The following article was written by Barbara Bundy-Jost, the President of Manitowoc Aluminum Kitsch-mas Inc.
When I was your age – Things were different back then!
We’ve ALL heard those phrases before. I remember my dad speaking this jargon when I was a kid. Recently those words came out of my mouth when ! shared some life altering wisdom with my children. Listen…What we remember NEEDS to be shared when we raise our young or reminisce about times past. As we age, there seems to be an immediacy to get the word out to EVERYONE who will listen!
Memories are little morsels of the past wrapped up in the synapses of our brain. Some memories are tucked so far away that it could be decades before you even entertain the thought of them. That brain of yours is a vault storing memories in neat little packages until something calls them forth. These intangible mental mementos are as real as a treasured blue ribbon, or a lock of hair snipped from your baby’s head. It’s a gift of sorts. It can be heartwarming to recall events of the past. Those tidbits of memory may even change your perspective for the day, the week, the year!
Every holiday season is ripe for harvesting the warmest of memories. Family gatherings, delectable aromas, or a familiar decoration can send your brain speeding to the vault to unlock a cerebral treat from the past. Magic happens! You travel back in time feeling all the warmth and joy of a memory so vivid it could’ve happened 2 minutes ago instead of 20, 30, and in some cases over 60 years ago! Again, a gift…but this time it is wrapped in a sparkling holiday package!
Barbara Bundy-Jost
Sometimes when I wander into towns I’ve never visited, I wonder what was going on there before I entered the picture. How many lives were changed because of something that happened there? Historically significant places like Philadelphia, or Washington D.C. to name a few, abound with historical facts that give you a window to the past. When I travel, the buildings and ephemera that abounds in places celebrating their heritage stick out to me. How wonderful it would be to go back to those days and see a play by play of daily life!
Imagine actually traveling back in time to experience the reality of our past. Impossible, I know…but…we can get close! Grab that grandpa or gramma, uncle, or aunt, aging baby boomer or Santa himself and get the inside scoop on what life was like in good ole Manitowoc in their day. Memories will abound and stories will be told. Ask questions as you listen! The story will just get deeper and more vibrant. Life will be richer and you may learn a few things you didn’t know.
Manitowoc’s Public Library is offering two opportunities to travel back in time, enrich your life and build some precious memories! Stories will be told and a window to a bustling 1960’s world in the fine city of Manitowoc will be open to you. People will laugh, tell stories and marvel at some truly magical facts!
Mark your calendar for Thursday, December 7 from 6-8pm at the MPL. We’re hosting Live Sparkle for anyone interested in joining us at Manitowoc’s lovely Public Library for Enchanted Evergleams. This historical presentation will share stories of creative brains, innovative designs and people having tons of fun while they made a living.
On Thursday, December 14 from 6-8pm we’ll do a virtual program that you can watch from the comfort of your own home. Get close to the past with Darlene, Garry, Audrey, and more! This grand team of former Aluminum Specialty employees will share the inside scoop on the Evergleam Aluminum Tree heyday. These people were there, living in the moment while Evergleam history unfolded! They will share their experiences and you’ll get to witness those magically wrapped treasures emerge from their brain’s memory bank! It’ll warm your heart and you will feel the warmth of the season descend upon you. AND the vault in your brain will gain some lovely wrapped gifts.
