MAC Who?

We’re going through something of an identity crisis here at MAC. That’s an acronym for the Mid-Atlantic Center for the Arts & Humanities, in Cape May. OK, so technically, it should be MACAH, but that sounds more like an Old Testament prophet. In a way, though, that’s not so far off, since what we’re trying to do is spread the word.
I first joined MAC a little more than 13 years ago. Unlike a lot of our visitors and even local residents, however, I knew what MAC meant. Working as an editor in other county newspapers, I was on the receiving end of MAC’s press releases and photo submissions. I have to tell you, there were days when I welcomed that big packet of information and other days when I wondered where I was supposed to put all of it. But I still didn’t appreciate, until joining the organization, what MAC really stood for.
I found out early in my days here that not nearly everyone was as familiar with MAC as I was. I’d tell people I was working for MAC and their response would be “MAC who?” I made it my mission, in my early years here, to try and spread the word and decrease the number of responses like that. I’d like to think I’ve made some inroads, but, sadly, not nearly enough. There are still way too many people out there, especially among local county residents, who just don’t know who, and what, we are. So, in keeping with short and sweet bullet points, here is what (and who) we are.
MAC is the Emlen Physick Estate.
MAC is the Cape May Lighthouse.
MAC is the World War II Lookout Tower.
MAC is a leader in historic preservation, as attested to by those three sites, once virtually abandoned but now open to the public.
MAC is that trolley taking people around Cape May, and telling them about its history and architecture.
MAC is any one of a number of dedicated guides who can share with you a glimpse of the lifestyles and the people of the Victorian era.
MAC is “The Keeper’s On Duty” at the Cape May Lighthouse.
MAC is Family Fun Days at the Lighthouse and the Victorian Family Fair.
MAC is Children’s Trolley Tours and Physick Estate Children’s Tours and Teddy Bear Tea Parties, too.
MAC gives you lots of quality family programming, most of it at no cost.
And speaking of children and no cost, MAC offers educational outreach programs to thousands of county school children every year. No doubt, your kids have visited the Lighthouse or the Physick Estate, or had a classroom presentation by one of our museum educators, but you probably didn’t know it was all thanks to our friend, MAC.
MAC brings music into your life each spring with the Cape May Music Festival, and makes your holidays a little merrier with Christmas tours and events.
So, here’s all this wonderful stuff going on, all year-round, and we’re happy you enjoy it. Our goal is to help preserve the past, enrich your life, and ensure that future generations appreciate our rich history. The reason we want you to know what we do is not because we’re looking for a pat on the back. That’s never been rewarding for us. The reason we want you to know us is because, when you see the name MAC, we want you to know you’re going to find something rewarding, something entertaining, and something you can trust will be good for you and your family. So, get to know us. Get to know MAC.
– Barraclough is the publications/website director at MAC