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• First Annual Ruthmere Solo Strings Competition- Competitor Sign Up

  • Start
    28 Oct 2025
  •  
    12:00 AM
  • End
    06 Mar 2026
  •  
    11:59 PM
  • Location
    Ruthmere Game Room

  Register

  Ruthmere Museum is proud to announce the First Annual Ruthmere Solo Strings Competition. This competition is for acoustic instruments only: violin, viola, cello, bass, mandolin and guitar.

  
  

  OFFICIAL RULES

  Preliminary Round: Deadline March 6, 2026 at 11:59pm EST

  Entrants for the Solo Strings Competition are required to complete the Competition Registration Form and prepare a video audition, 8 to 15 minutes long, showcasing two contrasting musical styles or time periods. Video submissions via YouTube links are preferred.  Up to 6 Finalists will be selected. Non-refundable entry fee of $25 per competitor.

  Please email YouTube video auditions to mdoddington@ruthmere.org. Questions call 574-264-0330 ext. 107 . 

  Finals Round: Live Competition on April 4, 2026 at 12pm EST
  Finalists will perform 15-20 minutes of music for the judging panel and the general public at the Ruthmere Game Room. Competition performances begin at Noon, with individual performance times yet to be determined. Tickets are available to the general public for just $5 per seat. Each finalist will receive $100 travel stipend immediately after the competition. First place receives $1,000, Second place receives $300, and Third place $200.

  Grand Prize Winner’s Performance: April 23, 2025 at 7pm EST
  Competition Winner is required to perform a full one-hour opening concert of the Ruthmere Fall Concert series at 7pm. Grand Prize winner will receive award of $1,000 presented at the concert. 
  

  
  

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• Spring Concert Series - Sponsors and Season Tickets

  • Start
    29 Jan 2026
  • End
    07 May 2026
  • Location
    Ruthmere Game Room

  Register

  The 2026 Ruthmere Spring Concert Season
  

  May 7- Fischoff Soiree
  May 21 - The Shelest Duo

  June 4 - Thomas Pandolfi

  June 11- Tong Wang & David Dietz

  Sponsorship Levels

  2026 Presenting Sponsor $6,000

  2026 Individual Concert Sponsor $1,000

  2026 Annual Sponsor $900

  Spring Season Sponsor $500

  Spring Season Pass- Members Only $80
  (Season Pass does not include Artist's Preview reception)

  
  

  NOTE: Sponsors receive both reserved seating and admission to the pre-concert  Artist's Preview Reception for their attended concert.  This reception is held in the Robert Beardsley Arts Reference Library at 6pm and feature champagne toast  and an opportunity to meet the artist.

  Season Pass holders receive reserved seating.

  Season Pass holders and all Sponsors are offered free attendance at the Beardsley Prize Competition.  Seating first come, first served all afternoon. 
  

  For more information, or to make reservations call Ruthmere at 574-264-0330 ext. 107. All concerts begin at 7pm and open seating is limited on a first come, first seated basis behind reserved seats.  Doors open at 6:30pm.  

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• Gallery Talk-Robert Wadsworth Grafton: Portrait & Mural Artist

  • When
    03 Feb 2026
  •  
    11:00 AM
  • Location
    Beardsley Discovery Center
  • Spaces left
    36

  Register

  Jennifer Johns, Curator, will present a Gallery Talk on "Robert Wadsworth Grafton: Portrait & Mural Artist", on Tuesday, February 3 at 11 am at the Beardsley Discovery Center. 

  
  

  Ruthmere Gallery Talks feature a twenty-minute discussion on an object/artwork within the Ruthmere collection, a person or event in local history, or a relevant topic from the Victorian/Edwardian eras. This talk will be recorded and uploaded on our Youtube page within a few weeks after the event if you are unable to attend (click the link to view past Talks). Our Gallery Talks are free and open to the public thanks to our sponsors.

  
  

  This Gallery Talk is sponsored by Steve & Jean Barton -

  Thank you!

  
  

  If you are interested in becoming a 2026 Gallery Talk sponsor, contact Bill Firstenberger at bfirstenberger@ruthmere.org or (574) 264-0330 ext. 105. See our current schedule of 2026 Gallery Talks here.

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• Gallery Talk-Spring Forward, Fall Back: The Contentious History of Daylight Saving Time

  • When
    04 Mar 2026
  •  
    11:00 AM
  • Location
    Beardsley Discovery Center
  • Spaces left
    50

  Register

  Does anyone know what time it is?  Does anyone care?  Well, whether you love or despise Daylight Saving Time, learn what led to the invention of time zones and the twice annual confusion of what time it really is. Beth Hall, Ruthmere Volunteer, will present a Gallery Talk entitled "Spring Forward, Fall Back: The Contentious History of Daylight Saving Time", on Wednesday, March 4 at 11 am at the Beardsley Discovery Center. 

  
  

  Gallery Talks feature a twenty-minute discussion on an object/artwork within the Ruthmere collection or a person or event in local history. Our Gallery Talks are free and open to the public. 

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• Gallery Talk- The Politics of Declaring Independence

  • When
    02 Apr 2026
  •  
    11:00 AM
  • Location
    Beardsley Discovery Center
  • Spaces left
    50

  Register

  Katlyn Carter, Associate Professor, Department of History at the University of Notre Dame, will present a Gallery Talk entitled "The Politics of Declaring Independence", on Thursday, April 2 at 11 am at the Beardsley Discovery Center. As the American colonists weighed whether to declare their independence from the British Empire in 1776, they knew they would need public opinion on their side in order to give meaning to their declaration and make independence a reality. This talk will cover how the Continental Congress tried to shape and respond to Americans' opinions, the audiences they had in mind when writing the Declaration of Independence, and how our views of this founding document have changed over time.

  
  

  Gallery Talks feature a twenty-minute discussion on an object/artwork within the Ruthmere collection or a person or event in local history. Our Gallery Talks are free and open to the public. 

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• The First Annual Ruthmere Solo Strings Competition - RUTHMERE CLOSED FOR TOURS ALL DAY

  • When
    04 Apr 2026
  •  
    12:00 PM - 4:00 PM
  • Location
    Ruthmere
  • Spaces left
    35

  Register

  Ruthmere is proud to announce The First Annual Ruthmere Solo Strings Competition on April 4, 2026 at 12pm EST in the Ruthmere Game Room. Come listen to our finalists compete for our panel of distinguished judges. Tickets are available to the general public for just $5 a person. Doors open at 11am. The competition will begin at noon. Individual artist performance times are yet to be determined.

  
  

  RUTHMERE MUSEUM WILL BE CLOSED FOR NORMAL TOURS THIS ENTIRE DAY, APRIL 4, 2026.

  Please contact Ruthmere Museum at (574) 264-0330 ext. 107 if you have any questions regarding the competition.

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• Gallery Talk- Preserving Your Family History: Caring for Family Heirlooms

  • When
    08 May 2026
  •  
    11:00 AM
  • Location
    Beardsley Discovery Center
  • Spaces left
    50

  Register

  Family heirlooms are an important part of any family's history as well as an invaluable source of information. Caring for them can be a challenge for any family historian. Learn simple, effective techniques for preserving and handling family heirlooms, documents, and photographs while still keeping them accessible for research and display. Tamera Hemmerlein, Director of Local History Services, Indiana Historical Society, will present a Gallery Talk entitled "Preserving Your Family History: Caring for Family Heirlooms", on Friday, May 8 at 11 am at the Beardsley Discovery Center. 

  

  Spink Arms, interior, 1921 

  Bass Photo Co Collection, Indiana Historical Society

  Gallery Talks feature a twenty-minute discussion on an object/artwork within the Ruthmere collection or a person or event in local history. Our Gallery Talks are free and open to the public. 

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• Gallery Talk- William Tuffs: Elkhart County’s Own Revolutionary War Patriot

  • When
    02 Jun 2026
  •  
    11:00 AM
  • Location
    Beardsley Discovery Center
  • Spaces left
    50

  Register

  The William Tuffs Chapter, Daughters of the American Revolution, will present a Gallery Talk entitled "William Tuffs: Elkhart County’s Own Revolutionary War Patriot", on Tuesday, June 2 at 11 am at the Beardsley Discovery Center. William Tuffs is one of five Revolutionary Veterans buried in Elkhart County. Learn about his life growing up in Massachusetts, his military record per his pension application, his claim of participating in the Boston Tea Party and William's interview with the Goshen Democrat Newspaper in 1845 at the age of 95 on his Revolutionary War experiences.

  
  

  Gallery Talks feature a twenty-minute discussion on an object/artwork within the Ruthmere collection or a person or event in local history. Our Gallery Talks are free and open to the public. 

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• Gallery Talk- 175 Years of Railroad in Elkhhart

  • When
    01 Jul 2026
  •  
    11:00 AM
  • Location
    Beardsley Discovery Center
  • Spaces left
    50

  Register

  Steve Barton, Volunteer at the National Central Railroad Museum, and Steve Dinehart, Staff member at the National Central Railroad Museum, will present a Gallery Talk entitled "175 Years of Railroads in Elkhart", on Wednesday, July 1 at 11 am at the Beardsley Discovery Center. 

  
  

  Gallery Talks feature a twenty-minute discussion on an object/artwork within the Ruthmere collection or a person or event in local history. Our Gallery Talks are free and open to the public. 

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