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Waltham Food, Wine & Craft Beer Festival
Mar
30
5:30 PM17:30

Waltham Food, Wine & Craft Beer Festival

Eventbrite - Waltham Food, Wine & Craft Beer Festival 2017

The Charles River Museum of Industry & Innovation invites you to attend the 25th Annual Waltham Food & Wine Festival to be held on Thursday, March 30, 2017. 

Hosted at the luxurious Westin Waltham Hotel, hundreds of guests from the Waltham and MetroWest area will enjoy an elegant evening of food, wine, music, and surprises.

Guests will enjoy the delicious cuisine of over 30 great Waltham restaurants. 

A bounty of fine wines and craft beers, served by the sommeliers of Gordon’s Liquors, will complement the cuisine. This event brings together music, culinary arts, local celebrities, and amazing innovations. 

All proceeds from the 25th Annual Waltham Food & Wine Festival benefit the Charles River Museum of Industry & Innovation, its exhibits and educational programs. 

Eventbrite - Waltham Food, Wine & Craft Beer Festival 2017

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The Charles River Museum of Industry & Innovation is dedicated to preserving and explaning our industrial heritage, and encouraging future innovation in America. We do this through the interpretation of our collection and the presentation of high quality educational programs that explore the historical impact of industry on American culture, and examine the dynamic process of innovation.

The Charles River Museum of Industry & Innovation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.

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Jun
2
5:30 PM17:30

Spirit of Innovation Award Gala

The Third Annual Spirit of Innovation Award will be presented by the Trustees of the Charles River Museum of Industry & Innovation on June 2, 2016 to the Nichols Family, a storied clan descended from legendary engineer/machinist W.H. Nichols who established his eponymous company in Waltham in 1904. Nicknamed “Accurate Nichols” for his exacting standards, W.H.’s lifelong motto was “Anything Almost Right is Wrong.” 

Later known as W.H. Nichols and Sons, the company built its well-earned reputation for precision manufacturing by successfully developing production capabilities for IBM, DuPont, and other companies and inventors whose products were theretofore believed to require machining tolerances too exact to be mass produced.  Their manufacturing excellence earned W.H. Nichols & Sons a remarkable five “E Awards” (no company ever earned more than six) for particularly outstanding wartime production excellence helping to defeat the World War II Axis Powers. 

W.H. Nichols and his family were also known for their love of recreation. Outdoor enthusiasts with a tennis court and swimming pool, they were especially fond of boating, with a boathouse on the Charles River. In the 1930s the family launched their new boat, the White Swan, in the Charles, a nod to a paddlewheel steamer of the same name that used to carry passengers from the Moody Street Bridge to Auburndale in the 1870s. 

During World War II the family opened their boathouse to Nichols Company employees and formed baseball and softball teams to provide an outlet for shop workers during a very pressured time. Rowing was a major pastime; there was even an 8-person shell on loan from Wellesley College for the women workers. 

Steam engines were a great hobby of the Nichols men. W.H. is seen here on "Ella Cinders," a "live steam" model locomotive he built that ran on a track around the company property and was a popular attraction with local children. 

The Nichols were also known for their fair and equal treatment of their employees, supporting churches and temples alike. They also made great civic contributions to the community including funding a new wing at Waltham Hospital. Years later, around the time the company was sold to Parker Hannifin Corporation, they seeded the Charles River Museum of Industry & Innovation’s collection with many exceptional artifacts, among them the beloved “Engine 1,” Waltham’s first fire engine, which W.H. had purchased from the City and restored as a centerpiece of the company’s own Museum. 

As W.H. Nichols & Sons thrived as a company across generations of family leadership, so, too, did the Nichols family grow and thrive, living rich and varied lives that have woven a tapestry of extraordinary and delightful stories worth sharing. 

The Charles River Museum of Industry & Innovation and its Trustees are delighted to be presenting the W.H. Nichols family with the Museum’s Third Annual Spirit of Innovation Award at a Gala to be held in their honor at the Museum on Thursday evening, June 2, 2016. A special Nichols Family exhibit will be unveiled at the Museum that evening as well, exploring the company’s and the family’s extraordinary history, their inspiring contributions to industry and community. 

Schedule of Events:

5:30pmCocktails & Hors d’Oeuvres in the Main Gallery

6:30pmSeating and Buffet Dinner Begins in the Jackson Room 

7:15pmAward Program in the Jackson Room 

Tickets to the 2016 Spirit of Innovation Award Gala are $50 and available for purchase now at Eventbrite.

Eventbrite - Third Annual Spirit of Innovation Award Gala

For further information, please email info@charlesrivermuseum.org anytime. 

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InstaMeet at the Charles River Museum!
Jan
23
2:30 PM14:30

InstaMeet at the Charles River Museum!

Hear ye, hear ye, all ye local Instagrammers! 

The historic Charles River Museum of Industry & Innovation is wonderfully photogenic, featuring so many interesting artifacts and angles—and great light!

Come capture the beauty for yourself in community at our first InstaMeet on Saturday, January 23, 2016 from 2:30pm-4:00pm.

Museum Admission for this InstaMeet is free (but donations will be gratefully accepted!).

The hashtag for this event is #instameetcrmiiwaltham, but be sure to add the #instameet hashtag, too!

Eventbrite - InstaMeet at the Charles River Museum

Please share this announcement to your social networks to help us spread the word!

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