The Los Altos History Museum’s exhibition documenting the story of Sarah Winchester and her sister, Isabelle Merriman, “Through Thick & Thin: A Tale of Two Sisters,” closes Sunday to make way for a new show.
Originally set to end in June, the Winchester exhibition will close early to accommodate the museum’s next display, which features quilts and textiles and ties into the June 12-13 Antiques & Folk Art Show & Preview Party.
Although the exhibition is ending earlier than planned, historian Mary Jo Ignoffo, whose work is the foundation of the show, is still scheduled to discuss Winchester and her family 7 p.m. June 30 at the museum.
Set to open June 10, “By Hand: American Women with Needle & Thread” borrows its title from Kay Payne, local resident and Fine Arts Museum docent in San Francisco, whose popular lecture inspires and informs the exhibition of 150 years of quilts and textiles. The textile show is scheduled through Oct. 31, with an evening reception 7-9 p.m. June 17.
Free train tickets
The museum is giving away three pairs of tickets donated by the Golden Gate Railroad Museum for a Memorial Day weekend steam-train excursion on the Niles Canyon Railway. The trips will offer a ride on the Southern Pacific 2472, a restored steam locomotive, which is a bit larger but otherwise nearly identical to the engines that ran through early Los Altos. Enter to win at the museum or send name, address and e-mail to the museum. Winners will be announced Thursday.
The Los Altos History Museum and J. Gilbert Smith History House are located at 51 S. San Antonio Road. The museum, open noon to 4 p.m. Thursdays through Sundays, remains open until 7 p.m. every third Thursday of the month. The gardens, outdoor agricultural exhibits and picnic area are accessible at all times. Admission is free.
For information, call 948-9427 or visit www.losaltoshistory.org.
