Mister Ed's Elephant Museum Re Grand Opening!

I am proud to announce Mister Ed's Elephant Museum is now open for buisness. This past weekend marked the grand reopening of the elephant museum/candy shop just outside of Gettysburg, PA. Mister Ed wanted to thank his loyal customers with a celebration that made my daughter's week. As I mentioned in my last blog, Mister Ed's suffered from a horrible fire that ruined most of his elephant collection. With the help of elephant lovers and the local community, they refurbished a lot of elephants that were savable. Although he lost a lot of his wonderful collection, people brought a sample of their own collections to help restock the musuem. Included is one of my own collection that I gave to Bridget. I love the big stuff animal elephants from Ringling Bros. & Barnum Bailey Circus. I was traveling with the greatest show on earth when I found out I was going to have Bridget. My first toy I bought for my then unborn daughter was a Ringling elephant. I turned over my whole collection when she got a little older. She asked if we will be able to donate a elephant for Mister Ed and of course I thought it was a great idea. It was lots of fun trying to find our elephant which we located on top of a shelf with other larger elephants.

                  

 Mister Ed also loved his customer letters, notes and cards expressing their sadness over the fire and their hope for the future Mister Ed's. There is a binder with all the letters he received on display. You can also find our letter in there with the many other elephant fans. We were also surprised to see our giant card we made for Mister Ed during his private opening for all the helpers and donators earlier this past winter. It's the small signs of appreciation like this that is not wasted on me or my daughter.





                    

                   
Now as you move through the museum area you will notice there are tons of elephants! If you are a regular vistior here you will notice a different elephant with every visit. What I like to do is take pictures of random elephants and you can either develop them or keep them in your digital camera. Then on your next visit give the pictures to your children and let them go on a elephant hunt. When they find the spot give them a treat of candy from the gift shop. It's loads of fun and the kids get to see different spots of each area. If your kids are anything like my Bridget they will gravitate to their favortie spot as soon as they get there. Here are some pictures of elephants inside the museum area to get you started.

                          
     
               
After visitng the museum, sign their guest book and donate to their charity of choice, The Elephant Conservatory. Then it's off to the gift shop. There are lots of goodies here and still lots of fun elephant stuff around to spot. My favorite gift items are the Mister Ed related tee shirts and magnets. As you can see in some of our pictures, Bridget loves her Mister Ed's shirt and yes we have a magnet on our fridge.
                 

A must for us is the peanuts that are roasted right there at the museum/store. You can also try a sample of fudge and before you ask, no there is no favorite. They are all great! Also don't forget to look up while sampling the fudge for the new mosiac that was made from the old broken elephants that were damaged in the fire. I think it's great that a tradgey can become a dream then turned into reality. Many people would have given up after a fire like that but Mister Ed and his staff are amazing. Everyone is so nice and helpful. You can see how everyone loves their boss, Mister Ed. Not only the employees but also the guest arriving all have stories about the influnence he and his elephants have made in their lives. It's nice to see good people doing good things for others.
              

Every cranny of the shop has something relating to elephants or Mister Ed's life. I honestly don't know how Mister Ed meets all these big celebrities but I sure do like looking at his photos on the walls. There are autographs and pictures of Ed in productions at the Totem Pole Playhouse that is down the road on Route 30. He also made a apperance in the movie Route 30 which also showcased the museum before the fire. There is a sequel coming out soon as well with Mister Ed in it. Even the bathrooms are displays for memorblia here and people go to the restroom even if they arn't in need of one.

                             

There is great fun for everyone. Here is Bridget at the fun house mirror in the stuff animals zoo area. It's tradition for us to take pictures of our silly selfs in the mirrors. I love acting like a kid again while viewing myself with a tall head and rounded feet.



Outside there was a party going on for the grand opening. What's a party without some cupcakes? What kind of cupcakes do you serve at a grand opening for a elephant museum? Elephant ones! All the mini cupcakes were frosted with images of elephants and even some with Mister Ed himself on them. I felt bad eating that cupcake but after tasting it I had no regrets. There was also drinks and popcorn for everyone as a way to show thanks for his loyal guest.
            

Another party favorite is face painting. All the face painters volunteered their time to decorate the guest with elephants and whimsical art. The clowns there talked about bringing her mother to Mister Ed's for the first time and seeing her mom rummage through the candies picking out her favorites. I thought it was a nice touch and they did a great job. Check out Bridget's new art. She was so sad to wash it away.



Mister Ed loved her elephants on her arm and beautiful flowers.








Local musician Shanna Rae was delightful. I would describe her as a very cool chick that knows how to sing and feel. Her music and songs were touching to hear and she even had a special song for Mister Ed that she wrote for him. Bridget laid back in a lawn chair, ate her cupcake and popcorn, and listened to the music. It was very relaxing and a nice way to spend the day.



A quick good bye to Mister Ed!

  We had a great time at Mister Ed's Elephant Museum and Candy Emporium. If your in the Gettysburg area just head west on Route 30. There are other stops along the way that are interesting that includes the Round Barn produce market and a few wineries that are worth the stop. The best stop of course is Mister Ed's who is up and running every day from 10am to 6pm. GPS the location: 6019 Chambersburg Road Orrtanna, PA 17353. Let me know how your Mister Ed experience was for your family. Don't forget to say hello to Miss Ellie outside!