Funspot Family Fun Center
Encyclopedia
Funspot Family Fun Center (or simply Funspot) is a video arcade
and self-declared "classic gaming museum
" founded in 1952 by Bob Lawton, and located in the village of Weirs Beach
in Laconia, New Hampshire
, USA. It includes over 500 games, an indoor golf center, a 20-lane ten-pin and candlepin bowling
center, cash bingo, mini-golf, a restaurant, and a tavern. Funspot was officially named the "Largest Arcade in the World" by Guinness World Records
at the 10th Annual International Classic Video Game and Pinball Tournament, held from May 29 through June 1, 2008. The third floor of Funspot houses the American Classic Arcade Museum. Originally called the Weirs Beach Sports Center, and located across the street from the Weirs Beach boardwalk
, Funspot moved in 1964 to its current home on Route 3
. There are 180 games from the 1970s and 1980s on the floor at any one time in the American Classic Arcade Museum section of Funspot, with another 100 housed in a warehouse. Billy Baker of The Boston Globe
called the museum "the Louvre
of the '8-bit
' world."
boardwalk. It was opened by then 21 year old Bob Lawton as an indoor miniature golf
course and penny arcade
with $750 USD borrowed from his grandmother. On the first day the center was open it made $36.60 from miniature golf admission and $5.60 from selling soft drink
s. A round of 9-hole mini-golf cost 35 cents.
In 1964, Funspot was created when Lawton bought 21 acres (8.5 ha) of land, the same land where Funspot now sits, and moved his entertainment venture there. The first attraction built was a small miniature golf course and an adjacent building. This course came to be known as the "Landmarks of New Hampshire" miniature golf course. A small clubhouse was also built next to the course, and in 1965 it was expanded into a 4000 square feet (371.6 m²) billiards
room. This was the first of several additions to Funspot.
In 1971, Funspot opened the first of two theme parks to sprout up on its Route 3
campus, Indian Village. Indian Village was described by the president of the American Indian Lore Association, Chief Red Dawn, in 1973 as, "A village of life-size habitats - reconstructed from historical blueprints, representing major Indian cultural areas of North America." Building ranged from a " Nookta Whaling Shrine," to a "Mandan Earth lodge
," to "Plains Indians
Teepees." Indian Village closed in 1983.
Storybook Forest, opened in 1976, was the second theme park that was created on Funspot's campus. This park was themed after children's nursery rhyme
s and fairy tale
s. One of the main attractions in Storybook Forest was "Gingerbread Man Pond," a pond created in the shape of a running gingerbread man
, with two large buttons. The buttons housed Robinson Crusoe
's hut and cave. There were also multiple fiberglass sculptures of story characters that are currently spread out around the kiddie areas of Funspot. When Storybook Forest closed, all of the attractions were removed with the exception of the red school house.
In 1980, Funspot switched from quarters to tokens. Funspot expanded over the years opening satellite locations in Wolfeboro
, Concord
, Dover
, Amherst
, South Portland, Maine
, and Port Richey, Florida
. By the mid 1990s these satellite locations all closed one at a time with the location in Florida being the last to close. It was transformed into another arcade, Stop N' Play, which is still open. The bowling center, featuring both ten-pin and candlepin, was added to Funspot in 1988, and the bingo hall was added in 1996.
Funspot was named the World's Largest Arcade by Guinness World Records
in 2008. The American Classic Arcade Museum alone has over 250 pre-1988 video games and pinball machines. In 2009, the outdoor minigolf course was almost torn out, and a restaurant put in its place, but it was saved due to its historical value. Bob Lawton said, "When we opened it in 1964, we were the only ones in the Lakes Region
that had minigolf, but then several opened up. Last year, we decided we wouldn't close it and we were going to keep it. It's historic; the buildings are fantastic." There is currently an empty lot next to the outdoor minigolf course where Funspot has been talking to hotel chains such as Best Western
, Hilton
, and Marriott
, about the possibility of building a hotel.
s, pinball machines, and electro-mechanic
games built no later than 1987. When asked why 1987 was picked as the cut off date, Gary Vincent replied, "We set the cut off date as 1987 because that is pretty much about the time when we noticed that the videogame industry was starting to change. Instead of having fantasy-based games, puzzle-based, space shoot ’em up games or whatever, it seemed to switch over to more of what I call ‘kick-punch-shoot’ games."
There are 180 games on the floor at any one time, with another 100 housed in a warehouse. Billy Baker of The Boston Globe
called the museum "the Louvre of the '8-bit' world," and the Guinness Book of World Records names the American Classic Arcade Museum at Funspot as the World's Largest Arcade by number of games.
Since 1998, the American Classic Arcade Museum has hosted the Annual Classic Videogame and Pinball Tournament, where people come from all over the world to try to beat records on the arcade games housed in the museum. Referees from the Guinness Book of World Records are on hand to verify the record attempts. At the 10th tournament alone, well over 20 records were set. Records were set by well-known gamers such as Billy Mitchell
, Steve Wiebe
, and Brian Wagner.
During the end of the 1980s, with the decline in interest in arcade games, Funspot started deaccessioning its games. Once the museum was founded, Funspot began looking to regain those games they lost. One such lost game was the first video game to appear in Funspot, Tank II
. It was installed around 1977 and sold off in the late 1980s. Another copy was acquired by the museum, but it is not the original game that used to be housed at Funspot. To reaccession games, the museum purchases some on eBay
and has many donated. Often, nonworking or partial games are donated, and restoration work, sometimes years' worth, must be done to get them in working order.
In 2007, the documentary The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters
was filmed in the museum portion of Funspot.
comic series, Bob Montana, drew the jester that appears on every Funspot token. Montana, who resided in Meredith, New Hampshire
, created the jester in the likeness of his character Jughead
. Funspot's mascot
is "Topsnuf" the dragon
. The name "Topsnuf" is the word "Funspot" backwards.
, as well as the American Classic Arcade Museum, and a large percentage of Funspot's charity bingo games have one of the three nonprofits as its beneficiary.
The Lake Winnipesaukee Historical Society and Lake Winnipesaukee Museum are an organization and museum building located on the grounds of Funspot. Founded by Funspot President Bob Lawton and his son Tim Lawton in 1985, the museum houses information and exhibits on the history of Lake Winnipesaukee
and the towns surrounding it. Many of the artifacts were found by Bob and Tim from scuba diving
expeditions the two regularly made into the lake. The museum building was opened in 2004, and an expansion is already in the works. An approximately 3000 square feet (278.7 m²) addition that resembles a timber-framed
barn has been designed and will replace an adjacent garage.
The Weirs Times is the second venture outside the realm of entertainment that Bob Lawton embarked upon. The original "Weirs Times and Tourist's Gazette" was published from 1883 until 1902. Bob Lawton started publishing a new weekly paper with the same masthead
and map of Lake Winnipesaukee as the original paper in June 1992. Originally focused on the towns around Lake Winnipesaukee, the weekly publication has expanded to a weekly circulation of 30,000. The Weirs Times is known for devoting a large percent of its copy
to Republican
and Tea Party
columnists and letters to the editor. Funspot began hosting the Miss Winnipesaukee Scholarship Program in 1969.
Video arcade
An amusement arcade or video arcade is a venue where people play arcade games such as video games, pinball machines, electro-mechanical games, redemption games, merchandisers , or coin-operated billiards or air hockey tables...
and self-declared "classic gaming museum
Museum
A museum is an institution that cares for a collection of artifacts and other objects of scientific, artistic, cultural, or historical importance and makes them available for public viewing through exhibits that may be permanent or temporary. Most large museums are located in major cities...
" founded in 1952 by Bob Lawton, and located in the village of Weirs Beach
Weirs Beach, New Hampshire
Weirs Beach is a village within the city of Laconia in Belknap County, New Hampshire, United States. It is located on the southern shore of Lake Winnipesaukee. The cruise ship Mount Washington terminates there...
in Laconia, New Hampshire
Laconia, New Hampshire
As of the census of 2000, there were 16,411 people, 6,724 households, and 4,168 families residing in the city. The population density was 809.3 people per square mile . There were 8,554 housing units at an average density of 421.8 per square mile...
, USA. It includes over 500 games, an indoor golf center, a 20-lane ten-pin and candlepin bowling
Bowling
Bowling Bowling Bowling (1375–1425; late Middle English bowle, variant of boule Bowling (1375–1425; late Middle English bowle, variant of boule...
center, cash bingo, mini-golf, a restaurant, and a tavern. Funspot was officially named the "Largest Arcade in the World" by Guinness World Records
Guinness World Records
Guinness World Records, known until 2000 as The Guinness Book of Records , is a reference book published annually, containing a collection of world records, both human achievements and the extremes of the natural world...
at the 10th Annual International Classic Video Game and Pinball Tournament, held from May 29 through June 1, 2008. The third floor of Funspot houses the American Classic Arcade Museum. Originally called the Weirs Beach Sports Center, and located across the street from the Weirs Beach boardwalk
Boardwalk
A boardwalk, in the conventional sense, is a wooden walkway for pedestrians and sometimes vehicles, often found along beaches, but they are also common as paths through wetlands, coastal dunes, and other sensitive environments....
, Funspot moved in 1964 to its current home on Route 3
U.S. Route 3
U.S. Route 3 is a north–south United States highway that runs from its southern terminus in Cambridge, Massachusetts through New Hampshire to its terminus near Third Connecticut Lake at the Canadian border, where the road continues north as Quebec Route 257.In New Hampshire parts of US 3 are...
. There are 180 games from the 1970s and 1980s on the floor at any one time in the American Classic Arcade Museum section of Funspot, with another 100 housed in a warehouse. Billy Baker of The Boston Globe
The Boston Globe
The Boston Globe is an American daily newspaper based in Boston, Massachusetts. The Boston Globe has been owned by The New York Times Company since 1993...
called the museum "the Louvre
Louvre
The Musée du Louvre – in English, the Louvre Museum or simply the Louvre – is one of the world's largest museums, the most visited art museum in the world and a historic monument. A central landmark of Paris, it is located on the Right Bank of the Seine in the 1st arrondissement...
of the '8-bit
8-bit
The first widely adopted 8-bit microprocessor was the Intel 8080, being used in many hobbyist computers of the late 1970s and early 1980s, often running the CP/M operating system. The Zilog Z80 and the Motorola 6800 were also used in similar computers...
' world."
History
Funspot first opened as the Weirs Sports Center on June 27, 1952, in the top floor of Tarlson's Arcade building across from the Weirs BeachWeirs Beach, New Hampshire
Weirs Beach is a village within the city of Laconia in Belknap County, New Hampshire, United States. It is located on the southern shore of Lake Winnipesaukee. The cruise ship Mount Washington terminates there...
boardwalk. It was opened by then 21 year old Bob Lawton as an indoor miniature golf
Miniature golf
Miniature golf, or minigolf, is a miniature version of the sport of golf. While the international sports organization World Minigolf Sport Federation prefers to use the name "minigolf", the general public in different countries has also many other names for the game: miniature golf, mini-golf,...
course and penny arcade
Penny Arcade
Penny Arcade may refer to:* Penny arcade, a venue for coin-operated devices* Penny Arcade ** Penny Arcade Adventures: On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness, a series of video games based on the webcomic...
with $750 USD borrowed from his grandmother. On the first day the center was open it made $36.60 from miniature golf admission and $5.60 from selling soft drink
Soft drink
A soft drink is a non-alcoholic beverage that typically contains water , a sweetener, and a flavoring agent...
s. A round of 9-hole mini-golf cost 35 cents.
In 1964, Funspot was created when Lawton bought 21 acres (8.5 ha) of land, the same land where Funspot now sits, and moved his entertainment venture there. The first attraction built was a small miniature golf course and an adjacent building. This course came to be known as the "Landmarks of New Hampshire" miniature golf course. A small clubhouse was also built next to the course, and in 1965 it was expanded into a 4000 square feet (371.6 m²) billiards
Billiards
Cue sports , also known as billiard sports, are a wide variety of games of skill generally played with a cue stick which is used to strike billiard balls, moving them around a cloth-covered billiards table bounded by rubber .Historically, the umbrella term was billiards...
room. This was the first of several additions to Funspot.
In 1971, Funspot opened the first of two theme parks to sprout up on its Route 3
U.S. Route 3
U.S. Route 3 is a north–south United States highway that runs from its southern terminus in Cambridge, Massachusetts through New Hampshire to its terminus near Third Connecticut Lake at the Canadian border, where the road continues north as Quebec Route 257.In New Hampshire parts of US 3 are...
campus, Indian Village. Indian Village was described by the president of the American Indian Lore Association, Chief Red Dawn, in 1973 as, "A village of life-size habitats - reconstructed from historical blueprints, representing major Indian cultural areas of North America." Building ranged from a " Nookta Whaling Shrine," to a "Mandan Earth lodge
Earth lodge
An earth lodge is a semi-subterranean building covered partially or completely with earth, best known from the Native American cultures of the Great Plains and Eastern Woodlands. Most earth lodges are circular in construction with a dome-like roof, often with a central or slightly-offset smoke...
," to "Plains Indians
Plains Indians
The Plains Indians are the Indigenous peoples who live on the plains and rolling hills of the Great Plains of North America. Their colorful equestrian culture and resistance to White domination have made the Plains Indians an archetype in literature and art for American Indians everywhere.Plains...
Teepees." Indian Village closed in 1983.
Storybook Forest, opened in 1976, was the second theme park that was created on Funspot's campus. This park was themed after children's nursery rhyme
Nursery rhyme
The term nursery rhyme is used for "traditional" poems for young children in Britain and many other countries, but usage only dates from the 19th century and in North America the older ‘Mother Goose Rhymes’ is still often used.-Lullabies:...
s and fairy tale
Fairy tale
A fairy tale is a type of short story that typically features such folkloric characters, such as fairies, goblins, elves, trolls, dwarves, giants or gnomes, and usually magic or enchantments. However, only a small number of the stories refer to fairies...
s. One of the main attractions in Storybook Forest was "Gingerbread Man Pond," a pond created in the shape of a running gingerbread man
Gingerbread man
A gingerbread man is a biscuit or cookie made of gingerbread, usually in the shape of a stylized human, commonly male as the name suggests, although making other shapes, especially seasonal themes and characters, is quite common as well.-History:...
, with two large buttons. The buttons housed Robinson Crusoe
Robinson Crusoe
Robinson Crusoe is a novel by Daniel Defoe that was first published in 1719. Epistolary, confessional, and didactic in form, the book is a fictional autobiography of the title character—a castaway who spends 28 years on a remote tropical island near Trinidad, encountering cannibals, captives, and...
's hut and cave. There were also multiple fiberglass sculptures of story characters that are currently spread out around the kiddie areas of Funspot. When Storybook Forest closed, all of the attractions were removed with the exception of the red school house.
In 1980, Funspot switched from quarters to tokens. Funspot expanded over the years opening satellite locations in Wolfeboro
Wolfeboro, New Hampshire
Wolfeboro is a town in Carroll County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 6,269 at the 2010 census. A venerable resort area situated beside Lake Winnipesaukee, Wolfeboro includes the village of Wolfeboro Falls...
, Concord
Concord, New Hampshire
The city of Concord is the capital of the state of New Hampshire in the United States. It is also the county seat of Merrimack County. As of the 2010 census, its population was 42,695....
, Dover
Dover, New Hampshire
Dover is a city in Strafford County, New Hampshire, in the United States of America. The population was 29,987 at the 2010 census, the largest in the New Hampshire Seacoast region...
, Amherst
Amherst, New Hampshire
Amherst is a town in Hillsborough County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 11,201 at the 2010 census. Amherst is home to Ponemah Bog Wildlife Sanctuary, Hodgman State Forest, the Joe English Reservation and Baboosic Lake....
, South Portland, Maine
South Portland, Maine
South Portland is a city in Cumberland County, Maine, United States, and is the fourth-largest city in the state. Founded in 1895, as of the 2010 census, the city population was 25,002. Known for its working waterfront, South Portland is situated on Portland Harbor and overlooks the skyline of...
, and Port Richey, Florida
Port Richey, Florida
Port Richey is a city in Pasco County, Florida, United States. It is a suburban city included in the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 3,021 at the 2000 census. As of 2004, the population recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau is...
. By the mid 1990s these satellite locations all closed one at a time with the location in Florida being the last to close. It was transformed into another arcade, Stop N' Play, which is still open. The bowling center, featuring both ten-pin and candlepin, was added to Funspot in 1988, and the bingo hall was added in 1996.
Funspot was named the World's Largest Arcade by Guinness World Records
Guinness World Records
Guinness World Records, known until 2000 as The Guinness Book of Records , is a reference book published annually, containing a collection of world records, both human achievements and the extremes of the natural world...
in 2008. The American Classic Arcade Museum alone has over 250 pre-1988 video games and pinball machines. In 2009, the outdoor minigolf course was almost torn out, and a restaurant put in its place, but it was saved due to its historical value. Bob Lawton said, "When we opened it in 1964, we were the only ones in the Lakes Region
Lakes Region (New Hampshire)
The Lakes Region of New Hampshire is the mid-state region surrounding Lake Winnipesaukee, Winnisquam Lake, Squam Lake, and Newfound Lake.The area is a popular tourist destination in the summer time, with the activity peaking during the annual Motorcycle Week and races at Loudon's New Hampshire...
that had minigolf, but then several opened up. Last year, we decided we wouldn't close it and we were going to keep it. It's historic; the buildings are fantastic." There is currently an empty lot next to the outdoor minigolf course where Funspot has been talking to hotel chains such as Best Western
Best Western
Best Western International, Inc. is the third largest hotel chain, with over 4,195 hotels in nearly 80 countries. The chain, with its corporate headquarters in Phoenix, Arizona, operates more than 2,000 hotels in North America alone. Best Western has a marketing program involving placement of free...
, Hilton
Hilton Hotels
Hilton Hotels & Resorts is an international chain of full-service hotels and resorts founded by Conrad Hilton and now owned by Hilton Worldwide. Hilton hotels are either owned by, managed by, or franchised to independent operators by Hilton Worldwide. Hilton Hotels became the first coast-to-coast...
, and Marriott
Marriott International
Marriott International, Inc. is a worldwide operator and franchisor of a broad portfolio of hotels and related lodging facilities. Founded by J. Willard Marriott, the company is now led by son J.W. Marriott, Jr...
, about the possibility of building a hotel.
American Classic Arcade Museum
The third floor of Funspot houses the American Classic Arcade Museum. Before the museum was founded, Funspot had classic games spread throughout the building. Gary Vincent, an employee of Funspot and now curator of the Classic Arcade Museum, came up with the idea of collecting the games in one spot to give visitors to the arcade a different way of understanding the games. Opened in the late 1990s, the American Classic Arcade Museum collects arcade gameArcade game
An arcade game is a coin-operated entertainment machine, usually installed in public businesses such as restaurants, bars, and amusement arcades. Most arcade games are video games, pinball machines, electro-mechanical games, redemption games, and merchandisers...
s, pinball machines, and electro-mechanic
Electromechanics
In engineering, electromechanics combines the sciences of electromagnetism, of electrical engineering and mechanics. Mechanical engineering in this context refers to the larger discipline which includes chemical engineering, and other related disciplines. Electrical engineering in this context...
games built no later than 1987. When asked why 1987 was picked as the cut off date, Gary Vincent replied, "We set the cut off date as 1987 because that is pretty much about the time when we noticed that the videogame industry was starting to change. Instead of having fantasy-based games, puzzle-based, space shoot ’em up games or whatever, it seemed to switch over to more of what I call ‘kick-punch-shoot’ games."
There are 180 games on the floor at any one time, with another 100 housed in a warehouse. Billy Baker of The Boston Globe
The Boston Globe
The Boston Globe is an American daily newspaper based in Boston, Massachusetts. The Boston Globe has been owned by The New York Times Company since 1993...
called the museum "the Louvre of the '8-bit' world," and the Guinness Book of World Records names the American Classic Arcade Museum at Funspot as the World's Largest Arcade by number of games.
Since 1998, the American Classic Arcade Museum has hosted the Annual Classic Videogame and Pinball Tournament, where people come from all over the world to try to beat records on the arcade games housed in the museum. Referees from the Guinness Book of World Records are on hand to verify the record attempts. At the 10th tournament alone, well over 20 records were set. Records were set by well-known gamers such as Billy Mitchell
Billy Mitchell (gamer)
Billy L. Mitchell, born July 16, 1965, in Holyoke, Massachusetts, is best known for recording high scores in classic video games from the Golden Age of Arcade Games. He has been claimed by some as the "greatest arcade-video-game player of all time". His achievements include the first perfect score...
, Steve Wiebe
Steve Wiebe
Steven J. "Steve" Wiebe is a two-time world champion of the video game Donkey Kong, most recently holding the title from the 20th of September, 2010 to the 10th of January, 2011 with a high score of 1,064,500 points. Wiebe was the first person to achieve over a million points in the game, with a...
, and Brian Wagner.
During the end of the 1980s, with the decline in interest in arcade games, Funspot started deaccessioning its games. Once the museum was founded, Funspot began looking to regain those games they lost. One such lost game was the first video game to appear in Funspot, Tank II
Tank (arcade game)
Tank is a two-player arcade game by Atari Inc. subsidiary Kee Games, originally released on November 5, 1974 and designed by Steve Bristow and Lyle Rains...
. It was installed around 1977 and sold off in the late 1980s. Another copy was acquired by the museum, but it is not the original game that used to be housed at Funspot. To reaccession games, the museum purchases some on eBay
EBay
eBay Inc. is an American internet consumer-to-consumer corporation that manages eBay.com, an online auction and shopping website in which people and businesses buy and sell a broad variety of goods and services worldwide...
and has many donated. Often, nonworking or partial games are donated, and restoration work, sometimes years' worth, must be done to get them in working order.
In 2007, the documentary The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters
The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters
The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters is a 2007 American documentary film that follows Steve Wiebe as he tries to take the world high score for the arcade game Donkey Kong from reigning champion Billy Mitchell...
was filmed in the museum portion of Funspot.
Symbols
The name Funspot came from a magazine article Bob Lawton read. He stated, "I got the name from a magazine... When we asked them if we could use the name for our business, they said go right ahead." In 1965, the creator of the ArchieArchie Comics
Archie Comics is an American comic book publisher headquartered in the Village of Mamaroneck, Town of Mamaroneck, New York, known for its many series featuring the fictional teenagers Archie Andrews, Betty Cooper, Veronica Lodge, Reggie Mantle and Jughead Jones. The characters were created by...
comic series, Bob Montana, drew the jester that appears on every Funspot token. Montana, who resided in Meredith, New Hampshire
Meredith, New Hampshire
Meredith is a town in Belknap County, New Hampshire, USA. The population was 6,241 at the 2010 census. Meredith is situated beside Lake Winnipesaukee. It is home to Stonedam Island Natural Area and the Winnipesaukee Scenic Railroad...
, created the jester in the likeness of his character Jughead
Jughead Jones
Jughead Jones is a fictional character in Archie Comics who first appeared in the comic in December 1941. He is the son of Forsythe II; although in one of the early Archie newspaper comic strips, he himself is identified as Forsythe Van Jones II...
. Funspot's mascot
Mascot
The term mascot – defined as a term for any person, animal, or object thought to bring luck – colloquially includes anything used to represent a group with a common public identity, such as a school, professional sports team, society, military unit, or brand name...
is "Topsnuf" the dragon
Dragon
A dragon is a legendary creature, typically with serpentine or reptilian traits, that feature in the myths of many cultures. There are two distinct cultural traditions of dragons: the European dragon, derived from European folk traditions and ultimately related to Greek and Middle Eastern...
. The name "Topsnuf" is the word "Funspot" backwards.
Additional ventures
Funspot has three other ventures that are not associated with its "Fun Center". Two of the ventures are incorporated as a 501(c)3 nonprofit organizationNonprofit organization
Nonprofit organization is neither a legal nor technical definition but generally refers to an organization that uses surplus revenues to achieve its goals, rather than distributing them as profit or dividends...
, as well as the American Classic Arcade Museum, and a large percentage of Funspot's charity bingo games have one of the three nonprofits as its beneficiary.
The Lake Winnipesaukee Historical Society and Lake Winnipesaukee Museum are an organization and museum building located on the grounds of Funspot. Founded by Funspot President Bob Lawton and his son Tim Lawton in 1985, the museum houses information and exhibits on the history of Lake Winnipesaukee
Lake Winnipesaukee
Lake Winnipesaukee is the largest lake in the U.S. state of New Hampshire. It is approximately long and from wide , covering — when Paugus Bay is included—with a maximum depth of ....
and the towns surrounding it. Many of the artifacts were found by Bob and Tim from scuba diving
Scuba diving
Scuba diving is a form of underwater diving in which a diver uses a scuba set to breathe underwater....
expeditions the two regularly made into the lake. The museum building was opened in 2004, and an expansion is already in the works. An approximately 3000 square feet (278.7 m²) addition that resembles a timber-framed
Timber framing
Timber framing , or half-timbering, also called in North America "post-and-beam" construction, is the method of creating structures using heavy squared off and carefully fitted and joined timbers with joints secured by large wooden pegs . It is commonplace in large barns...
barn has been designed and will replace an adjacent garage.
The Weirs Times is the second venture outside the realm of entertainment that Bob Lawton embarked upon. The original "Weirs Times and Tourist's Gazette" was published from 1883 until 1902. Bob Lawton started publishing a new weekly paper with the same masthead
Masthead (publishing)
The masthead is a list, published in a newspaper or magazine, of its staff. In some publications it names only the most senior individuals; in others, it may name many or all...
and map of Lake Winnipesaukee as the original paper in June 1992. Originally focused on the towns around Lake Winnipesaukee, the weekly publication has expanded to a weekly circulation of 30,000. The Weirs Times is known for devoting a large percent of its copy
Copy (written)
Copy refers to written material, in contrast to photographs or other elements of layout, in a large number of contexts, including magazines, advertising, and book publishing....
to Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
and Tea Party
Tea Party movement
The Tea Party movement is an American populist political movement that is generally recognized as conservative and libertarian, and has sponsored protests and supported political candidates since 2009...
columnists and letters to the editor. Funspot began hosting the Miss Winnipesaukee Scholarship Program in 1969.