National Museum of the American Indian drummer demostrates Taino culture

Perhaps you clambered aboard a historic wooden tugboat dating back to 1930, pocketed a souvenir ticker tape from a working 1870 Edison stock ticker, or learned the ins and outs of riveting, the method used for constructing steel skyscrapers like the Empire State and Chrysler Buildings. These and other activities greeted festivalgoers at the History and Heritage Family Fun Day, which took place this past Sunday at the World Financial Center's Winter Garden.

Lower Manhattan's history -- as America's first capital, entry point for millions of immigrants, the center of world finance -- sets it apart from any other part of the city. So rich and so varied is this history that it should come as no surprise that more than a dozen downtown cultural institutions celebrate and exhibit it year round. But for one day only, 14 institutions gathered together beneath the Winter Garden's palm trees to provide an exciting sampling of the many splendors they each offer.

Children played an active role in the day's events

The South Street Seaport Museum docked a 70-year-old tugboat just outside the Winter Garden, providing tours as well as maritime craft activities and wood-carving demonstrations. The Museum of American Financial History handed out replica antique stock certificates and ticker tapes while providing hourly show-and-tell exhibits featuring some of the museum's most interesting and important items. And the Skyscraper Museum, which moved into its new Lower Manhattan home in April 2004, featured present-day ironworkers using original tools from the 1930s -- including a forge, tongs, and a pneumatic gun -- demonstrating just what it took to construct some of the city's most celebrated buildings.

But that was just the beginning. There was also Klemzer music and an introduction to Yiddish, put on by the Museum of Jewish Heritage. The National Museum of the American Indian Smithsonian Institution gave a presentation of Taino Indian culture, showcasing the native fruits, vegetables, and musical instruments used by the people who met Columbus more than 500 years ago. And traditional lion dances performed by Fong's Hung Ga Lion Dance Team showcased some of the traditions celebrated at the Museum of Chinese in the Americas.

And rounding out the presentations put on by each participating institution, there also was a live performance by the New York Goofs, a physical comedy troupe that pays tribute through its acts to P.T. Barnum, the circus legend who ran his own Lower Manhattan museum from 1841 to 1865. The Goofs 40-minute presentation, featuring comedy, unusual characters, and musical instruments, was sponsored by the Alliance for Downtown New York.

Festivalgoers treated to live musical performances	Comedy troupe New York Goofs entertains the crowd	Kids create masterpieces while learning about traditions and cultures of the past

To learn more about the various institutions represented at the History and Hertitage Family Fun Day, please consult these archived LowerManhattan.info stories, providing more information about past and present exhibits at participating cultural institutions:

• "Skyscraper Museum Opens in Its New Downtown Home," April 2, 2004
• "Sowing the Arts in Lower Manhattan," January 29, 2004
• "Museum Crafts Safe Harbor for Seaport Artifacts," March 18, 2003
• "Museum Honors NYPD's First Black Commissioner," February 18, 2003
• "Buy a Piece of American History in Lower Manhattan," February 13, 2003
• "NYC Police Museum: From Fingerprints to Firearms," November 4, 2002
• "Opening Doors and Minds at the Tenement Museum," October 22, 2002 
• "Financial History Museum Strikes High Notes," October 17, 2002
• "9-11 Firefighter Memorial at NYC Fire Museum," September 20, 2002
• "Mexican Art at the Smithsonian," September 4, 2003