By Kim McDarison 

The Whitewater Historical Society will be presenting “Whitewater Collects,” an exhibition which offers individuals an opportunity to display and view collectables, according to information released by the society.

In its 10th year, the event will be held Saturday, March 23, between noon and 3 p.m., at the Cravath Lakefront Community Center, 341 S. Fremont St., Whitewater.

The event is free and open to the public.

Post COVID, Linda Robinson, an event organizer said, food and beverages, for sale or otherwise, are not offered as part of the exhibition.

The Cravath Lakefront Community Center is located in Whitewater’s downtown area, where opportunities to purchase an assortment of items is available. 

Those interested in presenting their collections to the public for viewing are asked to reserve table space by contacting Whitewater Collects Chairperson Jan Goder by phone: 262-949-0644 or email: jgoder1976@gmail.com. Reserving table space also is free, Goder said, adding that in past years, the event has typically offered table space to display 16 collections, with space offered on a first-come, first served basis. Participants must register to display their collections in advance of the event, Robinson said. 

Goder noted that, while in past years, some 18 collections have been accommodated, “we are constrained by the physical facility and number of tables that it comfortably holds.”

Since the event’s inception, community members have displayed antique, vintage and contemporary collections, including various forms of memorabilia such as temperance era, barbershop, political, and Planters Peanuts items. Additionally, collectors have displayed whiskey nippers, antique perfume bottles, vintage model airplanes and kits, and Copper Lustre, defined as an antique English copper finish used on ceramic pieces, released information noted. 

Goder said other collections have included such items as very early Native American artifacts, early African trade beads and stone artifacts, Leon Pescheret memorabilia and art, exonumia, vintage children’s books, Star Wars memorabilia, cowboy boots, Whitewater postcards and memorabilia, hats, local Heart Prairie Norwegian Methodist Episcopal Church memorabilia, antique wood inlay boxes, snuff boxes, sewing-related items, and shell pink glass. 

“Collections have also been very wide-ranging. I have collected antiques for over 52 years and find I always learn something from fellow collectors at this event,” Goder added.

Many participants enjoy returning yearly to display their collections, Robinson said.

Additionally, those attending the event are invited to bring up to two items which they may present to auctioneer Carol Miller, who owns Oconomowoc-based Baileys Honor Auction and Estate Service, LLC,  for evaluation.

Evaluations, offered verbally to the public free of charge, also is a reoccurring event feature, Robinson added.

Goder said Miller provides those presenting items for evaluation with historical information about the item, as well as current marketplace monetary value.

“She joined us in March, 2018, and has been a popular addition to our event,” Goder said, adding that items she has watched Miller evaluate include a suit of armor, antique toys, lap desks, pottery, advertising, political memorabilia, glassware, and tiles, among others.

Describing the event, Robinson said it is not a fundraiser, adding that there is nothing offered for sale. The event is a community-inspired activity. Still, she said, event-goers will find society membership brochures and a donation box.

Noting some history, Goder said the first Whitewater Collects event was held in March, 2012, and was created and directed by the late Alan Marshall.

“The focus of the first programs was the display of Whitewater memorabilia, with expansion over the years into other areas of collecting, both antique and contemporary.  Alan’s last program was in March, 2016,” Goder said. After Marshall’s passing, she added, she took over the role of chairperson.

Marshall was serving as the Whitewater Historical Society’s board president at the time of his passing, Robinson recalled, adding that the collectables event was “very much his baby.” 

Whitewater Collects is a “beloved event among us at the society, and I think I can say a community favorite as well.”

For more information about the Whitewater Collects event, contact Goder.