Over the last year, the Connecticut Historical Society has been traveling the state asking residents "what was it like growing up in Connecticut?"
The result is a new crowd-sourced exhibit that collects the materials and experiences from Connecticut residents.
There is so much to take in from the moment you enter the Connecticut Historical Society's new exhibit "Growing up in Connecticut" -- toys, clothes, books, photographs, and lots of other nostalgic ephemera.
Right below a wall filled with oversized yearbook pictures through the decades, I saw something that took me all the way back.
"We have a great display of old technology items, going from a typewriter to a commodore 64, which was my first computer," said the Connecticut Historical Society's Chief Curator Ilene Frank. "And you know, I thought that was the coolest thing."
So did I. Who can forget playing countless hours of Pit Stop on the Commodore 64?
It seems like an impossible task, summing up the collective childhoods of four generations in one exhibit. But as Frank explained, so much about growing up changes very little from generation to generation.
"I don't think anyone leaves childhood without being impacted by their family, their school, their friends, their enemies, and the time that they grew up," Frank said.
The exhibit takes you through rooms that stir up a lot of emotion and nostalgia -- playing sports, riding bikes in the neighborhood with your friends until dark, favorite toys (Rock'em Sock'em robots was my favorite).
And who can forget hanging out in the basement with your friends?
Ilene Frank showed me the basement room.
"Complete with wood paneling, old televisions, a Coleco set you can play. There's Lava Lamps," Frank said. "We have rock posters. I think everyone that comes in here goes, 'I either had this room in my house, or I went to a friends house who had this.'"
The Connecticut Historical Society crowd-sourced this exhibit, spending the last year collecting the memorabilia and stories for this exhibit, like a video collection of Connecticut folks talking about their first jobs.
Visitors are encouraged to write down and post their own experiences through pads of sticky notes situated throughout the exhibit, and Connecticut residents can share their stories and pictures online.
Frank said this exhibit is designed to get people talking and sharing.
"We would love to have people come, with grandparents bringing their grandkids, and talking about 'I remember this. What do you remember?'" said Frank. "I think sometimes, it's 'Oh those kids, oh their music.' And it's like, wait, your music wasn't liked by your parents and your grandparents. So if you can have those conversations, hopefully we can spark some of that."
Growing Up in Connecticut runs through October 15 at the Connecticut Historical Society in Hartford.
