Beginnings

The Montshire's Magic Carpet Luncheon program is almost as old as the Museum itself. It began in 1980 after a notice appeared in the Valley News asking for fundraising ideas for "a small museum located in a former bowling alley in Hanover."

The idea of a monthly travelogue and luncheon came from Freda Stephens who had visited a similar program at the South Shore Natural Science Center in Norwell, Massachusetts.

Early Days

As Freda tells it, the early days of the Magic Carpet program were humble: "Alice Jackson got $200 for start-up money; Julia Fifield arranged for the committee to borrow dishes and flatware from the Orford Boat Club; the Hanover Fire Department loaned their folding chairs on luncheon days; committee members brought in 14 card tables each time; Joan Waltermire designed a Magic Carpet logo for the group; and Ellie Prescott made matching tablecloths and napkins."

Mondays were chosen for the presentations, as that was the only day the Museum was closed and all available space could be utilized. Local residents with slides of foreign travels offered their time and talents as presenters. Committee members took turns coordinating each luncheon, working closely with the speaker to ensure that the menu was authentic to the country being featured.

The first series began in November of 1980 and ran through April. It was a challenge to serve lunch without a kitchen or dining room. Food was prepared in members' kitchens and brought hot to long tables in the exhibition area where the plates were prepared and served by the Magic Carpet "waitresses."

When the program was finished, the committee whisked in tables from the hallway, and guests re-seated seated themselves. If it was a bit chaotic, nobody seemed to mind. After each luncheon, committee members washed the dirty dishes and linens at home and returned them clean, ready for the next luncheon."

Celebrating 30 Years

The Magic Carpet program, like the Museum itself, has evolved over the past thirty years. Although the cooking is still done at home, the "new" Montshire, which opened in 1989, provides a full-service kitchen and a large community room where guests no longer have to move their chairs to be served. Between 85 and 100 guests now enjoy each luncheon.

One of the longest running traditions at the Montshire, Magic Carpet continues to attract new friends and members to the Museum with that same spirit of discovery and adventure that characterizes everything at the Montshire.