Monday, November 23, 2015

Mildred Wirt Benson - Digtial Archive Highlights #13


Highlights from Mildred Wirt Benson's Archive
University of IA: Women's Archive, Digital Collection
Image from Univ. of IA Women's Archive

Located at the University of Iowa's Digital archive is a fan letter written to Millie via her publisher Cupples & Leon in the 1960s.

I'm currently writing a biography on Millie Benson - visit the Mildred A. Wirt Benson Website for more details and research information.

Contact Me (Jennifer Fisher): nancydrewsleuth@aol.com

Sunday, November 22, 2015

Nancy Drew 1930s Movie Daybill Sells


Nancy Drew and the Hidden Staircase Australian Daybill sold for $573.60 at Heritage Auctions today. The left side--hard to see in the image here, had some staining on it up and down on the left side visible in the larger auction photo, possibly water stain, not sure, so I did not bid on it.

Friday, November 20, 2015

The Nancy Drew Mystery Key at Bird Haven Farm


The Mystery Key, a stone farmhouse of ghostly lore, and a nostalgic Nancy Drew Sleuths group all converged in June 2015 when members of The Sleuths visited the ghostly home of a former Nancy Drew ghostwriter, Harriet Stratemeyer Adams

Bird Haven Farm proved to be a delightful adventure for members who toured the home now owned by Janet Mavec and Wayne Nordberg. Hedges, flowering vines, apples and cherries are just some of the delightful things growing at the farm. In the old stone farmhouse shown above, members climbed up to the second floor to view Harriet's old writing room where she wrote some of the Nancy Drew books - her ghost is said to haunt this room, as this is where she passed away in 1984. 

Janet's business, Orchard Jewelry, takes its inspiration from the farm and all of it's inhabitants from the insects to the plants and fruits themselves - even eels. New to her line of jewelry is The Mystery Key -  a replica of a vintage key to a mysterious spot on the farm. As her website notes, "This impeccably designed, rose-colored key is for a woman who dares for something to stump her. She possesses the tenacity to figure out the real mysteries in life. Like which door this hauntingly well designed replica unlocks."

To order the key, you can visit Orchard Jewelry. Use the code ND10 to receive $10.00 off your purchase!


Janet Welcomes NDS to the farm


Delightful Dog & Bone Cookies


Barns on the farm

 
 
 
 
 
 

The Mystery Key 


A View from where Harriet wrote up in her writing room

 
 

Thursday, November 19, 2015

Secrets from the Syndicate Files #6


Over 300 boxes were donated in the mid-1990s to the New York Public Library from Simon & Schuster--containing the business papers/books/artwork from the Stratemeyer Syndicate which they purchased in 1984 - and it's a great resource for researchers like myself who are working on projects, like my Millie Benson Biography! I will be sharing interesting historical items from the Syndicate Files as I work my way through my research for the book.

After taking a break from writing the Nancy Drew books after book 7 - The Clue in the Diary - Millie was again asked to write book 11, The Clue of the Broken Locket, and she replied to the Syndicate on 3-26-1934 noting, "I have always been rather partial to "Nancy" and it will seem quite like old times to be writing about her again."

Monday, November 16, 2015

Mildred Wirt Benson - Digtial Archive Highlights #12


Highlights from Mildred Wirt Benson's Archive
University of IA: Women's Archive, Digital Collection
Image from Univ. of IA Women's Archive

Located at the University of Iowa's Digital archive is this page with Toledo Times articles from the mid-40s taken from one of the newspaper scrapbooks Millie kept of her writing.

I'm currently writing a biography on Millie Benson - visit the Mildred A. Wirt Benson Website for more details and research information.

Contact Me (Jennifer Fisher): nancydrewsleuth@aol.com

Thursday, November 12, 2015

Mildred Wirt Benson Quotes #6


Many people who knew Mildred "Millie" Benson have a "Millie Story" - I'm saving most of those for the book, but there's also some great Millie quotes! I wanted to share some of these with you all as I'm plugging through my research files and writing my Biography on Millie Benson.

Millie: "There's only two things I believe in--well a few more things that that--but I believe in absolute honesty and honesty in journalism; honesty in everything, but particularly in journalism. And I believe in integrity."

--Press Conference at the University of Iowa at the Nancy Drew Conference in 1993

Monday, November 09, 2015

Mildred Wirt Benson - Digtial Archive Highlights #11


Highlights from Mildred Wirt Benson's Archive
University of IA: Women's Archive, Digital Collection
Image from Univ. of IA Women's Archive

Located at the University of Iowa's Digital archive is the first Penny Parker book that Millie wrote, Tale of the Witch Doll, her favorite series of all those she wrote.

I'm currently writing a biography on Millie Benson - visit the Mildred A. Wirt Benson Website for more details and research information.

Contact Me (Jennifer Fisher): nancydrewsleuth@aol.com

Thursday, November 05, 2015

Secrets from the Syndicate Files #5


Over 300 boxes were donated in the mid-1990s to the New York Public Library from Simon & Schuster--containing the business papers/books/artwork from the Stratemeyer Syndicate which they purchased in 1984 - and it's a great resource for researchers like myself who are working on projects, like my Millie Benson Biography! I will be sharing interesting historical items from the Syndicate Files as I work my way through my research for the book.

After taking a break from writing the Nancy Drew books after book 7 - The Clue in the Diary - Millie was again asked to write book 11, The Clue of the Broken Locket, and she replied to the Syndicate on 3-26-1934 noting, "I have always been rather partial to "Nancy" and it will seem quite like old times to be writing about her again."

Tuesday, November 03, 2015

13 Days of Drew-O-Ween - Contest Winners


Thanks to all who commented here and Facebook and the tweets and retweets at Twitter! The drawing for the Nancy Drew books, puzzle, and computer games will take place on Tuesday and the winners posted then as an update to this posting.

UPDATE:

Thanks to everyone for participating! The winners of the prizes, taken from our re-tweeters at Twitter, commenters at Facebook, and here at this blog are:

Sets of 4 Penguin Nancy Drew books - Pamela B. & Pamela H.

Nancy Drew Puzzle - Amanda (commenter from this blog)

Her Interactive Computer Game Shattered Medallion - @milehipi & @tweetdrewsclues (tweetdrewsclues--I have messaged you at Twitter for your info to ship the game to)

Will the Real Carolyn Keene Please Stand Up Book - Shelli S.

Clues to Nancy Drew Collecting - Clue Book #3

 

The third Nancy Drew Clue Book is out, A Star Witness. These are cute books for the 6 to 9 year-old set.


Monday, November 02, 2015

Mildred Wirt Benson - Digtial Archive Highlights #10


Highlights from Mildred Wirt Benson's Archive
University of IA: Women's Archive, Digital Collection
Image from Univ. of IA Women's Archive

Located at the University of Iowa's Digital archive is this copy of the Nancy Drew Conference Program from the 1993 conference at the University of IA which recognized Millie and focused on many aspects of Nancy Drew on both a fan and scholarly level.

I'm currently writing a biography on Millie Benson - visit the Mildred A. Wirt Benson Website for more details and research information.

Contact Me (Jennifer Fisher): nancydrewsleuth@aol.com

Saturday, October 31, 2015

Nancy Drew Halloween Party Hot Cocoa Mix Recipe


It would be Halloween and 13 Days of Drew-O-Ween without Hannah Gruen's Hot Cocoa Mix recipe!

Ingredients:

1 box (25.6 oz) Powdered Milk
1 lb Nesquik
1 jar (16oz) Coffee-mate
1 box (16oz) Powdered Sugar

Mix ingredients well, store in a sensible container. Use 4 heaping teaspoons to 1 cup hot water - or to taste. Serve with marshmallows or whipped cream.

Best used as a midnight indulgence after sleuthing,  burglaries or threats to stay off the case or else!

Nancy Drew Books: Scary Things Kids (& Adults) Do #74


Delp me find an eraser!

Friday, October 30, 2015

2015 Nancy Drew Halloween Party Pics


For my 7th annual Nancy Drew Halloween party, I chose the classic Nancy Drew book, #30 The Clue of the Velvet Mask and paired it with my favorite detective game, Clue - The Velvet Mas-CLUE-Rade. Nancy Drew fans and members of Nancy Drew Sleuths traveled from as far as Canada to attend the party and the accompanying Drew-O-Ween activities on the next day. To set the stage, I chose the scene from Velvet Mask where Nancy is dancing with the masked thief and that became the window silhouette complete with bats flitting about.

The setting was Drew Manor, where Nancy had invited her friends to a masquerade party as a ruse to help catch the Velvet Gang, a gang of thieves who were stealing at parties around River Heights. One of the gang had infiltrated the party and was planning to kidnap Nancy and steal the Velvet Mask she'd found at one of the parties. So, everyone had to play detective to figure out - Clue style - which suspect, which room, which weapon. Suspects were taken from Velvet Mask and they had 6 in the book, so it perfectly matched the Clue set up. It was so much fun, we had a great time!

 

Inside the house which was Drew Manor for the party, guests feasted on lots of goodies baked by Hannah Gruen and recipes and snacks from some of Nancy's friends and family including - George's Monster Munch, Carson's Chicago Mix Popcorn, Togo's Tortilla Rolls, The Chief's Chips & Salsa, lots of candies, Nancy's Chocolate Cupcakes, Hannah's Rice Krispie Treats, Bess's Yummy Reese's Peanut Butter Cookie Cups, Shadow Ranch Slow Cooked Brisket, Pinto Beans, The Nickerson's Nawlins Potatoes, Eerie Green Chile Chicken Enchilada Casserole, Thrilling Tomato & Avacodo Salad, and The Cornings Cherry Chiller Punch. I created treat picks using various images from suspect silhouettes and images from the Cameo version of the book to old time Halloween masked ladies to our mystery icons and Clue fingerprints.

 
 
 
 
 

I even decorated my collection a bit with pumpkins, skulls, and "mice" were frolicking around!

 

Nancy Drew Halloween Trees were set up featuring various Nancy Drew ornaments, reproduction old-time Halloween mini paper mache buckets, eyeball ornaments and silhouette paper ornaments. Loved these!

 
 

Keeping with the Clue theme, we had garlands of Clue weapons including poison and Nancy Drew's nemesis - chloroform!! Also our mystery icon silhouettes from our Nancy Drew Printable Party Kits. A rat was attempting to steal a Rice Krispie Treat Cupcake and a vintage Clue game board from the late 1940s adorned the table. One of our sinister suspects Burt Snecker - a.k.a. Professor Plum was among the decor wearing the Velvet Mask Nancy found after thieves had raided the masquerade party!

 
 

Masks were used to make centerpieces for tables including some vintage Halloween ephemera images of masked ladies.


Our Suspect Wall was a Rogue's Gallery of our 6 Clue/Velvet Mask suspects and a banner was created out of vintage Nancy Drew book pages from an old falling apart book. Everyone's goody bags were sitting on the table too--one side featured he Velvet Mask from the cover with it's creepy eyes, the other was a Clue fingerprint. Inside were a set of orange spooky scene internals from Nancy Drew books I created, a test tube of Hannah Gruen's Hot Cocoa mix and the recipe card to make up your own, a poisonous bag of treats, a JOL game, Velvet Mask button, and a light up JOL or Skull ring.

 

Guest arriving were greeted by our Skeleton Suspects decked out in their Clue colors. Tags featuring their Velvet Mask character names and alias Clue suspect names.

 
 
 
 
 
 

After dinner, everyone played Clue and were given a card after 3 were placed in the solution envelope. So you had to go around to everyone at the party and make suggestions to figure out what 3 cards were the solution to the mystery - which suspect had infiltrated the party, what room they were hiding in and what weapon they brought to use on Nancy!


A Clue board was set up on the wall as a backdrop for photos and everyone took photos with various mystery theme photo booth props and the clue weapons. Then we went out side and took some eerie photos on the porch as everything was all aglow. 

 
 

Here's a sampling of some of the neat gifts given out at our Gift Exchange, including the Hollow Oak tree, the Velvet Mask lantern, the Red Gate Farm bucket, and the hollowed out mystery Velvet Mask book.

 
 
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