"Wizard of Oz," Swing bands, and the World's Fair

And, the answer is .....

Most of us like a quiz, so here goes –

1. When did regular TV broadcasts begin in the United States?

2. What year was “Gone with the Wind” and “The Wizard of Oz” movies released?

To find the answers to these questions, you will have to read all the way to the end of this announcement.

But, perhaps you could use a hint.

The Burnsville Historical Society will present its annual public exhibit May 8 through June 15 at the Ames Center (formerly known as the Performing Arts Center) in the Heart of the City on Nicollet Avenue. The theme, “Burnsville’s Attic – 1939,” will expand on our first public exhibit, held last year, which had the theme of “A Peek into Burnsville’s Attic.”

“Often we think of an attic as a place to store things that are special to us,” said Len Nachman, Burnsville resident and president of the Burnsville Historical Society.

“Our goal is to give the public some idea about what life was like in Burnsville in 1939, including what a typical kitchen, living room, and school room would look like. We also plan to have the news headlines, movies, books, and songs from 1939, plus hopefully a couple of cars from that era. I can’t begin to list all the ideas we have for this exhibit, but we need the public’s help in putting it all together.

“We chose the year 1939 because it was an important year in history – we were moving from the Great Depression into a war economy; we were seeing changes in our workforce and lifestyles. The World’s Fair of 1939 in New York was looking at the future and the Dakota County Historical Society was created that year to look at our past. Part of our exhibit will feature the county historical society’s 75th anniversary this year,” added Nachman.

Besides local artifacts to highlight Burnsville in 1939, we will have murals, painted by local artists and volunteers, that will feature scenes from our community during this time period. If you would like to help us with this painting or with set design and building, we could sure use your help!

So, start digging through your attic, garage and storage space and see if you have something from 1939 that you would like to see in our exhibit. Here are a few items that we could really use: an ashtray; pipes; canisters for flour, sugar, lard; 1939 classroom picture – Burnsville students; clothes from 1930’s; cloth diaper; Minnesota license plate 1939; novels – published during 1930’s; phonograph (circa 1939); picture for wall of man praying over loaf of bread (very common on walls); school board pictures 1939; kitchen wall clock; push lawnmower, weather vane, sewing basket; thermos jug (glass);  lunch pail; toys 1939; kitchen table and 2 chairs; overstuffed chair; living room end table;  floor or table lamp for living room; hassock/ottoman; teacher’s school desk; mannequins of adult male, adult female, a child.

“Burnsville will also be celebrating an anniversary this year, its 50th as a town, and we look forward to the city providing a display to our exhibit, too,” said Nachman.

Watch for exhibit updates throughout the community. For more information, please contact Len Nachman at 952-890-4162 or at lennachman@aol.com.

*Oh, and by the way, the answer is the same for all four questions: 1939!

Come share your stories about 1939

We need your help! To kick off the Burnsville Historical Society’s spring exhibit theme of “Burnsville’s Attic – 1939” we are looking for stories about 1939. Specifically, we would love to hear about what a day was like in a small town like Burnsville during that year. Where did people shop? What did they do for entertainment? Where did they go to school? How were people struggling to come off the Great Depression and prepare for the coming war?

If you lived here or in another small town during that time or know the stories about someone who did, please come to our open public meeting Saturday, March 15, from 10:30 a.m. to noon at the Burnhaven Library on County Road 42 in Burnsville. You do not have to be a member – we welcome everyone to share their stories! Bring any items that you would like to share, too! If you have questions, please contact President Len Nachman at 952-890-4162 or at lennachman@aol.com.