Lizzie Borden Society Forum

Calling All Mutton Eaters! The date for the next Fall River gathering will be April 24-25 weekend, 2009.

Some of the weekend events have already been arranged, with some surprises yet to come.

Friday: Trip to Dedham to visit Lizzie's beloved Boston Bull Terriers

Stop over at Wheaton College to see Emma's alma mater
7 p.m. Annual Mutton Eaters' Banquet and Awards /entrees will be preordered this year, reducing cost and waiting time at the Abbey Grille.


Saturday may include a tour of Oak Grove or a side trip to Marion, Madhatter's Tea Party at 5 p.m. (prizes for most original hat) and evening presentations at the house. Some timing experiments and other reports on research projects will be shared.
Sunday morning: Breakfast and trip to the First Congregational Church

I will publish a list of B&B's in the area, and motels so when the house fills up, we can spread out to other venues for accommodations. To date, the Abby and Andrew Suite, John Morse Room, Jennings and Knowlton rooms are still available. There will be updates on the schedule, especially for Saturday, as the date draws closer. With eight months to go, it will be easier for guests to plan arrangements and save for the weekend. Looking forward to seeing some new folks !

Great! I've already booked the Morse room for Friday and Saturday nights.

Cool! Thanks for the gathering news!

Sounds like you've conquered your trepidation of that room, Angel, good for you!

(I like your new Avatar!)

Kat @ Wed Aug 27, 2008 3:27 am wrote:Cool! Thanks for the gathering news!

Sounds like you've conquered your trepidation of that room, Angel, good for you!

(I like your new Avatar!)

Thanks!

Actually, strangely enough, I would feel too scared to stay in any of the other rooms, but I feel comfortable in that one.

I don't think I'll be making this one in April, although I do hope to make it there this year. After my visit in 2004, it was my intention to make it an annual vacation. Unfortunately it has not worked out that way. Hopefully it will be this year.

To anyone who has been teetering on the fence about coming to the Muttoneaters event in April. I have to say, first hand, that Shelley and Joanne and Barbara are the most amazing organizers and provide the best company! Shelley is truly the hostess with the mostess, and you will not regret participating.

It is fun, fun, fun, and great to meet everyone in person after having spoken to each other for years here on the forum.

If you can make it, I suggest you do. It is not to be missed!

Stefani @ Wed Jan 07, 2009 9:08 am wrote:To anyone who has been teetering on the fence about coming to the Muttoneaters event in April. I have to say, first hand, that Shelley and Joanne and Barbara are the most amazing organizers and provide the best company! Shelley is truly the hostess with the mostess, and you will not regret participating.

It is fun, fun, fun, and great to meet everyone in person after having spoken to each other for years here on the forum.

If you can make it, I suggest you do. It is not to be missed!

Ditto!

Thanks for the encouragement! I was about ready to post that we do have one room still open for that 2 day event. The Mutton Eaters newsletter will be going out this week also. Today the ice storm knocked out our power for 11 hours. I have been sitting by the fire with the dogs playing Skipbo and Rook with my daughter and eating peanut butter sandwiches all day! The electricity just came back!
Lizzie would have loved electricity on Second St- I have had enough 1892 today.

Stefani @ Wed Jan 07, 2009 9:08 am wrote:To anyone who has been teetering on the fence about coming to the Muttoneaters event in April. I have to say, first hand, that Shelley and Joanne and Barbara are the most amazing organizers and provide the best company! Shelley is truly the hostess with the mostess, and you will not regret participating.

It is fun, fun, fun, and great to meet everyone in person after having spoken to each other for years here on the forum.

If you can make it, I suggest you do. It is not to be missed!

I (I should say we, this includes Ted) whole heartedly agree. Whenever we've been together everybody was great & everything was so much fun.
It's now January and both of us are putting in our requests for that Friday off.

I am planning a trip to the east coast either in late March, or possibly sometime in April. I am intending visiting the Borden house, although renting a room may have to be on another visit. Perhaps my trip will coincide with the dates of your gathering, and I will meet some of you.

Oh Gee! I would love to go! But I doubt I will be able to...

I do hope we will all be able to arrange to meet on the date. I know you will love meeting other forum folks. We will be leaving the house about 9:30 on the Friday morning (24th) to visit Lizzie's dogs in Dedham and Emma's alma mater. On the way up we will probably stop to leave flowers on Alice Russell's grave and drive by Augusta Tripp's house.

My duties as a state adjudicator for Florida Thespians precludes me attending this year's muttoneaters event.

When I realized the date conflict I wrote Shelley how upset I was to have my once a year work with high school theatre students coincide with her great get together.

I am sad. However, I get a free flight to Florida and a week of theatre out of the deal----not to mention getting to visit my sister!

So I will be there with the muttoneaters in spirit. I wish it could be different.

Yes- I was sad to hear we will be minus our fearless editor this time around!! I am also worried that the Abbey Grille may not be able to have us this year. Any news from the meeting this week? I could not attend. Of course Al and I still plan on chaining ourselves to the fence if the wrecking ball comes. Mutton eaters may need to start raising bail!

There was a great piece in the Herald News about it on Thursday. They have broken up into committees and are thinking of creative ways to forestall the auction.

Right now, Al's wife, Pam is the leader of the effort and is trying to convince the bank to hold off until they can come up with a plan. It would be a win-win-win for this one if they can find a solution---for the bank, the city, and the building.

http://www.heraldnews.com/archive/x1237 ... bbey-Grill

I am a longtime reader and first time poster so forgive my confusion but, can I get tickets to The Muttoneater's event or must I be a member of a group or society? I would love to join you and meet other Lizzieophiles.

The Mutton Eaters (Fall River Chapter of the Second Street Irregulars) is made up of our forum members so there are no tickets sold or anything like that. We usually stay at the house on Second Street, but some stay in nearby hotels. We are informal, and have usually an organized weekend of events such as visits to Lizzie -related places, a dinner, research presentations, and always a dessert party Saturday night where we socialize and compare notes. We sometimes re-create interesting scenarios from the Borden case in order to time out the action and hopefully reveal some new prospects. We have a small website at http://secondstreetirregulars.wordpress.com/ where I try to post any updates. Generally 15-20 people attend some or all of the weekend activities. You will be very welcome to join us! I don't see a name or location on your profile but if you send me an email, I can help you with accommodations or travel information. Revdma@aol.com

I wanted to get this news on the forum as soon as possible so that LeeAnn can have an opportunity to fill the Morse room for the April weekend. I had booked the room for April 23, 24 and 25, but I will not be able to make it this year for personal reasons. This is breaking my heart because I have been looking forward to this for the entire year. So, anyone who wants to stay at Lizzie's during that time will have an opportunity to have what I consider the best room in the house.

I'm so sorry to hear that Angel, I was so looking forward to meeting you.

Oh I am so sorry to miss you this year Ellen. It won't be the same without you. Currently there are TWO rooms open, Jennings (third floor) and now Morse (the guest room). The final schedule of activities will be published this week.

Hardly seems possible-but it's Mutton Eating time again. The weather is supposed to be glorious this weekend with temps in the 80's Saturday. I will be joining the early birds tomorrow around 5 p.m. and the game will be afoot at 9 a.m. Friday morning with a trip to the New Bedford Courthouse on the way up to Marion. Can't say enough about Marion- beautiful little town. The folks at the Sippican Historical Society could not have been nicer when I went up this week for the "dry run". I learned alot about the Knowltons and Handys, and the Mary Celeste Mystery Ship whose Captain was from Marion. Also had a look at two large photos which were tinted, of Dr. Handy's cottage on South St. A new house was put up in the 1940's so it was nice to see the actual house Lizzie and friends stayed in.

All three Knowlton residences are still in existence and we will visit those before lunch. Then we have a wreath -laying at Sarah Cornell and the Borden graves in Oak Grove before the annual banquet. This year, due to the Abbey's closing, we are at White's in Westport. Saturday will be a jaunt to historic Bristol to see Victorian homes and Blithewold and Linden Place mansions, followed by a Mad Hatter Tea Party, Pizzafest and Open house with some very interesting guests. Sunday we head out to Dedham to visit Lizzie's dogs. We also will have some special presentations on H.H. Holmes and Villisca murders and will try our hand at Victorian "tableaux"- which are frozen moments in time-with the Borden Case as our inspiration. So, until Sunday night- we will be thinking of all our Lizzie friends here on the forum, and sadly missing a few faces. LeeAnn should be joining us Friday night, fresh off the plane from her Grand Tour. She is in London at present. Stand by for lots of photos.

Well, crap! If I hadn't had to cancel my trip, I would be pulling into Lizzie's driveway right about now. Boo hoo!

Hope you all have a GREAT time.

I wanna see photos!

Just wait till you see the big fish we catch in Marion! Now- where are those pesky sinkers? Must check the hayloft . . . .

Don't know if anyone else is having trouble, but many of the page links on this site are coming up Page Not Found. Some work, most do not. I have put a a small slide show on the Brownell house visit here http://sanctaflora.wordpress.com/

I too have been having trouble. It will say page not found.

Same here, but it seems to be okay now.