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An old twist on pastimes Mail Tribune photos / Jim Craven From left, brothers 6-year-old Leo and 4-year-old Ryan Urmini of Eagle Point play a game of Twister during the grand opening of an exhibit called "Let's Play: Pastimes from the Past" at the Southern Oregon Historical Society History Center in Medford. By PAUL FATTIG Mail Tribune Nicole Wytcherley stuck her small arm out straight, then looped it with the skinny ring of lime-green plastic. "I know how to use a Hula Hoop," volunteered the 9-year-old from Grants Pass. "But I can only do it on my arm." With that, she began twirling the old toy that Wham-O Manufacturing introduced to the world in 1958. Some 100 million were sold around the globe that year, but the Hula Hoops faded well before Nicole was born. "This is fun and stuff," she said as she looked around at the Southern Oregon Historical Society's History Center in Medford Saturday. It was the grand opening of a traveling exhibit, "Let's Play: Pastimes from the Past." The exhibit was developed by the Rogers Historical Museum in Rogers, Ark., and is paid for in part by the Arkansas Humanities Council and the National Endowment for the Humanities. The toys, photographs and documents will be on display through July 5. The center, at 106 N. Central Ave., is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. during the weekdays. There is no admission fee. "I thought it would be neat to teach the girls what kinds of toys other people played with in the past," said Nicole's mother, Staci Wytcherley, who brought her Daisy troop - one step away from Brownies - to the grand opening. "Not everybody had plastic toys," she added. "I wanted to show them what other toys we had in our history." In addition to the Daisy troop, youngsters of varying ages were playing old-fashioned games and getting a history lesson throughout the day. Some were playing chess, bridge or mah-jongg. Others were twisting themselves into knots in a floor game called Twister. Still others were attempting to walk with low-elevation stilts. "This exhibit focuses on play, pastimes and hobbies," explained Stephanie Butler Cotts, a program developer and educator at the historical society. For instance, in one exhibit case, an example of Victorian embroidery was on display. One item was a wreath made in the 1850s of human hair from 28 members of one family. "In the Victorian era, they did a lot of hair work," Cotts said. In another case is a fleet of old toy cars and trucks. These are heavy metal vehicles, not the lightweight plastic used in today's toys. The Rogers Museum provided the panels with the text about past pastimes. However, the lion's share of the material was supplied by SOHS. One of the exceptions is a case that includes two antique snowmen, a snow sled and other old-time winter play items loaned for the project by the Southern Oregon Antique and Collectibles Club. Medford residents Frank and Cindy Hoeper dropped by with their daughter, Kelsey, 10, and son Matthew, 6. "This is a good family thing to do," Frank Hoeper observed. "None of us had ever been to the history center before. And it was kind of raining outside." As he spoke, Matthew was pulling ahead of him in a memory game. "Yeah, he's beating me," said Frank Hoeper, a forester when he isn't playing with old toys. The game consists of a dozen antique wooden blocks with an etching on the underside. The goal is to match pairs before your opponent does. The first player turns over two blocks. If they match, that player keeps the two blocks. If not, it's the other player's turn. Simple, perhaps, but a game that is likely to strengthen a young memory. "It's kind of neat to come back to basics, to get away from video games and computer games," Cindy Hoeper said. "Games like these are good, clean fun. And I don't care how old you are, you still enjoy them. "There is more social interaction here than sitting in front of a computer," she added. "It's also fun to get together like this. Not everything has to be expensive or involve high technology. This is fun." Amanda Cole, 15, a volunteer at the center, spent much of her time Saturday afternoon helping young girls learn to walk on low-elevation stilts. "I love this," she said as she took time out to learn how to play Parcheesi. In addition to stopping by to view the old games, local residents are invited to join in a jigsaw puzzle exchange during the toy display. "If you have a jigsaw puzzle with all its pieces, bring it in and exchange it for another one," Cotts said. "These are toys you can keep using." Reach reporter Paul Fattig at 776-4496 or e-mail him at [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.