The Empire State Theatre And Musical Instrument Museum is starting
to plan the museum exhibits at the New York State Fair, and I was
wondering if any of you out there would care to exhibit any of your
instruments in our museum ("This instrument loaned by...").  Preferably
lenders in Central New York area or just "New York State", to keep
transportation costs down, since we cannot afford to rent any instru-
ments.  We have some room for your instrument, whether it be a small
nickelodeon or Mills Violano Virtuoso (I wish!)

I am really hoping for something the public may have never seen before,
like a Wurlitzer automatic harp or a Mills Violano Virtuoso.  I've
never seen or heard a _real_ Wurlitzer Automatic Harp, but I have seen
and heard the Violanos that Art Sanders had in his Musical Museum in
Deansboro, and ever since I've wished I could own one.

I wish we were a "stronger" organization so we could purchase more
mechanical instruments but, since we are small, the proceeds (dona-
tions) go to pay the rent and to help maintain the instruments -- we
have no money to purchase nice items like nickelodeons and mechanical
instruments.  Inviting collectors to display instruments has been done
before with great success.   Art Sanders had displayed several coin
operated items in the past.  They were very popular with the fair-going
public!

Our museum, Empire State Theatre & Musical Instrument Museum (ESTMIM),
leases one of the rooms of a large exhibition building on the state
fairgrounds, year around, so we are a "resident" activity which is co-
located with the fair and its festivities.  The exhibit building and
the rooms are quite secure, and the fairgrounds is heavily guarded
around the clock.

I would be able to help with local transportation.  An expert piano
mover is a good friend of the museum; his rates are the best, and his
service (in our opinion) is second to none.

If you would like to exhibit your instrument, send me an e-mail and
hopefully we can work out something.  Your instrument will add to the
mechanical pianos we have: a National nickelodeon, and a Kohler and
Campbell player piano.  The National is working this year, and I have
high hopes I can get the dog race mechanism that is in it restored by
then!  Thanks for your help in making this years exhibit a great ending
for this millennium!

Come visit us in the "Harriet May Mills Art and Home Center" building
at the New York State Fair, 581 State Fair Blvd., Syracuse, NY 13209.
Open 10 AM to 10 PM, August 26th through September 6th.

Philip A. Edwards