From November through the end of the year, the Hoboken Historical Museum has something fun and educational planned every week — avoid the dreaded FOMO, or fear of missing out! Sign up for our eNewsletter, or mark these dates on your calendar now!

Space may be limited for some events, so be sure to sign up in advance at the links provided, or on our main calendar page.

On Friday, Nov. 10, 6 – 9 pm, we are hosting our second “Kids Night at the Museum,” featuring games, snacks and a movie — “Babe” — for kids ages 5 and up. It’s a good way for parents to plan a night out, and kids to meet new friends! Registration is just $25 per child, $20 for Museum members. Register here.

On Saturday, Nov. 11, from 2 – 4 pm, Frank Hanavan shares his watercolor technique in another class, just $25 for adults and $15 for kids. Space is nearly fully booked; sign up here! Frank’s Upper Gallery exhibit closes on Sunday, Nov. 12, so if there’s a painting you had your eye on, act fast.

On Friday, Nov. 17, from 7 – 9 pm, the entire community is invited to help us celebrate the outstanding achievements of members of local Girl Scout Troop #12041. For their Silver Award project this year, three Scouts, Greta Weisz, Ally Fung, and Celia Malba created “Hoboken Walks,” an annotated walking tour app for the Hoboken Historical Museum. Other Silver Award projects include a series of workshops to coach young girls in how to cope with bullying, and a survey of local shops and restaurants to help them adapt their facilities for ADA accessibility. 

On Saturday, Nov. 18, from 12 – 3 pm, our Education Curator Maria Lara is planning our first-ever “Living History Day,” with crafts and games for all ages, hands-on demos of WWI artifacts, and a WWI doughboy re-enactor in full uniform and gear! This event is free, but donations are appreciated. No registration necessary. 

Later on Saturday, Nov. 18, from 4 – 6 pm, our next Upper Gallery exhibit opens with a free reception for Anna Pinto, whose collection of snow-themed, hand-lettered and illustrated cards might inspire you to create your own — or hire a professional lettering artist. A hand-crafted card is a gift in itself, in an age when computer-generated “hand-writing” typefaces fail to pull off the illusion of a personal touch. No registration necessary. 

On Sunday, Nov. 19, at 4 pm, join us for our next WWI Centennial lecture about a fascinating figure behind America’s readiness to join the Great war: Major General David C. Shanks, who oversaw the operations of the US Port of Embarkation in Hoboken, shipping nearly 2 million soldiers to Europe from four nearby training camps. He also oversaw their return, both living and deceased, earning the Distinguished Service Award from President Wilson. Museum Director Bob Foster will reveal his amazing story; admission is $10/$5 for members: Sign up here. 

On Wednesday, Nov. 29, at 6:30 pm, don’t miss our latest edition of the Black Maria Film Festival Award-Winners series, “A Bastard Child.” The one-hour documentary uses hand-illustrated images to tell the poignant story of the filmmaker’s grandmother, an orphan in Sweden in the early 1900s. Admission is just $5, no registration necessary.

On Friday, Dec. 1, from 6 – 9 pm, Education Curator Maria Lara hosts the third and final “Kids Night at the Museum” of the year! Kids Night is a chance for kids ages 5 and up to leave their parents at home and have their own night of fun! Kids can spend the evening at the Hoboken Historical Museum and enjoy games, arts and crafts, a scavenger hunt, pizza and popcorn, and a movie — this time, Gene Wilder’s “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory”! The cost is $25 per child, $20 for members’ children. Register here. 

On Sunday, Dec. 3, at 4 pm, the next to last WWI Centennial talk features Monmouth University Professor Melissa Ziobro, former Command Historian for Fort Monmouth, who will explain how the training camp was mobilized from “A Jungle of Weeds” to a war footing. The camp went on to distinguish itself with several notable advances in field communications and technology, at a time when New Jersey was becoming a hotbed of technological innovation. Admission is $10/$5 for members: Sign up here. 

Also on Sunday, Dec. 10, at 1:30 pm, get in the holiday spirit at our popular Annual Kids Holiday Concert, at the Fire Department Museum’s Assembly Hall. Dave Lambert and Howard Olah-Reiken team up again to lead sing-alongs and jingle bells for a wide range of holiday classics. Admission is $5 per family, no registration necessary.

On Sunday, Dec. 10, at 4 pm, get in the patriotic spirit with a good old fashioned sing-along to vintage WWI-era music in the final installment of our WWI Centennial series, “Over There: Songs that Rallied the Homefront.” Musicologist Lois Dilivio and Hoboken Museum Development and Membership Manager Eileen Lynch have selected sheet music from the Library of Congress archives, from the ever-popular “Over There,” to songs that reference Hoboken or were published or sold in Hudson County. They might even crank up our vintage Victrola! Admission is $10/$5 for members: Sign up here.

On Wednesday, Dec. 13, at 6:30 pm, Black Maria Film Festival director Jane Steuerwald hosts the final installment of the Fall 2017 series with special guest Rochelle Goldberg Ruthchild, an executive producer of the documentary, “Left on Pearl,” by Susie Rivo. Set in 1971, when women had not yet earned rights we now take for granted, “Left on Pearl” focuses on a turning point in the history of the women’s liberation movement, the 1971 takeover and occupation of a Harvard University-owned building by hundreds of Boston area women. An executive producer of the film, Ms. Ruthchild was born in Jersey City, and attended public schools, where her father also taught. One of her grandfathers had a sporting goods store in the Greenville section; and the other worked in the Manischewitz Wine factory. Inspired by her parents’ striving for social justice, Ms. Ruthchild participated in the events depicted in the film in Cambridge, where she is now a distinguished scholar. Admission is $5, no registration necessary. 

Rounding out the season is our Annual Holiday Crafts Fair at the Hoboken Museum, Saturday – Sunday, Dec. 16 – 17, from 12 – 5 pm. Featuring local artisans and craftspeople selling unique, hand-made items from jewelry and accessories to cards and candles, there’s a good chance you can polish off your gift list before Christmas Eve! Admission is free; just drop in!