A most enchanting exhibit

SANDPOINT — It was 1958 when Helen (Method) Newton sought the perfect dress to wear to Sandpoint High School's senior ball.

Ordinarily, she would have sewn her own, but not this time. The first dress she ever purchased was a blue gown, only after convincing the merchant to let her pay for it over time — she only had $20 on hand and the gown "bore a princely sum."

"Thus, Helen wore her blue gown to the ball, where she and her squire, Skip Newton, were crowned prince and princess. And they lived happily ever after," wrote local author Jenny Leo, who helped weave Newton's true Cinderella story into a fairytale for the Bonner County History Museum's new exhibit — "Once Upon a Time in Bonner County." 

And nobody is more excited about the exhibit than the museum curator, Heather Upton, who had the vision about a year ago, planned it for six months, and only had about two weeks to install it inside the museum.

"This exhibit was a chance for us to take everyday objects and feature them in a whole new light," Upton said. "We find that artifacts are natural storytellers," Upton said. "They also help us visualize the past and see events as something tangible, and in that regard, objects are natural storytellers."

Each item was treasured by someone, Upton said, or linked to a moment in Bonner County's history in some way and donated. On average, the museum receives one new historical donation each day. All of the items in the exhibit are from the collection, save a few items created by the Sandpoint High School welding class or on loan from museum supporters.

"We have a ton of local businesses and individuals who help us bring these exhibits to life," Upton said.

While various artifacts were used to recreate fairy tales for the "Once Upon a Time" theme, many of them came from the museum's extensive fashion collection, such as the dress donated by Newton. Of course, several other artifacts are added to the Cinderella story as well. The museum staff recreated the scene with the birds and the mice, adding sewing artifacts from the collection. 

The exhibit's Alice in Wonderland theme surrounded the Mad Hatter's tea party, particularly because of the many hat donations the museum has received. An old, black top hat and a giant timepiece help set the scene.

"We have a great hat collection, so it was fun to be able to get them all out — and this is probably a hint of how many we have," Upton said, pointing to the approximately 20 colorful hats streaming from the ceiling.

"Just like the story of the Mad Hatter, where they were doing sort of a twist on the etiquette of the Victorian times, I decided to create more of a chaotic feel, things being off-kilter."

Upton is an art historian graduate and also worked as a visual merchandiser, she said. To her, she said, things that are whimsical or off-kilter "seems right."

"So I am not a traditional curator," Upton said. "I kind of look at things in a different way, and I think it makes for a different experience. This exhibit really kind of shows you the result of that."

Other fairy tales throughout the exhibit include Jack and the Beanstalk — the giant axes from were Upton's original inspiration for the fairy tale theme — Little Red Riding Hood, Beauty and the Beast, Rumpelstiltskin, Thumbelina, Goldilocks and the Three Bears, Princess and the Pea, and Pinocchio.

To learn how each of Bonner County's fairytales came to pass, visit the exhibit during the museum hours, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Friday.

The museum's "First Free Saturday," on the first Saturday of each month, is a popular program for people who can't make it to the museum during regular business hours, or those who cannot afford regular admission prices. The next free Saturday is from 8 a.m. to noon, Aug. 5.

Regular admission is $4 for adults, $3 for seniors and $1 for youth, ages 6-18. Admission for children under 6 is free.

Information: bonnercountyhistory.org or call 208-263-2344.

Mary Malone can be reached by email at mmalone@bonnercountydailybee.com and follow her on Twitter @MaryDailyBee.