Owl Light Outings~A Wireless Museum, and a wine tasting too
A small portion of the large and well curated exhibition space. Photo D.E. Bentley
So much of what we take for granted today has been made possible by the wonder of wireless technology. Many of the current generation, especially the youngest ones, have no comprehension that some people living today hold memories of a time when “talking” radio and TV were novelties, and cell phones and computers – at least as we know them today – were futuristic hypotheticals. I can only image the excitement around the first public radio broadcasts and those early years huddled around radios. I remember building a kit radio when I was a kid and still recall my wonder at hearing the voices on my constructed contraption – basically a box of electrical components that captured radio waves flying through the air and converted them back into sound. Radio is at the heart of many now commonplace and expanding communication technologies including Internet, cellphones (mobile phones), and RFID (radio frequency identification) chips.
This exciting and fascinating history of wireless technology is being preserved and curated at the Wireless Museum in Bloomfield, NY, as this dedicated group of enthusiasts and educators continue their mission “to preserve and share the history of technology used to communicate and entertain from the first telegram to today’s wireless text messaging.” There is something at the museum for everyone – young or young at heart, including my generation, which harbors pleasant memories of transistor radios (they have a large collection), afterschool entertainment television, and the advent of the Walkman (which came out the year I graduated high school – not so long ago at all!). During a recent stop in at the museum, we spoke briefly with Antique Wireless Association Director, Bob Hobday. He shared with us a memory from a class of elementary students who had visited the museum. When shown the earliest cell phone, a student could not understand that there was no screen for texting – and then there is the size change with our modern day cellular distractions. (The first cell phone call was made in 1973).
The museum’s varied exhibits cover all aspects of Radio and telegraph, from the 1800s to today. Exhibits include a huge Voice of America shortwave transmitter, a reconstruction of the communications room of the Titanic and the world’s first prototype cell phone. There are working examples of telegraphs, TVs, record players, transistors, clock radios ,and so much more.
The collection is very large and indescribably well curated. The volunteers provide hour or so long tours (really the only practical way to explore the vast collection on the first visit through, given the size and scope) as well as classes and entertaining educational lectures.
On our first, all too brief visit – we will return soon to explore more – we had the opportunity to hear about another aspect of history, a surprisingly fun and well-attended talk on the Finger Lakes Wine Industry and Wine Tasting – by Will Ouweleen of O-Neh-Da and Eagle Crest Vineyards (on Hemlock Lake). O-Neh-Da was established in 1872 – when wireless technologies were in their infancy – to produce natural, pure grape wines from grapes grown right here in the Finger Lakes. That mission continues with a working wine museum powered by the sun – complete with a Solar Walk to take in the beauty of the area. Ouweleen shared samples of their various wines with the assembled group while sharing his knowledge of the wine making process and wine industry in the region, beginning with the earliest use of native wild grapes for fermented beverages, followed by a discussion of the earliest importation of European grape varieties and leading up to the newest varieties being developed and grown for winemaking in New York State. It was a lively talk with great audience participation, as we tasted some of their current wines, including Midnight Moon, Yummy, Unoaked Chardonnay, Dry Riesling, and Medium-Dry Riesling.
The talk was part of the Wireless Museum’s bi-monthly After Hours at the Museum series, held on Wednesday evenings from 7:30-9pm. Light refreshments are served and the admission ticket allows visitors to explore the museum ($10 for adults, $5 for AWA members; advance purchase suggested).
The remaining presentations for 2019 are: The History of WHAM Radio – by Ed Gable, AWA Curator Emeritus, September 18, 2019 and Tourism in the Finger Lakes – by Valerie Knoblauch, President and CEO, Finger Lakes Visitor Connection, November 20, 2019.
As part of AWA’s STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) initiatives to introduce and engage students in the STEM related studies, AWA also offers a series of Radio Fab Lab courses at the Antique Wireless Museum.
The AWA Museum is located at 6925 Routes 5 & 20 just East of the intersection with Route 444 on the South side.
Hours are Tuesdays 10 am to 3 pm and Saturdays 1 pm to 5 pm except when New Year, Easter, Fourth of July and Christmas fall on a Tuesday or Saturday. The Adult Admission Fee is $10; Seniors, Active Military and Veterans are $9; Kids and Teens are Free and AWA Members are Free (anyone can join).
www.antiquewireless.org/ or www.facebook.com/antiquewirelessmuseum
If you need to make telephonic contact with the AWA Museum, call (585)257-5119.
Eagle Crest and O-Neh-Da vineyards are at 7107 Vineyard Road, Conesus-on-the-Lake, NY.
They can be found at FaceBook.com/EagleCrestWines or at https://www.eaglecrestvineyards.com/
If you are planning a visit, well worth the trip, you can give them a call at: 800-977-7117. You can order their wines online with free shipping.