Photo Treasures from the Lebens Collection – Shakopee Businesses

Over his long career in photography,  Shakopee native Leroy Lebens seems to have documented a little bit of everything in Scott County: weddings, construction, floods, graduations, sports, wildlife, and concerts to name a few.  He also happened to track the growth and development of many Shakopee businesses and institutions. This week we are taking a closer look at a few of these photographs of Shakopee businesses from his collection we have housed at Scott County Historical Society. Spanning well over thirty years, these ten pictures feature places you can still visit and some of which have long been closed. This is just a small sampling of what we have found so far. Take a quick trip down memory lane with us!

Shown: Wampachs, Midland Glass, Shakopee Motors, Rahr Malting, Betty Lu’s, Abeln’s Bar, Mill Pond, St. Paul House, St. Francis Hospital, and First National Bank.

Keep it or Pitch It?

Spring cleaning time is upon us, and with it, the eternal question: should I keep it or pitch it? Indeed, what to do with all of that stuff that somehow always piles up in the basement, attic, or garage?

To that end, the SCHS recently offered a workshop at the museum titled “Keep It or Pitch It?” This workshop was designed to help people who are in the process of cleaning out a room or a home figure out what they should keep and what they should pitch.

Kathy Klehr, SCHS Executive Director, took on the “keep” portion of the workshop. According to Kathy, items are worth keeping if there is a story attached, or some sort of sentimental value. (This brings to mind Marie Kondo’s book, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, which was all the rage a few years ago, and particularly Kondo’s suggestion to keep only those items that “spark joy.”)

If you are downsizing in your own home, or helping someone else to downsize, Kathy strongly recommends doing a walk-through of the home with family members in order to determine which items may have special meaning to them. Maybe one of your kids finds great sentimental value in that knick-knack you were planning to give away – better to find out now than after the fact!

Kathy also offered up some tips about how to preserve your “keep” items. (For instance, store photos in acid-free photo sleeves.) If you want to learn more about proper preservation practices, you can always contact the SCHS for advice by email at info@scottcountyhistory.org or  by phone at 952.445.0378.

Stephanie Herrick, Curator of Education, took on the “pitch” portion of the workshop. However, in honor of Earth Day coming up, Stephanie focused on alternative ways to dispose of your “pitch” items rather than tossing them in a dumpster. Her suggestions included:

• Donate your items – There are a huge number of thrift stores in and around Scott County (Goodwill, CAPS Thrift Store, Bridging, etc.) that will take your donations of clothes, household items, small electronics, etc. Donations are usually tax-deductible! (And don’t forget, if you have an item that helps tell the history of Scott County, the SCHS will accept it for our collection!)

• Sell your items – Selling your unwanted items has never been easier, now that we have the internet! Craigslist.org and Facebook garage sale groups are great go-to websites for selling stuff.

  Repair your items – As historians, we are always thinking about life long ago. Back in the day, people didn’t have the luxury of constantly replacing items – they had to repair them! You can too, either by taking them to a local repair shop or by giving it a go on your own. Google is your friend in this regard (true story – Stephanie once fixed her car radio by Googling how to do it!).

• Repurpose your items – Take something you don’t want and turn it into something you do want by getting creative! A few vintage suitcases stacked on top of each other can become a nightstand! Old t-shirts can be sewn together into a new quilt! The possibilities are endless! (You can also check out Freecycle.org or TwinCitiesFreeMarket.org if you think someone else might be able to repurpose your items.)

• Recycle your items – We all know that paper, glass, plastic, and cardboard are recyclable, but did you know you can also recycle shoes, computers, clothes, and carpets? There are TONS of resources online – the Recycling Association of Minnesota (recycleminnesota.org) is a great place to start. Also, most cities in Scott County have a city-wide clean-up day, so check out your city’s website for more information!

• Pitch responsibly – Do NOT throw your household hazardous waste (medicines, household chemicals, paint, etc.) in the trash. Follow proper guidelines for disposing these items. Scott County residents can learn more here: www.scottcountymn.gov/578/Household-Hazardous-Waste.

Happy Spring Cleaning!!

The Other Side of Old Dolls

Written by Kathy Klehr

For a lot of people, old dolls are creepy. Over the years, the media has painted dolls as psycho killers (Chucky, anyone?), and with the distorted bodies and missing parts that are portrayed in movies or shows, it’s no wonder that viewers get a phobia!

I think, instead, that dolls should be viewed as something that were once loved and treasured. For some, they could be the physical embodiment of sentimentality, and for others, they are. Take this doll, for example. This is a Charlie Chaplin doll from the early 1900’s (probably from around 1915), and was played with by Julius Coller II from Shakopee as a child. Does this look like a creepy doll to you? A doll’s label all depends on how well it has survived the years since its owner last played with it. This doll is in relatively good shape concerning its age. It’s just a little rough around the edges from use and the ever moving feet of time.

Take a look at the next photo, which is a less abused, nearly mint, similarly dressed version of the Charlie Chaplin doll above.

As you can see, Julius’s doll had gained much wear and tear from the love that the little boy had thrust upon him. Shown below is an image of the little boy that loved this doll so.

Dolls aren’t so creepy after all when you remember the love and joy they brought children!

When you’re walking through an antique store or museum and see sad looking, or yes, creepy looking dolls, try and remember that like the man behind the Charlie Chaplin character, every doll has something else behind its worn appearance – the face of a once treasured toy.

Member Appreciation Event

We shook things up a bit this year at our annual Member’s Appreciation Event (3/16/2017). Instead of the same old- same old treats and speaker… we decided to play!

The exhibit scavenger hunt was a huge hit.  Members dug deep into the exhibits looking for snippets of photos to fill in their sheets.  They collaborated – or snuck peeks with each other to try and fill in every blank.

I have to say, it was pretty difficult – but tons of fun!  Before drawing the winner’s name, I read off the answers to plenty of groans and cheers.  The was most difficult picture to find was of fake pancakes found on the stove in the atrium. No one could figure out what the heck the photo was.

Play didn’t stop there – we moved into the library for Exhibit Bingo!  Using exhibit images instead of numbers on the bingo cards was another way to learn more about the exhibits, while enjoying a little friendly competition, and some laughs.  We had plenty of winners this evening.

Oh yeah we also included the same-old, same-old treats too.

Thanks again to all our members!  We appreciate your faithful support, and wouldn’t be here without you!  THANKS!!