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Happy Chinese New Year - Year of the Dragon

The Gregorian calendar new year has already passed, but the Chinese calendar new year begins today,(the Gregorian date of) January 23, 2012, and is the year of the Dragon. In the Chinese zodiac, each year in a repeating twelve year cycle is represented by a different animal - rat, ox, tiger, cat, dragon, snake, horse, goat, monkey, rooster, dog, pig.

 

 

Elbert Hubbard’s Chinese zodiac sign was that of the Fire Dragon. Elbert was born in 1856, and from what I have read of him, he was very much representative of the dragon sign. Here is an excerpt about the Fire Dragon from Suzanne White’s book, “The New Chinese Astrology:”

 

“...the Fire Dragon is the most attractive, charismatic creature in the Chinese Zodiac. His personal magnetism is such that people cannot leave him alone. He is bafflingly contradictory. He’s sexy and full of wisdom. He’s constantly giving advice, yet is not afraid of taking major risks or embarking on oddball campaigns to effect the impossible.

 

“Although he is always making sweeping gestures, involving himself in grandiose schemes and craving attention, he is not afraid of the criticism his behavior often affords him - it seems to fuel his ardor. His determination to dominate frequently places him in the public eye. And his earth-shaking decisions often put him on the public firing line.”

 

An important year in Elbert’s life was another “Dragon Year:” January 30,1892- February 16, 1893. This was the year he decided to end his association with the Larkin Soap Company and go to Harvard. With this in mind, Suzanne White's forecast for a dragon year for those of the dragon sign, shows how Elbert took advantage of a year when all his signs were in alignment: “The very definition of this year pleases you to death! Imagine. Your very own kingdom of a year. A twelve-month long stage on which you may cavort and dance and govern and dominate all at once. Music, maestro, please! This year will bring you certain success. You’ll find yourself at the height of some very personal and important part of your career. While fending off journalists, please remember that this is the year when you need to rethink the past twelve and plan your future. When the brouhaha dies down, take a moment to reflect on where you want to go next. You have two years to effect change or make modifications. Don’t tarry in your glory. Act now.”

 

Elbert used his dragon year well!

 

Happy Chinese and Gregorian New Years to all.

- Sue

 

New Year's Resolution to Learn Can be Achieved at the Roycroft

Was your New Year's resolution to learn something new or improve on a skill? For lovers of Arts & Crafts the RCC offers artisan classes all year long so come join other A&C fans learning from skilled artisans in small classes. You will leave with a new skill, a completed project and the satisfaction of knowing your class fee supports not only the instructor but the ongoing restoration of the Roycroft Campus. Check the RCC Web site Class information for details on classes, fees, registration information, and the latest schedule.

 

- Sue

 

 

Merry Christmas From the Past

Christmas tree delivery in 1911.

You should all be snug in your homes with your holiday decorations in place.

Merry Christmas to You and Yours from the RCC!

- Sue

Remember to Fletcherize this Thanksgiving!

This Thanksgiving I will once again be enjoying my dinner at the Roycroft Inn. I love seeing all the families and generations coming together in such a cozy, welcoming place, over delicious food.

 

Since I will be at the Roycroft, the wooden placard overhead in the dining room will remind me to fletcherize, but those of you dining elsewhere, please remember to practice what Dr. Horace Fletcher preached: chew your food well!

 

Have a lovely Thanksgiving!

 

- Sue 

Groundhog’s Day and New Year’s Eve Rolled into One

February 2nd, 2011 is not only Groundhog’s Day, it is also Chinese New Year’s Eve. So not only will we find out how soon this very snowy winter will end, but you can renew your New Year’s resolutions if you happened to have fallen off the wagon since January 1st.

      Elbert Hubbard believed in second chances - he would hire ex-cons to work at the Roycroft and allowed employees to try different jobs until they found the right fit - so I am sure he would give you a reprieve on your resolutions; especially if you had resolved to become a member of the RCC!

     See membership information on the Web site or call the Roycroft Copper Shop at 716-655-0261.

 

- Sue

A Roycroft New Year

January is when many of us resolve to be healthier in the new year. We pick up the latest nutrition and exercise publications to make sure we do it right. Perhaps we would be wiser to look backward in time, say the late 1890's, for our health coach. At the Roycroft, Elbert Hubbard insisted on daily exercise breaks for employees, organized team sports, and provided organic farm grown food, regular music and lectures, creating a regimen that nourished the physical body and stimulated the mind. Be a modern day Roycrofter and strive to give your life this sort of  balance this year. You will be satisfying your body and soul. 

 

- Sue

 

Christmas Past at the Roycroft

 'Tis the season for making memories and remembering Christmases past. Memories are fleeting and special moments are lost if the stories are not shared with the next generation. Luckily we have people like Rachelle Moyer Francis and the Young Yorkers Club of Eggert Elementary to thank for capturing memories of Aurora and the Roycroft through interviews with Aurora's elders. The following quotes are Christmas memories of individuals who either were Roycrofters themselves or children of Roycrofters.These are short excerpts from the book Talk Less, Listen More, Visiting With Aurora's Elders by the Young Yorkers Club of Eggert Elementary and published by Rachelle Moyer Francis, available at the Copper Shop.

". . .they had a big Christmas tree in the court at the Inn and it was all decorated with mittens and sweaters and scarves and all kinds of things that people could use."

- Muriel Jennings Case, memories of circa 1908

". . .the only time I was at the Roycroft, was either to play down there as a child, that would have been on the outside, or for the Christmas party, I told about that I caught whooping cough from the child next to me and almost died. The Roycroft had a Christmas party for the employees, I remember the ice cream, I remember the presents, . . . I think I do remember her (his mother)telling me about the child coughing in the booth next to me and I caught the whooping cough from her."

- Charles Lee, memories of circa 1917

"It was a congenial bunch, we always had many good times, and it was more like a family affair than it was a working crowd. . . I remember we had Christmas parties, dances, and for Christmas presents, he (Elbert II) always gave the men gloves."

- Mary Lefler Bailey, memories of circa 1918

"At Christmas time, we always had a Christmas dinner, always at the inn. Turkey dinner. That was our big event."

- Bessie Fox, memories of circa 1927

        Make some Roycroft memories of your own this holiday season. Come to the Inn for a holiday meal with your guests from out of town. Tour the Campus - always picture postcard pretty in the snow - or come into the Copper Shop to pick up a special holiday gift or memento for you to remember your visit.

Merry Christmas to All and to All a Happy New Year!

-Sue

Roycroft Goodie Box

A popular Roycroft Holiday Item in the early 1900’s was the “Goodie Box”. This handcrafted wooden box was approximately 2 feet long, 1 foot high and 10” wide and was filled with an assortment of foodstuffs from the Roycroft Farms - sausage, nuts, honey, maple sugar, cheese, jam - and sold for only $10. The advertising slogan for the box was “From Farm to Family”.

This bargain box is no longer made in mass quantities. Instead, the Roycrofters At Large Artisans do one “Goodie Box” annually as a raffle fund raiser. One of the woodworking artisans makes the box in their own design. This year's wooden Goodie Box is being made by Tom Bojanowski, Master Roycroft Renaissance Artisan. The contents are items also crafted by the Roycroft Renaissance Artisans. This year's Goodie Box was unveiled for the first time at the Roycroft Winter Festival, Dec. 5th & 6th. The box next goes to Roycroft Antiques (on the Roycroft Campus) for display until the Roycroft Summer Festival where it will be raflled on Sunday, June 26th. Raffle tickets can be purchased at Roycroft Antiques.  

You can see an original, antique Goodie Box at the Roycroft Copper Shop Gallery, 31 South Grove Street, East Aurora, where you will find plenty of other artisan "goodies" to buy as holiday gifts.

 

- Sue

'Tis the Roycroft Season - Come to the Roycroft Winter Festival!

The Roycroft Winter Festival is this Saturday and Sunday, December 4th & 5th at the East Aurora Middle School, 430 Main Street. More than 30 artisans juried by the Roycrofters At Large Association will be in attendance selling a variety of decorative arts; everything from fine wood working to jewlery and hammered copper. The festival is open from 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. each day and admission is $1 per person.

The Roycroft Copper Shop Gallery one block away (31 South Grove Street) across from the Roycroft Inn will also be open both days 10 a.m.- 5 p.m. The Copper Shop Gallery features one-of-a-kind pieces by RALA Artisans as well as books, stationery and the ever popular Roycroft coffee mugs and wine glasses. So be sure to stop by for more holiday shopping.

 

- Sue

November - Native American Heritage Month and Thanksgiving

       At this time of year when Americans get ready to tuck into their Thanksgiving holiday dinners, I would like to remind them that November is also Native American Heritage month. 

       The Roycroft has several connections to Native American culture. Elbert Hubbard’s son, Ralph, was very interested in Native American culture. He went out west in the 1920's to learn more firsthand and later invited Boy Scout Troops to his ranch where he taught them  Native American dances and culture. Today’s Kwahadi Dance group is a direct descendant of Ralph Hubbard’s early work.

       Another link between Native American culture and the Roycroft is the fact that the American Arts and Crafts Movement (of which the Roycroft was a part) was heavily influenced by Native American decorative arts. Authentic Navajo rugs and ceramics were often used in Arts and Crafts interiors and A&C designers were inspired by the colors and shapes in Native American designs.

        A Native American ritual you may wish to honor this Thanksgiving holiday is the Seneca Nation Thanksgiving Address. Many non-native Americans are not aware of this Iroquois address which is over 1,000 years old; passed on from generation to generation in the oral tradition. This address gives thanks for everything we are given from the ground to the sky and is spoken at the opening and closing of all ceremonial and governmental gatherings held by the six Iroquois nations throughout the year. You will find both a written English translation and a spoken Haudenosaunee audio recording of the address at the Seneca Nation Indian Web site.

 May your Thanksgiving be filled with thanks, love and respect,

-Sue