MMD -- With all the talk about donating to a museum, etc., I would
like to announce that my museum is looking for a donation.  Any simple
player would do.

We currently have an old two-manual reed organ with a crank on the
side.  Families really enjoy this organ -- one child cranks and one
plays.   Before hurricane Katrina we had a few good leads on getting
a good player from New Orleans.

We are looking for a piano with decent mechanics and pneumatics (or
solenoids).  The player's cabinet or key board condition is not an
issue; we plan to put Plexiglas over the keyboard and will probably
automate the roll drive with an auto rewind.  It will be played
everyday and well-maintained.

Our museum is not a non-profit organization, rather it is a family-run
museum that is open everyday.  Before Katrina we were actually not
losing money; things are real slow now, but we are looking forward to
the holidays.

The UCM Museum (www.ucmmuseum.com) is in historic Abita Springs,
Louisiana, one hour north of New Orleans.  We charge a $3 admission;
it has been described as "a poor man's Believe It or Not Museum."
The museum survived Katrina but my home is another story.

Thanks,
John Preble
Abita Springs, Louisiana
john@ucmmuseum.com
http://www.ucmmuseum.com/ 

P.S.: I am writing this from "Katrina land" and I encourage everyone
outside the area to come see the destruction.  This was the biggest
natural disaster to hit the USA and it is now very accessible.  Come,
fly in, rent a car and gawk.  People who don't see this have no idea
of the devastation.  Most of New Orleans and the Mississippi Gulf Coast
(near the coastline) is basically gone or else flooded by eight feet of
very dirty water.  I write this not looking for pity -- I'm just trying
to educate and bring my friends up to speed.  The first words of most
people who come are, "I had no idea it was this bad!"