Take in a little history this summer

If you are a snowbird, you probably missed Greg Guenard talk about his family’s downtown business, Guenard’s Candy Store at the Douglas County Historical Society last fall. You are in for a treat because Greg is coming back Sunday for a repeat performance. All of our 2011-2012 History Sundays followed the theme of downtown, in connection with our latest exhibit called “Open ‘til 9: Thursday Nights on Tower” in reference to when stores in Superior’s downtown stayed open late for shoppers.

Judging from the big crowd that attended Greg’s talk last fall, it’s apparent that people still have sweet memories of his dad, Eddie and his aunt, Bernice, who ran the family-owned business for many years and was a staple of our downtown. Some comments about Guenard’s can be seen on Facebook: “Large marshmallows covered Guenard’s chocolate … Buying treats before going next door to the Beacon … I can still smell that store … Simply the best.”

The program starts at 2 p.m. Admission is $3 for non-members. Free to DCHS members. We thank the Superior Rotary Club again for a grant that made our History Sunday season possible.

You can help DCHS continue its mission and ensure that we are here to provide more programs like this with our Adopt-A-Day program. For $100.00 you can “adopt a day” in your name, as tribute to or memorial for a loved one, or in honor of an event this year.

The big event coming up this summer is our construction project. During our annual meeting in April, Dan Curran, city chief building inspector and Wisconsin licensed architect, presented plans for our new elevator lift that will make us accessible to all.

The project is scheduled to start in July. Most of the funding for this project is from the City’s Community Development Block Grant but we’re also raising money for items like a commode and sink. You can help by buying raffle tickets to win one of three beautiful prizes.

Third prize is a basket of merchandise donated by DCHS. Second prize is a Pam Dull print of the Lift Bridge, donated by Mick MacKenzie and framed by Kelly and Gary Reed and Barb Mattson; and first prize is a handmade quilt and rag rug donated by 4-Corners Crafters. Stop in at DCHS to see the prizes and to buy your chances!

During construction we’ll still be open to the public if you have a research request or want to stop in our museum shop.

Try “Frontier Village: The Birth of Superior, 1853-1883” or “Wisconsin Far Northwest,” or “Central A-Z: The History of a Superior School. Or, if you are doing some Superior genealogy research, pick up a copy of Pioneers of Superior, WI. You can also find enlarged photo prints and DCHS sweatshirts.

The Douglas County Historical Society is at 1101 John Ave. Contact them by email at dchs@douglashistory.org or call (715) 392-8449.

Kathy Laakso is the director of the Douglas County Historical Society.

Tags: news, food, family, money