It's a normal Summer afternoon. A beautiful day. We've already had a steady stream of visitors into the museum. I share the front admissions counter with one of our volunteers. Without notice the front door swiftly, smoothly, gently, opens all the way. Our door swings outward, and the entrance fills with the August heat [...]
The museum has a ghost in the Lookout Tower. We don’t debate this fact any longer. A character has been seen in the tower by folks strolling on the boardwalk since the very first year the institution opened as a museum; 1981. Many dozens of sightings, perhaps it’s more than a hundred now, have [...]
I work with a Millennial. That’s a conversation starter that’ll get an immediate reaction. Those reactions will be widely varied, of course, depending on the age of the folks you're tossing it out to. I confess to entertaining myself at times by making the statement when I’m with folks, how shall I put it, [...]
This time one of our Research and Exhibit Interns, Alison Nitti, shares her thoughts: I started working at the museum about 5 months ago. This is my first internship ever, so I had no idea what to really expect. I’m grateful to Mr. Hazel for actually giving me a shot at it and for [...]
The Virginia Beach Surf & Rescue Museum is currently posting full time career opportunities. A position at this institution offers a rare and special chance to genuinely give your talent, your skill, your enthusiasm, and your commitment to preserving an important historic icon that's been standing on the shore of Virginia Beach since 1903. [...]
“I’ve lived here my whole life and I’ve never...” Don’t say it. That’s the first thing that comes to my mind. I know what they are about to say, having heard it so many times before, and hearing it again is just long, sharp fingernails on an old blackboard to me. “...I’ve never come [...]
Labor Day Weekend is the natural end point of the summer season. Just like the bookend weekend, Memorial Day, the entire oceanfront becomes an event venue. Tens of thousands of visitors flock into the resort district in a frenzied summer’s end celebration. The weekend’s anchor is a major ticketed concert event right on southern [...]
Parks Schmidt with Veteran Randy Ferguson Parks Schmidt loves history. He recently began interviewing Hampton Roads Veterans, gathering their stories and experiences to share with future generations. Knowing that a big part of the museum's Save Our Stories campaign is about supporting our Oral History Project, Parks reached out to Intern with [...]
Welcome USLA! It's wonderful to have Virginia Beach hosting the United States Lifesaving Association's Championship competition for 2019! From Wednesday, August 7th, to Saturday, August 10, Surf & Rescue professionals from around the nation will be competing in a wide range of events. Please join us on Friday, August 9, as we share an [...]
As I sit at my desk, I can look out onto the beach and watch as people stroll by on the Boardwalk or set up their chairs on the sand. Recently as the weather has gotten warmer, I have seen more and more beachgoers sporting bathing suits as they go by. A few brave [...]
Elaine holds her phone up a moment, goes to the museum’s website, and with a couple of clicks she’s made a donation to our Save Our Stories campaign. The entire process has barely interrupted our conversation. In the time it takes to enjoy a few bites of our lunch, my colleague has explored our [...]
A mid morning diner counter brings that bit of quiet, inviting conversation. The breakfast crowd gone, the lunch folks have yet to arrive. It’s rare the counter at Mary’s offers this kind of silence. The woman seated beside me offers a warm hello as the server is re-filling both our cups with fresh Joe. [...]
