SPRINGDALE —Lousie Maringer’s childhood came flooding back to her on Saturday when she saw a collection of corn husk dolls at the Shiloh Museum of Ozark History.
The dolls were among nearly two dozen exhibits presented by area collectors at the museum’s annual Cabin Fever Reliever event.
At A Glance
People’s Choice Award
Visitors voted on their favorite exhibit during Saturday’s Cabin Fever Reliever event at the Shiloh Museum of American History. The winners were Blue and Mary Jane Barley, ages 5 and 8, for their pencil sharpener collection. They received a $25 prize.
Source: Staff Report
“These dolls bring back 80 years of memories for me,” the 89-year-old said. “We had friends who lived on a farm when I was little and we made dolls just like this out of corn husks. We used seed pods for the heads and drew on their faces. They weren’t that pretty, but we had fun with them.”
Delores Stamps, a museum board member, said the Cabin Fever Reliever event takes during the second week in January. It started in 2009.
She said the event gives area collectors a chance to connect with each other and the community.
“They’ve been hemmed in by ice and snow so most of them are anxious to get out and communicate,” she said.
Collections featured Saturday included snow globes, rolling pins, coffee pots, paperweights, knives and crystals.
Trish Beland showed off about half of her Christmas pyramid collection.
The pyramids look like carousels with several levels on top. Some depict angels and manger scenes, while others include forests scenes.
“They’re Germanic in origin,” Beland said. “The heat from the candle spins the propeller on top.”
Beland said she has about 20 Christmas pyramids, each with a different story of how she came across it.
“They just appeal to me,” she said. “I don’t have any children so I can indulge in breakable things.”
Steve and Tisha Jordan brought their two kids, Lindsey, 12, and Jeremy, 9, to Saturday’s event for a hands-on history lesson.
Both Jeremy and his dad are collectors themselves. Steve Jordan collects antique gas engines, while Jeremy collects rocks.
“I have two buckets so far,” Jeremy said. “I find most of them in our garden and the creek.”
Both Lindsey and Jeremy said their favorite exhibit on Saturday was Marty Powers’ collection of driftwood, rocks and stuffed animals.
Powers said he collected rocks with his grandfather and dad when he was a kid.
His collection includes a rock that looks like a fried egg and a one that’s shaped like a mushroom.
In addition to a stuffed raccoon, armadillo and a bird, Powers showed off several mythological creatures.
“This is my flying jack-a-lope, which is a step up from a regular jack-a-lope,” he said. “This one here is what I call the Ozark bluff monster.”
Powers described his flying jack-a-lope as a jackrabbit with deer antlers and a pheasant’s body.
The Ozark Bluff monster resembles a human head covered in fur with owl-like eyes and antlers on top.
“This has been to college with every one of my kids,” Powers said of his Ozark bluff monster. “Their friends get a pretty good kick out of it.”
Powers said his collection is comprised of things he’s found and bought over the years.
Carolyn Reno, collections manager and assistant director for the museum, said the Cabin Fever Reliever display appeals to people of all ages.
“We try to find different collectors each year to make it interesting,” she said. “It’s fun to see what interests people and what they collect.”