November 09, 2024
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New museum exhibit features memorabilia from Oswego’s historical drag raceway

Exhibit runs through September

By Shaw Local News Network
Bob Mead of Oswego, wearing a helmet and Nomex suit, sits at the controls of the dragster he and Jerry Swanson (standing beside him) built, as they prepare for a 1969 race at the Oswego Drag Raceway. Information on Mead and other dragsters from the Oswego Drag Raceway will be available at the Little White School Museum’s current temporary exhibit, “SUNDAY! SUNDAY! SUNDAY!” which will run through September.

Bob Mead of Oswego, wearing a helmet and Nomex suit, sits at the controls of the dragster he and Jerry Swanson (standing beside him) built, as they prepare for a 1969 race at the Oswego Drag Raceway. Information on Mead and other dragsters from the Oswego Drag Raceway will be available at the Little White School Museum’s current temporary exhibit, “SUNDAY! SUNDAY! SUNDAY!” which will run through September. (Provided by the Little White School Museum)

Oswego’s Little White School Museum is showcasing a new temporary exhibit titled “SUNDAY! SUNDAY! SUNDAY!” until the end of September. Admission is free.

This exhibit revives the exciting history of the Oswego Drag Raceway, which drew crowds three times the village’s population to the quarter-mile strip on the Wally Smith farm on U.S. Route 34 in the mid-1950s.

Its title was inspired by energetic radio commercials on Top 40 AM stations. These ads, featuring announcer Jan Gabriel, promoted the Oswego Drag Raceway where famous drag racers would attend, according to a news release from the museum.

The exhibit includes a variety of drag raceway memorabilia, including trophies, drag racing magazines featuring the Oswego Drag Raceway, photos of dragsters and drag racers and memorabilia from pit passes to tee shirts, according to the release.

It was mounted by museum manager Anne Jordan with the help of museum assistant Emily Dutton, according to the release.

“We’re always seeking more drag raceway memorabilia,” museum director Roger Matile said in the release. “The drag raceway had a huge impact on the Oswegoland area for a quarter of a century, and we’re trying to keep a little of its history alive. We’re hoping visitors also take in the drag raceway exhibit in the museum gallery when they stop by as well.”

Regular hours are from 2 to 6:30 p.m. Thursday and Friday, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday and 4 to 9 p.m. Monday. The museum is closed to visitors on Tuesday and Wednesday.

The museum is located at 72 Polk St.

For more information, call the museum at 630-554-2999, email info@littlewhiteschoolmuseum or visit littlewhiteschoolmuseum.org.