OSHKOSH, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – Plenty of families visit the Oshkosh Public Museum for its annual Deck The Halls Exhibit. But this year it’s showing off more than the history of the city.
“I really enjoy ancestry and I enjoy history and local history and passing it on to the kids. Because if you don’t, that’s where it gets lost,” said Dick Hubertus.
He has lived in Oshkosh for quite some time.
Sunday was his chance to showcase his history at the Oshkosh Public Museum.
He’s just one of the Oshkosh residents who loaned the museum his toys from the 50s and 60s to be featured in its exhibit, ‘Santa’s Toy Workshop’.
Work to put the exhibit together started this summer.
“A few toys I kind of remember I wanted to have when I was a kid and never got!” exclaimed curator of exhibits, Debra Daubert.
Months ago the museum asked the community to bring in their old toys for a spot behind the display’s glass walls.
“And then we had them send in photographs so I have some idea of how to ahead of time display them and what we have,” Daubert explained. “It was around October we got the actual toys in and then we have fun putting them on display!”
For Daubert, it’s an opportunity to tell the stories of people like Hubertus, who make up the Oshkosh community.
“I could tell enough stories about the museum collections,” said Daubert. “But to hear the personal stories behind them…
That’s what makes something a treasure.For Hubertus, it’s a chance to teach his grand-kids, a piece of his own history.
“It’s really neat to kind of see what we grew up in the 50s with,” he said.
The exhibit started on Sunday and it will stay up until January 5.
The museum’s hours are Tuesday through Saturday, from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and Sunday from 21 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.
It will be closed for Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.
The museum is located at 1331 Algoma Boulevard in Oshkosh.
