From Zane's Trace to Outer Space: A Journey into Muskingum County

An original and somewhat worse-for-wear National Road
mileage marker located outside the National Road
and Zane Grey Museum in Norwich, OH

The long road trip test isn’t always recommended for potential relationship testing, but it will almost always give you a definitive answer about viability of a partnership after a single experience. Our first road trip together covered at least 500 miles over a several day period. Our second trip was even longer, including a 350-mile circuit of Oregon in one day that started and ended in Bend, but in between included an 8-mile hike on Mt Hood, donuts in Portland, and dinner with relatives in Tigard.

An off-the-cuff trip recently into Muskingum County proved to be a fairly short jaunt by those standards, but the sites we visited for the most part were all about the longer journey, including one instance which covered approximately 75,000 miles.

To The Moon and Back

While I was alive at the time, I proved too young to have any real memories of the first moon landing in July, 1969, when Neil Armstrong first planted his foot on Earth's nearest celestial neighbor on NASA's famed Apollo 11 mission. My first space-oriented memories are shunted a little later down the road, with the last moon landings in 1972, follwed by the Skylab and Apollo-Soyuz Joint Projects. The former created quite a hubbub when it crashed to earth near the end of the decade, while the latter proved to be an example of détente practiced between this country and its former Cold War adversary the former Soviet Union.

These Marx Toy Company astronaut figurines I found on Etsy.com recently were
exactly like those my parents bought me during NASA's moon mission heyday

I also remember fondly the four astronaut figurines my parents acquired for me and my then three siblings during a long length-of-Florida family trip which included Cape Kennedy, Marineland, and the newly opened Disneyworld, among other destinations. As Marx Toy Company creations, they'd be somewhat valuable nowadays in mint condition, but we treated them as kids would treat them, making pretend moon landings and then, later, into the toy bin blender with teddy bears, Fisher-Price Little People sets, Tonka Trucks, and Hot Wheels and Matchbox cars, among other things.

The House That Sarah Built: The Winchester Mystery House (San Jose, CA)

The front of the Winchester Mystery House in San Jose, California

Way before San Jose, California, transformed into the anchor of what eventually became known as Silicon Valley, I had two personal mental associations with the city. One was the Dionne Warwick song "Do You Know The Way to San Jose", one of the first songs I remember listening to and liking immensely.

The other association was The Winchester Mystery House, which I always perceived as something of a cheesy attraction, based on both the promo ads I heard and read as well as the story (essentially, superstitious rich widow, in this case, Sarah Winchester, takes fortune teller’s crazy story to heart and builds a likewise crazy house to match in the quest for immortality.)

However, as we were happy to find out on our first visit ever, the tale behind The Winchester House is far more nuanced than that, with aspects about Winchester herself as well as the house she ended up building wouldn’t realize upon first glance.

Cincy Travels Part 1: Lechon with a Double Shot of History

One of the numerous gorgeous murals which dot Cincinnati's Over-The-Rhine neighborhood

In most of our ventures, my spouse and I have found the history behind our destinations to be as fascinating if not more so than the attraction or food and beverages we have the pleasure to experience.  This could not be more so the case with what might be our most extensive exploration of the Greater Cincinnati area itself, especially when it comes to the Findlay Market and the American Sign Museum.

The Towns Where It Happens: Weekend in Butler County (Pt. 1)

A lovely sunset greeted us on our first night of travels through Ohio's Butler County

Confession: when the Butler County Visitors Bureau offered to host my spouse and I for a weekend exploring this county nestled just north of Cincinnati, I was a little nervous.

Granted, I had relayed the things we typically like to pursue so the Bureau could put together an agenda, but this was a complete change from the norm for me. Ever since we started traveling together, I was pretty much the de facto vacation planner. I asked my spouse for input, but generally speaking she trusted my instincts in terms of the places we would like to visit, see, and eat at.

When we received the agenda, I was pleasantly surprised. Many of the places we would've sought out together were on there, with one or two "Oh, nice, I would've never sussed that out" destinations. Overall, the staff at the Visitors Bureau did a fine job of planning a great weekend for us, and we're incredibly thankful to them for inviting us out.

Wine Country in Recovery: When You Can Beat 'Em, Cooperate 'Em to Death (Pt. 2)

Charlie Brown dons the hockey gear near Santa Rosa's
Redwood Empire Ice Arena. Creator of Charlie Brown, Charles Schulz,
grew up in Minnesota and became a huge hockey fan.

Before continuing with our travels with Santa Rosa, I did want to mention perhaps the number one attraction in Santa Rosa. The Charles M. Schulz Museum and Research Center (which thankfully escape the wildfire's wrath) wasn't in the cards for a visit this time, as my spouse and I have visited here several times. However, if you're at all a fan of comics and especially a fan of the Peanuts gang, this museum is pretty much a must see if you're in the area.

Feeling Minnesota: Spam, Spam, Spam, Coffee and Spam

The SPAM Museum, located in Spamtown USA aka Austin, MN

On our last jaunt through "The Land of 10,000 Lakes" aka Minnesota, we had planned a stop at a museum featuring a product that was massively prevalent in my household.  My family was the type that would pick up caseloads of Hormel's Spam luncheon meat for everything from Spamsilog (essentially fried Spam and eggs with a side of garlic rice), Spam Fried Rice, and other bits of easy-to-prepare items my Dad could think of for a family of six kids.

After this childhood experience, coupled with a growing understanding of the history of Spam plus my move out to the Midwest, meant the discovery that an actual museum dedicated to this rather unique food product meant a road trip was in order.  Sad to say, our first attempt to visit resulted in failure, as we arrived but 20 minutes before closing time.

This time, we made sure to arrive in plenty of time to bask in the sheer kitsch and glory that is Spam, which recently reached its 80th anniversary.

A Lovely Sessions Ale: Balboa Park and The Museum of Man

"Niki Gator" by Niki de Saint Phalle is one of the works of art
you will find scattered throughout San Diego's Balboa Park

For the first time visitor to San Diego, it's hard to go wrong by scheduling a visit to the urban playground that is Balboa Park. Built on land that was designated for recreation even before the Mexican government was forced to cede the area to the United States due to the Mexican-American War, Balboa Park offers numerous attractions to keep anyone entertained, including gardens, museums, and the internationally-renowned San Diego Zoo.

The trees and other plant life in Balboa Park have their own unique origin

As we drove in this day, my spouse and I noticed that the park was teeming with trees, a development that would not be anything out of the ordinary. However, appearances can be deceiving - as we walked toward the main thoroughfare in the park, the El Prado, we noticed rather uniquely barked tree that resembled an Banyan Tree with fruit of some sort growing overhead. As it turned out, the trees were Moreton Bay Fig Trees, a native of Eastern Australia.

For The Sake of Sake: The Takara Sake Museum and Tasting Room (Berkeley, CA)

Berkeley, California: where free speech monuments and
sake museums can reside next to each other in peace

My first experience with sake, the Japanese beverage fermented from rice that dates back to roughly 300 BC, was an indirect one, Back in high school at a party hosted by a mutual friend, we found a fairly ornate bottle containing this truly exotic beverage (for us at that time, Corona qualified as exotic.)  One of my friends particularly found the sake to his liking...too much so, as it turned out. That was the first time I had seen anyone so stinking drunk in my presence, and it still ranks well in the top 5 examples of this unofficial and ignominious personal category.

Flash forward to today, where my spouse and I have made craft breweries one of our top targets during our travels. If nothing else, this has led to a pursuit of other forms of adult beverages on a lesser scale, including wines, cocktails and spirits, and mead. When it came to sake, our experience pretty much amounted to combination of nil, nada and zilch. Combine that status with a willingness to try new things and some free time to kill before the holiday family gathering, and we found ourselves in, of all places, Berkeley, California.

One Hot Prince and the Man in Black

Grimey's, located in Nashville's Edgehill neighborhood, provided us
the chance to look at new and used music alike

"Fifty-two!"

Prior to that beckon, my spouse and I had engaged in a combo of toodling on our mobile phones and conversing  over past and future vacation plans. At this point, the latter was diminishing rapidly, but we wanted to make our final hours of freedom in Nashville worthwhile.

My senses, already aroused by the scent of fried foods for the last 40 minutes or so, jumped to attention. The sales ticket indeed matched the number, and I hungrily rambled from our seat to the front counter.

"You ordered the extra hot?" I could feel owner André Prince Jeffries' eyes peering into me.

I nodded, "Yep, one extra hot and an extra extra hot."

"Good. I wanna' keep my eye on you," she replied, "to see if your head explodes."

H-Town Happenings: Crawfish and Caskets

If you ever go to Austin, Fort Worth or San Anton'

Find the barrooms I got lost in and send my memories home

Put my tears in a bottle screw the top on tight

If you ever go to Houston, buddy you'd better walk right

Bob Dylan - "If You Ever Go To Houston"

A little artwork oasis in the Midtown area of Houston, Texas

While Dallas may have the word "big" in its nickname, it's really Houston that's the big dog city (population and geographic-size) in Texas. To this longtime California resident, the city's sprawl and traffic, and to a lesser degree demographics and weather, remind me of what you'd find in the Los Angeles area more than any of Texas' other big cities.

For my spouse, this was a bit of a return to old haunting grounds, as she had attended grad school in the area in the 1990s. And the time of our visit was most fortuitous, as there was absolutely one must do for her while we were down in the area.

Appalachian Adventures (Pt. 3): The Mothman is Everywhere!

As noted in our last post, we got a good night's rest at the Historic Lowe Hotel the night before a probable meeting with the dreaded Mothman in the sleepy river town of Point Pleasant WV. This, coupled with the great weather on this early fall weekend, led to the feeling of being optimally prepared for any encounters, both fantastic and frightening (on both) as we trekked out for the day.

We started the day with a cup of coffee and a little snack from the Coffee Grinder, which resided catty-corner from the hotel. Like many small town coffee shops, the service was down-home friendly, the space cute and inviting, the baked goods decent, and the coffee a bit on the timid side in brew-strength. But even in these comfortable surroundings, the Mothman's presence permeated the surroundings in the form of their Mothman Brew coffee beans and the house special Mothman Cookie. These latter was too adorable to resist, and we bagged one for a Mothman-loving relative of ours before we left.

Before our main encounter, we thought a good warmup session before would do us a world of good, and the (proclaimed World's Only) U.S. Navy Poster Museum, residing in the Lowe Hotel building just a half-block or so north of the hotel's main entrance, gave us the perfect venue for this. Sporting a uniformed version of the Mothman, this museum's main focus resides in the slightly overgrown hobby of the owner Kelly McCorry Fields.

Fields, a Navy Veteran whose enthusiasm for both her collection and anyone who drops by and visits is unmistakable, has amassed a substantial collection over the years of both original and reprint U.S. Navy-related posters spanning from around World War I to present day conflicts like the Gulf War. Being a Navy brat growing up, my interest was even more acute than my spouse's (who also has family members with military ties) so the posters were a natural draw for me. However, with the modest $3 admission per person, almost anyone can get enjoyment out of this unique collection, from the historical aspects, the artwork within the posters themselves, and just letting Kelly herself give you the inside details behind the museum and the prints within.

Feeling ship-shape and ready for anything after our Naval encounter, we raised anchor and set sail to go to eye-to-eye with the Mothman.

The (proclaimed World's Only) Mothman Museum pretty much lies across the street from the Historic Lowe Hotel (if you haven't figured it out by now, downtown Point Pleasant isn't terribly large.) Aside a plethora of Mothman-related souvenirs in front-of-the-house gift shop (including another Mothman Blend coffee from Silver Bridge, a familiar presence at numerous Columbus-area farmers markets and locally-oriented grocery stores), the museum, curated by Jeff Wamsley, holds a wide collection of media-tidbits, topic-specific exhibits, and other memorabilia that cover the whole history of the Mothman saga to date.

While the museum section of the building would not be considered large-sized by anybody, there is a lot more to see, hear and riffle through than one might think. The mental smorgasbord this provides for Mothman aficionados goes without saying, but the plethora of materials available also helps those unfamiliar or barely familiar with the folklore to soak up the story to their heart's content. Similar to the video presentation given at the Serpent Mound, we found the video presentation in the museum section of the building quite helpful to us Mothman amateurs.

And while there is a certain seriousness to the overall presentation (the true believers in the Mothman wouldn't have it any other way), the right dose of kitsch and fun is added to the mix as exampled by carnival cutouts, comic book style graphics, and a little touch of Hollywood (I mean, who wouldn't want to see the blanket that brushed both Richard Gere and Debra Messing in the 2002 Hollywood-produced movie up close and personal?) Another quite modest admission fee ($3 bucks again) makes the museum in our minds a well worthwhile visit for most.

The Mothman Museum also acts as a centerpiece of the annual Mothman Festival, which had its 14th annual shindig in this town on its traditional third Saturday of September.  Perhaps the other big centerpiece for the festival, located again not too far away (in this case, on a street island lying halfway between the museum and the previously mentioned Coffee Grinder), lies in the rather formidable-looking Mothman statue.

This metallic menace, designed by artist Bob Roach, was dedicated in the second year of the festival and attracts many casual passers-by to this town. The statue is apparently quite sturdy, based on the antics of what looked to be high-school aged teens we saw out the window during our previous night's hotel stay. The construct seemed quite capable of holding some fairly hefty individuals in its arms for some unique photo opportunities.  We're both surmising even the Mothman itself would never have prophesied that it would be so photogenic fifty years after its first sighting.

The Mothman Museum

400 Main St

Point Pleasant, WV 25550

(304) 812-5211

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The U.S. Navy Poster Museum

411 Main St

Point Pleasant, WV 25550

(304) 675-4989

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Coffee Grinder

330 Main St

Point Pleasant, WV 25550

(304) 593-9922

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Planes and Trains by Automobile (Pt 1): National Museum of the US Air Force (Dayton, OH)

The National Museum of the United States Air Force in Dayton, OH holds the
world's largest collection of military aerospace vehicles and missiles

Dayton, Ohio has played a large part in the development of aviation, mainly through the work of area residents Orville and Wilbur Wright, who are credited with being the first to invent a successful airplane as well as make a powered, heavier-than-air and sustained flight with such a craft. It thus only seems logical that a museum related to aviation be located near this southwestern Ohio city of just over 140,000 people.

Originating as an endeavor by the for collecting technical artifacts for preservation from Dayton's old McCook Field in the 1920s, what has eventually evolved into the current National Museum of the United States Air Force officially opened to the public in 1954. Its current site, located just outside Wright-Patterson Air Force Base opened in 1971, has become not only one the state of Ohio's largest tourist attractions but also the largest military museum in the world.

Being large in size by default implies there is a lot to be seen, and this museum does not disappoint in that regard with its over 360 air and space vehicles and other related items on display.

 

 

You want air- and spacecraft? The museum has plenty displayed
throughout its three hangar-styled buildings, including

a Space Shuttle Space Shuttle Crew Compartment Trainer

Having visited the museum twice, I have surmised that a visitor's tolerance for staring at all manner of mostly military flying aircraft for a few hours really depends on their enthusiasm for doing such. As someone who is into aviation in general and whose family has military roots, my tolerance level is pretty high, but even I was feeling a bit of mental overload as the hours wore on. Perhaps the best strategy lies in the fact that admission is free to the museum; if you live close enough, you could easily schedule two visits to the museum and concentrate on particular exhibits on each excursion.

While most exhibits are aircraft-oriented, other galleries that break up the viewing routine are available. Many of them are related to aspects of the US Air Force (no surprise there), including various memorials, the origin of the USAF song, and so forth. However, a few exhibits veer more to the general, ranging from the whimsical (a retrospective on actor/comedian Bob Hope's work in entertaining deployed troops throughout the years, and a history of the Bendix Trophy Races, which were used to encourage advancement in aviation) to the weighty (a series of Vietnam War paintings and viewpoints by painter Wilson Hurley and a collection of artifacts and recollections of Dayton-area residents who had personal experience with the Holocaust concentration camps in Nazi Germany during World War II.)

Many of the other non-aircraft exhibits are mainly Air Force-related
but other more general exhibits rating from the whimsical
to the weighty can be found.

Perhaps my favorite wing lies in the on-base hangar which contains two co-located galleries. The Presidential Gallery contains four aircraft which have served as Air Force One under eight different presidents, and this fact alone attracts individuals to go through the processing needed to visit this exhibit (only 8 shuttle bus trips are available to travel onto the base itself and visit this area; valid picture IDs are required to board.) Indeed, the chance to experience these historic vehicles close up, including the ability to walk through the larger craft and see the interior makeup within, is a pretty special treat.

However, my favorite part of this hangar currently lies in the co-located Research & Development area, where experimental and almost-were aircraft that are tightly packed around the perimeter of the presidential aircraft. Here, you'll see everything from the sleek and supersonic (the XB-70 Valkyrie, whose supersonic bombing capabilities were deemed obsolete when defense strategies shifted toward intercontinental ballistic missiles) to unusual engineering concepts (the X-29 with its forward-swept wings) to the just plain weird (the Avro Canada VZ-9AV Avrocar, which looks like a flying saucer but couldn't fly much higher than three feet off the ground without experiencing severe handling problems.) While docents are available in all areas of the facility, hanging with one here (by default, one is included as a tram escort) is especially helpful in learning the why and the how for these unique flying machines.

The Presidential and Research & Development Galleries, co-located in
an on-base hangar, give visitors a chance to experience the
U.S. Presidency and unique aviation concepts up close

This particularly intimate nature of this setup is set to end soon: come October 1st of this year, this hangar will close permanently for exhibition. However, access to the aircraft within will not be lost to the public: over the next several months, the vehicles will be transported to the newly constructed fourth wing of the existing museum, with the opening date set for June 2016.

Along with the exhibits and galleries, the museum also offers visitors the Valkyrie Cafe, which offers cafeteria-style items at fairly inexpensive prices; an extensive gift shop; various ride and flight simulators; and the Museum Theatre, which sports the largest movie screen in southwest Ohio and the latest 3D technology.

The National Museum of the US Air Force is open 9 AM to 5 PM seven days a week, except on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day. Admission is free to the museum, but donations are welcome and appreciated.

The National Museum of the US Air Force

1100 Spaatz Street

Wright-Patterson AFB (near Dayton), OH 45433

(937) 255-3286

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Devonian Devotion: The Orton Geological Museum at The Ohio State University

There are doormen, and there are bouncers acting as doormen. And then there's Jeff.

Jeff is the seven-foot-tall skeleton of Megaloynx Jeffersonii, a giant ground sloth that once roamed North American lands. Despite being believed to be a plant-eater in real life, Jeff's menacing pose will smack you to attention as you enter this somewhat hidden destination spot smack dab in the middle of The Ohio State University campus.

Unlike other recently touted refurbished OSU facilities such as the Billy Irelamd Cartoon Museum (see my post about the Cartoon Museum here) and the OSU Planetarium, the Orton Geological Museum remains firmly ensconced in the old-school. While funds for a bigger and better facility are being raised (admission is free, but a donation box can be found near the entrance,) these displays, despite showing some age, couple with the tiny dimensions (the room barely creaks out over 1,000 sq. feet, if that) to lend this place a certain charm and intimacy. 

Despite these tight quarters, the Museum squeezes a goodly amount of artifacts and information into their exhibits, and even sports a little gift shop with a selection of fossils, minerals and other items that will make the geology-loving person in your life happy.



Some of the exhibits found at the Geological Museum

The building where the museum is located itself also has a fascinating history. Established in 1893, Orton Hall is currently the second oldest building on the OSU Campus and home (naturally) to the School of Earth Sciences. A unique feature of this building,which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, include the Bell Tower (added in 1915): its 25,000 lbs of bells can be heard tolling across campus on a regular basis and gargoyle-like figures (in reality, restorations of fossil animals) that encircle the tower top. Another feature (there are several; their website lists them all) lies in the foyer just outside the museum entrance: along with some very stylish stained-glass and interior design work, numbered columns indicative of the Ohio-based sandstone of which they were constructed can be found.

The Orton Geological Museum is open to the public on weekdays from 9 AM - 5 PM; tours and visits on weekends and evenings are available through prior special arrangement.

Orton Geological Museum
Orton Hall
155 S. Oval Mall
The Ohio State University
Columbus, OH 43210
(614) 292-6896
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Bagels and Locks (Pt. 2): The Welland Canal Lock 3 Centre and On The Front Cafe (Ontario, Canada)

The mighty Niagara Falls provides a huge roadblock to all forms of floating transport (save maybe for a random barrel or two) between the lakes of Erie and Ontario. Lesser known in the States than the Soo Locks, the 27-mile-long Welland Canal in Canada, with eight total boat locks, has acted as the main safe passageway for commercial boat traffic to negotiate the more than 300-foot-drop between these two lakes since its completion in 1829.

Some of the sights at the Welland Canal Centre at Lock 3

My dad is a veteran of the U.S. Navy, and we figured seeing ships up close again would be a fun experience for both him and my mom. Located a half-hour out of Niagara Falls, the Welland Canal Lock 3 Visitor Centre in St. Catharines provides visitors with an intimate view of the ship-raising and -lowering process through these locks via a viewing platform, similar to what we found at the Soo Locks. In addition, the Centre details the development of the canal and Great Lakes shipping in a similar fashion with various displays spread throughout the grounds.

The Puffin receives a lift on its way to Lake Erie

The Lock 3 Centre has only one lock at this location (versus three at the Soo Locks facility); however, the speed by which boats are raised and lowered here at Lock 3 is much faster than its Soo counterpart. Interestingly, we found out later as we were about to leave that the operators of the facility were going to test-run a new anchoring system that would use powerful suction cups to steady a boat as it was raised and lowered. This system would lessen the need for rope anchoring and further lower the processing time for boats through this single-lock system.

This facility has a few more unique features that raises its attraction level for the typical visitor. The St. Catharines Museum is one of the better of its kind we've encountered, and it's not afraid to feature more lighthearted topics. At the time of our visit, these included a display detailing the favorite museum artifacts and memorabilia of various staff members, as well as a section featuring the beloved holiday movie "A Christmas Story." Filming for school-related scenes of the movie, detailing the quest of a young boy (played by Peter Billingsley) for a Red Rider BB gun as his Christmas gift, took place at Victoria Public School in St. Catharines.

You won't shoot your eye out at this "A Christmas Story" museum display

These displays are balanced by those featuring more "serious" history of the city and the region, including one that gave the Canadian perspective on the War of 1812 between the British and the United States, as well as the Niagara region's role in the Underground Railroad and the role that the African-Canadian settlers played in the region.

Lest you think you got more than your money's worth (technically, everything here at the Centre and Museum is free, but a donation is suggested for those who actually enter the Museum itself,) visitors to this facility can discover the role that lacrosse has played in Canada and specifically the province of Ontario by dropping by the Ontario Lacrosse Hall of Fame and Museum at this same location. Even those absolutely unfamiliar with the sport can find enough here to perk their interest, including a display explaining the sport's origins as a Native American game (the sheer scope of their games are fascinating reading on their own) as well as a netted cage where visitors can try their hand at handling a lacrosse stick and scoring a goal. I gave it a shot myself and I can assure it is not an easy task.

The Lacrosse Museum and other Historical Displays from the the St. Catharines Museum

As far as the "bagels" mentioned in the subject line, we found out based on our research that there doesn't seem to be much in Niagara Falls rising above the Starbucks level of coffee. Jonesing for something a little better on this morning, we ventured out to the quaint town of Thorold prior to our visit to the Lock 3 Centre to visit what looked to be a promising candidate for such,

As we discovered, On The Front has a vibe something like a MoJoe Lounge or Cup O' Joe stores in Columbus, albeit on a smaller scale. The interior has a select space that invites you to hang out awhile, replete with comfy couches, a TV and a gas fireplace, as well as free wi-fi.

Their menu offers house-made pastries, a couple of hot breakfast items, fair-trade coffee ($1.50 for a small cup of joe to $4.50 for a large fancy drink; all prices listed CDN) and lunch sandwiches, five of which were created in consort with the culinary staff of Ravine Vineyard Winery in nearby St. Davids.

We all ordered coffee and a mix of either breakfast sandwiches ($3.50) and pastries ($2). No complaints - the food was solid, the coffee was tasty, and the staff at the store quite friendly and accommodating. If a place like this was in my neighborhood, I'd probably hang out here every so often myself.

As we were leaving, we noticed the business next door, The Pie Man, had a sandwich board with a list of pies of the day. A little post-trip research showed they had a rather interesting collection of both sweet and savory pies; perhaps a return trip to visit both places might be in order down the road.

2017 Update: From all indications, On The Front Cafe & Eatery has closed as of late 2016.

Welland Canals Centre at Lock 3
St. Catharines Museum
and Ontario Lacrosse Hall of Fame and Museum
1932 Welland Canals Parkway (Google Maps)
Saint Catharines, ON  L2R 7K6
Canada
(905) 984-8880
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On The Front Cafe and Eatery
30 Front St S (Google Maps)
Thorold, ON  L2V 1W9
Canada
(905) 397-4734
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Comic Belief: The Billy Ireland Cartoon Library and Museum

Entrance to the museum at OSU's Sullivant Hall

Comics and the art of cartooning in general has gained some well-deserved attention in recent times as an art form worthy of critical analysis and acclaim. I had known about and visited two institutions in the Bay Area that helped foster and are a sign of this trend: the Charles Schulz Museum in Santa Rosa (everything about the author and his Peanuts comics you could ever want) and the Cartoon Art Museum in the South of Market neighborhood (showings from artists past and present that I've found cut across numerous social, pop-culture and cultural genres: both of these places are highly recommended if you travel out to the area.)

The well attired and comfortably roomy exhibition space 

I am delighted to have discovered a wonderful connection to my past stomping grounds in the form of the expanded space that now houses the Billy Ireland Cartoon Library and Museum, located on the second floor of Sullivant Hall at The Ohio State University. The museum, dedicated to the famed groundbreaking Columbus Dispatch editorial cartoonist, has the largest collection of collected comic and cartoon art in the world, including the formidable contents of the non-profit San Francisco Academy of Comic Art. The Academy had been founded by Bill Blackbeard in the 1960s out of his San Francisco home and its holdings accessible to the public. By the time circumstances forced Blackbeard to reach out to Ohio State to find a home for most of his collection in 1977, his holdings were enough to fill six semi-trailer trucks.

Mrs. 614orty-Niner and I had our first chance to visit the museum recently. While we were here specifically to catch the Calvin and Hobbes exhibition before the end of its run, we came away quite impressed by the museum as a whole.

As I learned more about Bill Watterson, the artist/cartoonist behind perhaps the most famous child and tiger duo ever, the more I came to respect his drive to break the newspaper comic norms of the time and to strive for something much more than just quick throwaway bit of humor wrapped in a doodle. I also admired him for essentially going out on top (though I personally had not detected any quality declines in his comic strip) and, more importantly, on his own terms. I was equally as enthusiastic to see the displays that provided some insight into Mr. Watterson's thinking and other talents as the Calvin and Hobbes comic strips themselves.

Insight into Mr. Watterson's thinking mixed with examples of his talent for painting.

Of course, my spouse and I were among the many people stopping by to relive some warm memories of Calvin and Hobbes themselves for one last time before the exhibition's closing, and there were plenty of strips around for viewing to accomplish this task.

A six-year-old and his tiger - an unstoppable combination

The museum has two rooms dedicated to short-term exhibits, and I admit I was not too familiar with the second featured comic artist, Richard Thompson. However, the museum did a great job of showing the breadth of Thompson's talents, which included illustrations done for the Washington Post and the comic strip Cul de Sac. This comic strip had an abbreviated run (2007 - 2012) that was unfortunately cut short due to the artist's battle with Parkinson's Disease.

Thompson's talents were made more than evident through the museum displays

A third exhibit space in the building acts as something of a "catch-all" room, where one can see a variety of comic art strips, panels and other memorabilia. Slide out drawers and pull-out panel displays cleverly increase the items available for viewing for visitors and adds a bit of personal interactivity with the material. However, the wide breadth of material in this room easily gives the viewer the impression that they are merely scratching the surface of the museum's vast collection.

There are more items than one might think in the museum's "catch-all" area

The Billy Ireland Cartoon Library and Museum is a no-longer hidden gem that is giving a traditionally under-appreciated art form its just due. While all exhibitions may not have the attraction level that Mr. Watterson's works had during its run, the wide breadth and depth of materials available to the curators should provide assurance for visitors of an educational, worthwhile and most likely fun experience.

Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum
The Ohio State University
110 Sullivant Hall (Google Maps)
1813 N. High Street
Columbus, OH 43210
(614) 292-0538
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