Town Hall Museum Auction

Whew, ,I hope the folks who bid on these things aren’t some of those who complain about prices at the park.

I’m excited to see the new Town Hall. Probably will be much in the vein of what John spoke of in his book.

That was enjoyable to see the results of a successful auction, especially the winning bids. Nice to see those items end up in good hands instead of wasting away.

Editorial from grumpy older guy (feel free to skip): Way back in the early 2000's, used to sell and buy memorabilia on eBay by bidding. Last couple of recent attempts have been pitiful - almost no one actually bids, mostly getting direct-messaged from re-sellers spitting out lowball buy-it-now offers. Had an gorgeous, park-used Maverick 78" 2-sided vinyl banner and it went for $82 (appraised $150-$200). I'm done with auctions.

Tip, low-value collectibles have just fallen into a value pit and I doubt they will climb back out in our lifetimes. Physically historical items just mean very little in a time when people live their entire lives in a virtual online world.

How much is something really worth when 99% of the potential buyers are only interested in making a profit on reselling an item? Without end-users, it’s just a downward spiral.

Top_Thrill_Tyler said:

They're renovating the museum for next year - a "reimagined" Town Hall was in the announcement for 2020.

Have there been any timeline updates or rumors on this project progress lately? I hadn't seen or heard anything in quite a while. I know that the initial plan was all part of the pre-COVID world timeline and many different things were impacted for many different reasons... But since all of that COVID mess Antique Cars has been removed and Farmhouse Kitchen has risen up, yet the Town Hall still sits shuttered and locked up.

Not criticizing, just wondering.

I believe there was mention of that project being on hold.

Optimistically, they don't have the staff or can't justify the labor required right now, given the state of the labor market and lingering supply chain issues, so they're focusing on projects with better ROI.

Pessimistically, the project was barely-justifiable prior to the pandemic, and less so now, so they're abandoning the project.

I miss the museum. I would rather have it back than that new Farmhouse restaurant.

I'd be content with the return of a random collection of stuff and pictures. I know it was gutted in preparation, so a lot of the old stuff is gone, and maybe even returned to the places it was on loan from, but I miss being able to drop in there as part of a day at the point. Heck, in my own mind, I'd maybe even put guest services in there, instead of in the tent out in front of it. Even if it was just a counter at the doors with a curtain behind it - it would make for a nice use of the big front porch outside, and make town hall "make sense".

Or, maybe just put down some new flooring and fixtures, and slap some indoor seating in there that can be enjoyed by anyone eating at one of the surrounding food establishments.

The most significant thing in the museum as far as I'm concerned is/was the three antique carousel horses. One of them is the armored horse whose replica rides the Kiddy Kingdom carousel (and was featured on a postage stamp in the 1980s) and another is the "haunted horse" from the former Frontier Carousel (a replica was sent to Dorney). I'm concerned about when or whether I'll be able to visit those horses again.