfer, came to the event with his wife, who has been involved with the museum for 20 years. He said even after visiting frequently, he never gets tired of looking at the art.
“If you have any appreciation at all, it has to be for the craftsmanship. I look at them and marvel at how anybody could have the patience to sit down and do that. You had to learn the skill to do that,” he said.
His wife and museum docent Carole Fruehstorfer said even after two decades, she still notices new details or pieces of art all the time.
“People will come in and point something out that I have not noticed. You can come in here and spend oodles of time and not even see it all,” she said.
While the events offer some proceeds for the museum, Booser said donations are the primary way the museum survives. She said people can donate either online or at the museum.
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Horse-head statues dot The Maridon Museum during their Chinese New Year Celebration event Friday, Feb. 6. Matthew Brown/Butler Eagle
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Linda Elawar works on solving a murder mystery at The Maridon Museum's Chinese New Year Celebration event Friday, Feb. 6. Matthew Brown/Butler Eagle
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Attendees of The Maridon Museum's Chinese New Year Celebration event eat and mingle Friday, Feb. 6. Matthew Brown/Butler Eagle
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Herb Nichol, center, mingles with other guests at The Maridon Museum's Chinese New Year Celebration event Friday, Feb. 6. Matthew Brown/Butler Eagle
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Jordan Grady, left, and Ed Natali, center, chat with other guests at The Maridon Museum's Chinese New Year Celebration event Friday, Feb. 6. Matthew Brown/Butler Eagle
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Attendees of The Maridon Museum's Chinese New Year Celebration event work to solve a murder mystery by looking for clues throughout the museum Friday, Feb. 6. Matthew Brown/Butler Eagle
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Ila Lombardo, left, and Allen Kitchen, right, work on solving a murder mystery at The Maridon Museum's Chinese New Year Celebration event Friday, Feb. 6. Matthew Brown/Butler Eagle
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Courtney McElravy, right, explains how to gather clues for the murder mystery at The Maridon Museum's Chinese New Year Celebration event Friday, Feb. 6. Matthew Brown/Butler Eagle
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Guests at The Maridon Museum's Chinese New Year Celebration event enjoy a buffet of food Friday, Feb. 6. Matthew Brown/Butler Eagle
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Lou Grenci examines museum artifacts at The Maridon Museum's Chinese New Year Celebration event Friday, Feb. 6. Matthew Brown/Butler Eagle
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Guests arrive at The Maridon Museum's Chinese New Year Celebration event Friday, Feb. 6. Matthew Brown/Butler Eagle
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Attendees of The Maridon Museum's Chinese New Year Celebration event work to solve a murder mystery by looking for clues throughout the museum Friday, Feb. 6. Matthew Brown/Butler Eagle
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Musician Skye Burkett plays live music during The Maridon Museum's Chinese New Year Celebration event Friday, Feb. 6. Matthew Brown/Butler Eagle
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Museum Director Roxann Booser speaks with Martha and Paul Eberhardt at The Maridon Museum's Chinese New Year Celebration event Friday, Feb. 6. Matthew Brown/Butler Eagle
