Barnum Museum In Bridgeport Receives Trio Of Grants

BRIDGEPORT — The Barnum Museum recently received a lead partnership grant for $1,000 from the Connecticut Commission on Culture and Tourism (CCCT).

The museum will also benefit from $2,000 in additional funding for its participation in two other partnership projects supported by the commission. All three programs are designed to preserve the heritage of Phineus Taylor (P.T.) Barnum in Bridgeport and the surrounding communities.

The $1,000 CCCT grant will allow the museum to participate in a “Familiarization Tour” organized to acquaint tour operators with the rich history of P.T. Barnum in the area.

The second $1,000 partnership grant, also from CCCT, will allow Barnum Museum to be involved with the Fairfield Theatre Company (FTC), which brings the best of New York’s Off and Off-Off Broadway productions directly in Fairfield.

During October, FTC presented Todd Robbins – Carnival Knowledge, and the museum collaborated on the production by offering $1 off admission to the museum for each ticket stub presented from the Carnival Knowledge run in Fairfield. The museum also provided FTC with two family Barnum Museum memberships to be given away at each of the 4 pm weekend performances.

In the case of the third $1,000 grant from the CCCT, the museum will work with The Barnum Festival and Playhouse of the Green to offer the popular Family Fun Pack coupon program. This is a repeat of successful family discount program offered to the public last spring.

In the spring of 2005, the Family Fun Packs will be offered at a significant discount. Each ticket allows two adults and two children to participate in a Barnum Festival event, to visit The Barnum Museum, and to see one of the Polka Dot Kids productions in Bridgeport at the Playhouse on the Green. Complete details on Family Fun Packs program will be available in January.

The mission of The Barnum Museum Foundation is to collect, preserve, exhibit, and interpret materials that document the life and times of Phineus Taylor Barnum, the contributions of Bridgeport (Barnum’s adopted home) to the Industrial Revolution, and 19th Century architecture and interior design in the “Park City.” Primary activities include mounting high quality exhibitions, including rotating special exhibitions; expanding and enhancing educational programming and resources for students, teachers, and lifelong learners. The Barnum Museum has three floors of exhibits that illustrate the extraordinary life of P.T. Barnum.