Memory
Box Tea
by
Carolyn Saul Logan
There are lots of boxes in the Humboldt County Museum—boxes of photographs, boxes of hats, even boxes of items that local businesses gave out for advertising. You may still use a wooden yardstick with the name of a local lumber yard on it or a calendar given out in the New Year by a local bank.
On August 10th the Museum is going to celebrate boxes with a Memory Box Tea. Tickets are $10 each and only twenty tickets will be sold. The tea is for children age 8 to 12, who must be accompanied by an adult with his or her Memory Box. These personal memory boxes will contain a secret surprise collection of items from the adult’s life.
I won’t tell you what is going to happen at the Memory Box Tea—but it will be fun. Tickets are on sale at the Museum (332 5285) or from Connie Overby (890-9652). The Tea will be in the Mill House Ballroom from 1 to 3 pm. It is an occasion for dressing up, so wear a fancy hat if you have one.
Some of the boxes in the Museum are small, perhaps the same size that the adult will bring to the tea. A middle-sized tan box holds medals from several military conflicts. A very colorful medal in this box is for the GAR, which stands for The Grand Army of the Republic. This was an organization composed of veterans of the Union Army who had served in the American Civil War, over 140 years ago.
Another box, about the size of a book, holds campaign buttons for candidates in past elections. The brightest item in this box is a brooch that spells out IKE in glass “diamonds.” Such a sparkling pin obviously helped Eisenhower become President.
The third box is the smallest of all—the size of a walnut shell. In fact, it IS a walnut shell, and inside it is a very small pamphlet that unfolds like a fan. In tiny print and pictures, the pamphlet tells about the wonders of the Chicago World’s Fair. The proper name of the Fair was “World's Columbian Exposition” but since it was held in Chicago, it is also known as The Chicago World's Fair. The Fair was held in 1893 to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus' discovery of the New World. That means that this little Memory Shell is over 100 years old.
So get your tickets now and plan on a having a great time at the Memory Box Tea on Sunday, August 10.