It will be a Titanic weekend

By Lori O' Brien

Correspondent

INDIAN ORCHARD Titanic buffs are invited to set sail on a weekend of events planned as a fund-raiser for the Titanic Historical Society (THS) and Titanic Museum on Oct. 6-8.

The Castle of Knights on Memorial Drive in Chicopee is being prepped for what organizers call a "Fantastic THS Weekend." Now in its fourth year, festivities get underway on Oct. 6 as "passengers" register at the Castle of Knights from 5 to 5:45 p.m. and enjoy a "Third Class Passenger's Story" prior to dinner starting at 7.

The guests will experience traditional hearty and wholesome fare that was taken from menus in Titanic's third class. The menu includes vegetable soup, roasted pork with sage and pearl onions, green peas, boiled potatoes, ragout of beef with potatoes and pickles, currant buns, cabin biscuits, bread and butter, oranges, apricots, plum pudding with sweet sauce and beverage. Seating will be open featuring long tables with fresh white linen and plain china. Practical d cor of port and starboard lanterns will grace the tables.

Edward and Karen Kamuda and Aline Roy are the hosts for the evening, along with Master of Ceremonies Paul Phaneuf, who will assist participants to ensure their Titanic weekend excursion gets off to a memorable start.

The evening also features a contest for best first-, second- or third-class or crew outfit. The affair culminates with the band, Ireland Parish, performing tunes from the Emerald Isle.

On Oct. 7, the Titanic Museum and Museum Shop at 208 Main St., Indian Orchard, will be open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. for visitors to stop in and view the hundreds of artifacts on display and check out the large selection of books and collectibles on Titanic and the White Star Line. In addition, several wireless and ham operators will be set up at the museum and plan to contact people from around the globe throughout the day to simulate communications from a bygone era.

The THS is the world's largest Titanic organization, according to Edward Kamuda, who founded the group in 1963 in Indian Orchard.

"The Society does not represent one nation but all countries and was the first to form for the purpose of preserving the history of RMS Titanic and the White Star Line," said Kamuda during an interview with Reminder Publications.

Kamuda added that the THS has been the authority and source for the Titanic and the White Star Line for four decades with its main field of endeavor The Titanic Commutator the society's official journal which insures a permanent record of information. Edward Kamuda serves as editor-in-chief of the publication and Karen Kamuda is the managing editor.

The THS collection in Indian Orchard is a treasury of Titanic and White Star Line memorabilia that Kamuda oversees with the help of his wife Karen. The couple plan to continue its yearly fundraisers in the hope that one day they can secure a new building where all the Titanic memorabilia can be properly displayed.

Titanic Weekend "passengers" will reassemble at the Castle of Knights on Saturday evening, beginning at 5:30, with a receiving line hosted by "Captain Edward J. Smith, Commodore of the White Star Line" (Kamuda recently grew a beard for the role). Seating arrangements will be printed on numbered table cards with one's name. Tonight's seven-course gala first-class dinner includes tomato and basil crostini, scallops wrapped in bacon, mini beef Wellington, salad, roast sirloin of beef au jus with three peppercorn sauce carving station, chicken cordon bleu with prosciutto smoked mozzarella, sage stone mustard, roasted vegetable platter with balsamic-olive drizzle, baked scrod with focaccia crust, garlic roasted red potatoes, chef's select vegetables, rolls, dessert table and beverage.

Saturday night's contest will seek out the best first class or Edwardian outfit, and entrants will be asked to promenade on the stage for the judges to determine a winner.

"The gala Titanic dinner was inspired by the exquisite cuisine of Chef Luigi Gatti of Titanic's 'a la carte Restaurant and our sumptuous dinner with wine will be prepared by The Castle's celebrated culinary staff," said Kamuda.

After dinner, Titanic movies will be the featured entertainment for the remainder of the evening.

"In this weekend of firsts, THS member and author of Finding Dorothy, Randy Bryan Bigham, provided the lost Dorothy Gibson film that will be highlighted," said Kamuda. The famous silent screen star made a one-reeler, "The Lucky Hold Up," just before she sailed on Titanic, added Kamuda.

"This extremely rare nitrate film was nearly destroyed by time and the elements and carefully restored," he added. "Stains on the original will show just how much was lost and how much film history has gained by patient restoration. We are among the fortunate few to see for the first time, a 'lost' movie shown publicly since its release in April 1912."

Another first for the evening from the THS archives features films of Titanic survivors describing their experiences.

"For the first time in 30 years, originally recorded on Super 8 film transferred to videotape then to DVD, participants will see and hear Titanic history from Frank Goldsmith, Edwina Troutt MacKenzie, Madeline Mellinger Mann, Margaret O'Neill and Mrs. John Pillsbury Snyder," said Kamuda.

The evening culminates with Tom McCluskie, M.B.E. (Member of the Order of the British Empire), of Belfast, Northern Ireland, signing his books including his autobiography, "No Place for a Boy." McCluskie was recently recognized by Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth, for his services to preserve Harland & Wolff's maritime heritage.

Titanic Weekend events resume on Oct. 8 as the theme "Sunday As A Second Class Passenger" starts at the Castle of Knights at 10:30 a.m. Reverend George Demass, pastor of the Perry Hall Presbyterian Church, Baltimore, Maryland, and Mark Statler, associate pastor of the First United Methodist Church, Carrollton, Ohio, will lead a Memorial Service of Remembrance from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. The service is a long-time tradition of the THS, according to Kamuda.

Breakfast and luncheon specialties from Titanic's second-class cuisine will be enjoyed from 11:45 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Following brunch, McCluskie will be the featured speaker from 12:45 to 1:30 p.m. on Harland & Wolff and his career at the famous shipyard as well as the "real story" behind what they thought of the Titanic, according to Kamuda.

"He welcomes questions but for all intents and purposes, he intends to speak off the cuff and from the heart," said Kamuda, adding "as author of four books on Titanic and the Olympic-class ships and a lifetime of experience at the shipyard, he is one of the few knowledgeable people who will take you behind-the-scenes as no one has before."

The Titanic Weekend wraps up around 2 p.m. with winners of the costume contests announced as well as winners from the weekend THS raffle that includes numerous items as well as an authentic Titanic artifact valued at $500.

The deadline to register for the weekend festivities is Oct. 5. At press time, Kamuda said more than 75 people have signed on including individuals from as far away as England and Germany. The Kamudas hope to have at least 100 people attend the weekend events.

For more information on fees and to register, call (413) 543-4770 or visit www.titanichistoricalsociety.org.

The Titanic Museum is open weekdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.