Hot prospect
Ever wonder what it's like to be a firefighter?
You can get a feeling for the job - and how it's changed over time - at the Wenham Museum's special summer exhibition, "Rescue Me! Fighting Fire In America."
Visitors can feel the weight of a firefighter's uniform and time themselves as they hook up a fire hose and travel through an obstacle course to perform a rescue.
They can learn about America's great fires and how advances in technology led to fire prevention, improved building construction, and changes in the role of fire departments.
And, they can get insight into the history behind the traditions of Dalmatians in the firehouse and the playing of bagpipes. The exhibit includes historic and contemporary apparel and equipment, artifacts, and hands-on activities.
The Rescue Roundup day is June 28 from 4 to 8 p.m. It includes a collection of antique fire engines from Beverly, Hamilton, Wenham, Middleton, Newbury, and Rowley. Visitors can climb aboard contemporary fire and rescue trucks, participate in water races, and enjoy ice cream sundaes.
Preschool-age children can participate in "Our Firefighting Friends," a tour of the exhibit with museum educators, on Wednesday and on Aug. 21. They also can make a fire engine to take home. Older children can attend, "Hot Fires, Cool Movies," Aug. 21.
978-468-2377 or wenhammuseum.org.
BEST AUCTION EVER: Artrageous!22, an auction of fine art, recently raised $235,000 for student scholarships at Montserrat College of Art in Beverly, making it the college's most successful auction to date.
The event had more art than ever. Barbara Moody of Beverly, a Montserrat faculty member, former dean, and vice president whose work is exhibited nationally, was featured artist.
The auction was chaired by Mark Glovsky, of Glovsky & Glovsky of Beverly, and his wife, Livia Cowan, owner of Mariposa giftware in Manchester-by-the-Sea.
CHILDREN'S MUSEUM MOVE: After nearly 25 years in Portsmouth, N.H., the Children's Museum has closed its doors in preparation for its expansion and move to Dover, N.H., in mid-July.
The new museum will have triple the space, several new exhibits, and better amenities for visitors. Its scenic setting on the banks of the Cocheco River in downtown Dover will include a playground, picnic tables, and parking. It will be fully accessible with an elevator and ramp system, and include a snack room, storage space for strollers and coats, and spaces for school visits, performances, and birthday parties.
Favorite exhibits from Portsmouth will move to Dover. New exhibits will include "Build It, Fly It," a high space for aerodynamics; "The Cochecosystem," waterfront exploration of rivers and mills; and "One World," a multiseensory exploration of cultures. 603-436-3853 or childrens-museum.org.
AUTHOR'S CORNER: Nancy Clark discusses her newest book, "July and August," at Water Street Bookstore in Exeter, N.H., at 7 p.m. Thursday. The novel follows members of a large New England clan as they gather at the homestead one memorable summer. . . . Mark Kurlansky reads from his new book, "The Last Fish Tale: The Fate of the Atlantic and Survival in Gloucester, America's Oldest Fishing Port and Most Original Town," at Jabberwocky Bookshop in Newburyport at 7 p.m. Friday. The book is about fishing - how it defined Gloucester for centuries and how it is disappearing.
IN LOCAL GALLERIES: From dories bobbing in the water, to fields of sunflowers, garden blooms, and working farms, Tammy Tolosko of Newburyport finds inspiration all around. The result is photographs, watercolor paintings, and charcoal drawings of New England, some of which are on display at the GAR Memorial Library in West Newbury through June 30. Tolosko, who has a degree in graphic design from the University of Massachusetts at Lowell, is also a passionate gardener. . . . "In the Garden," an exhibit of drawings and paintings Thursday through Aug. 7, by Elissa Della-Piana, celebrates the opening of her new gallery at 152R Main St., Wenham. . . . . Art by students at Bessie Buker Elementary School in Wenham, and Eastern Point Day School and the Pathways for Children Head Start Program, both in Gloucester, is exhibited in the education room at Cape Ann Museum in Gloucester through June 30.
Send items to wdkilleen@gmail.com, photos, as jpeg attachments, to globenorth@globe.com. 