Thanks to Terry Smythe for the information he provided on the
wonderful Nethercutt Collection in the MMD 02.02.09.

Tours of the Nethercutt Collection will be included in the Annual
Meeting of The Musical Box Society International (MBSI) in 2003,
which starts the evening of Wednesday August 27, and ends on Monday
September 1, 2003.

If you are not yet a member of MBSI, you can join at the web site:
http://www.mbsi.org/ .  Like all MBSI Annual Meetings, 2003 will
include workshops on mechanical music and related subjects, daily
opportunities to meet other collectors and exchange ideas, and many
other activities to enhance your knowledge and appreciation of our
hobby.  Our hotel is in downtown Long Beach (Los Angeles area), and
faces the Pacific Ocean.

Our visit to the Nethercutt Collection Museums will include a guided
tour of the collections housed in the elegant San Sylmar (Tower of
Beauty) building, including the mechanical music instrument collection,
the mighty Wurlitzer theatre organ with 5,000 pipes in 74 ranks, a
collection of antique, classic and special interest automobiles,
and other wonderful examples of functional fine art.  Many of the
instruments, including the theatre organ will be played during the
tour.

There will also be plenty of time to explore the new Nethercutt Museum
across the street which contains over 100 specialty automobiles.
There are always many unusual and fascinating vehicles to see, and the
display itself is thoughtfully arranged.  Outside the building, you can
visit the 1938 Canadian Royal Hudson locomotive and the sumptuously
decorated 1912 Pullman railcar which was custom built for the daughter
of California pioneer Lucky Baldwin.  These pieces are currently being
restored, but will be finished before our 2003 visit.

Gloria Schack
Chairman MBSI 2003 Convention, Long Beach, California