DEAR SUN SPOTS: Museum L-A continues its three-year “Power of Music” series with “The Roaring 20s to Swing,” opening on Saturday, June 15. This exhibit will cover one of the most fascinating historical times in America (1915 to 1949), when jazz emerged as the first national musical movement and spread throughout the country.

The rise of jazz was bolstered by the concurrent evolution of music, technology and dance, while Prohibition, the Great Depression, World Wars I and II, and the 1918 influenza epidemic left significant imprints on American culture and its music.

The exhibit will present national and local aspects of the time and its music. Images, instruments and artifacts are being sought to incorporate into the exhibit, which will evolve throughout its run until April 2014.

Among the instruments still needed for display are a cornet, trumpet, and violin — all used between 1916 and 1949. Photographs on the Exhibit Committee’s wish list include the DeWitt Hotel, the Spinet Club, Le Montagnard Snowshoe Club Drum and Bugle Corps, the Clef, the Philharmonic Club, Blanche Belleau, the Foyer of Music, Lewiston-Auburn Symphony Orchestra, Mellie Dunham, Lewiston-Auburn Oratorio Society, the Katahdin Mountaineers, Florence Rich, the Blue Hill Troupe, Parker Glee Club and Auburn Theatre.

Readers are asked to bring in any of these specific photos or any music-related photos from that time.

For “The Roaring 20s to Swing” Museum L-A will be transformed into a 1920s speakeasy, transporting the viewer into an era when alcohol was illegal and the community’s rebellious life force was captured by distinctive American music.

During the day, the museum will function normally, treating viewers to an educational experience through displays and artifacts of the era. But once a month the museum will change into a “legitimate” speakeasy, complete with live music, authentic decor, a bouncer, a secret password and alcohol served in coffee mugs. There may even be a “police raid” when you least expect it!

The speakeasy will be transformed as the exhibit progresses, shifting from a discrete, secret hiding place to an atmosphere filled with indulgence and opulence, capturing the spirit of the era.

For more information contact Museum L-A at 207-333-3881 or info@museumla.org. — Rachel Desgrosseilliers, executive director

DEAR SUN SPOTS: I used to enjoy watching “American Loggers,” a reality TV show about the Pelletier brothers in Millinocket. I think it was on the Discovery Channel. Could you find out if they are going to make any more shows? Thank you. — No Name, Mexico

ANSWER: Sun Spots did not find anything official on the Discovery Channel website, but it sure looks like the show has been canceled. You can watch clips on dsc.discovery.com, but it is not listed as a current show. Also, the Pelletier brothers have their own website, americanloggers.com, with details about their businesses, including a restaurant that they are selling.

DEAR SUN SPOTS: Thank you for suggesting John F. Murphy homes to the person looking to donate old trophies. We appreciate these donations, and they do get used!

If anyone is interested in learning more we invite them to visit our website at www.jfmhomes.org. Thank you. — Leslie Riehm, director of marketing and donor development, lriehm@jfmhomes.org

This column is for you, our readers. It is for your questions and comments. There are only two rules: You must write to the column and sign your name (we won’t use it if you ask us not to). Please include your phone number. Letters will not be returned or answered by mail, and telephone calls will not be accepted. Your letters will appear as quickly as space allows. Address them to Sun Spots, P.O. Box 4400, Lewiston, ME 04243-4400. Inquiries can also be emailed to sunspots@sunjournal.com.

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