Come see movies from 1939, view entire exhibit

Jack couldn’t keep his 5-year-old fingers off the old typewriter keys. He’d never seen anything quite like it, except it somehow resembled his Leapfrog’s keyboard. His mother had a difficult time dragging him away from the 1939 schoolroom set up at the Burnsville Historical Society’s annual exhibit at the Ames Performing Arts Center in Burnsville last week. The exhibit, “Burnsville’s Attic: 1939,” runs through June 15.

And, a 5 year old hasn’t been the only person fascinated with the exhibit. We’ve had all ages come through this first week, including Sievert, a member of the history group and in his 80’s. He came to see the exhibit and stayed to just shoot the breeze for almost an hour with others at the exhibit.

The exhibit features what a typical life would look like in 1939, complete with a 1939 Crosley, a garage, kitchen, living room, school room, movie theater and baseball stadium. There is no charge to view this exciting look into the past.

We’ve also planned some special events during the exhibit, starting with a program featuring movies of 1939. How many of you have seen “Gone with the Wind” and “The Wizard of Oz” to name just a couple. Come and see movie clips from that year and stick around for a discussion afterward. The program begins at 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, May 27.

The next special event will coincide with the city’s celebration of its 50-year history as a city the first weekend in June. On Saturday, June 7, beginning at 1 p.m. we are inviting all of you to come and share the stories of your history in Burnsville. We will also have invited some special Burnsville residents who lived here back in the ‘30s and ‘40s. They will share some of their stories, too. Just show up in the Ames Center gallery.

The last special event will be Wednesday, June 11, at 1:30 p.m. We are planning a program including trivia about Burnsville and its history. Come test your knowledge and enjoy learning about the quirky and interesting events that helped shape this community through its past 150 years!

If you have any questions, please call our president, Len Nachman, at 612-670-3785.

Submitted by Bonnie Boberg,

Secretary of the Burnsville Historical Society and Burnsville resident since 1968