Wooden nickels returning back home spurred an event showcasing one village’s history.
Diana Bennett, executive director for the Scotia-Glenville Traveling Children’s Museum, said in April she received an unexpected letter in the mail addressed to the museum. The letter was from California resident Wayne Marsh, but he knew exactly where he was sending it because he grew up in Scotia. Upon opening the letter from across the country, Bennett saw six wooden nickels, which were made in celebration of the Village of Scotia’s jubilee, or 50th anniversary, in 1954 as an incorporated village. The wooden nickels, which she described as thin and square, she believes were purchased by people and could be kept or cashed in. “They are like miniature dollar bills,” Bennett said about the celebratory nickels. “It inspired us to think about people really enjoying to see the old pictures of Scotia and there is a lot of memories here.” The museum will hold the event “Dear Old Scotia” at the Glen Sanders Mansion on Thursday, Nov. 10, from 7 to 9 p.m. There will be an array of historical attractions, such as seldom-seen historic photos of the village and a local storyteller sharing insight into many lesser-known facts lost in history. The event is also named after a local author Alan Hart’s book under the same title. Hart, a former sportswriter for the Times Union, has written several books relating to Schenectady County and is being featured as a special guest of the event. A silent auction to benefit the museum will also be held during the event as attendees are treated to “retro” food stations as a DJ plays music from the ’50s, ’60s and ’70s to complete the atmosphere. Bill Pytlovany, museum board member and webmaster for VisitScotia.com, has the rarely seen photos and is bringing them out to the event. Bennett said including Hart along with the photograph showcase was an easy connection. “We put the two together and thought, ‘wouldn’t that be a fun thing to celebrate?’” she said. “There was a celebration in 2004, but people are still hungry.” Pytlovany echoed her comments and said interest in Scotia’s history is still strong.
“In the past few years, there has been a tremendous surge of interest in the history of the Village, not just from the early settlement days, but also about how much has changed from the 1960s and ’70s,” Pytlovany said in a statement. “This event will be a great opportunity for folks to reminisce about the stores where we shopped, the schools we attended, the cars we drove and the friends we made.” The recent flooding, Bennett said, led some people stop and take a look to appreciate what the village has to offer. She said people learned not to take things for granted, such as Jumpin’ Jack’s, which was built in 1952 and was underwater during the floods. Some things have changed over the years, but she said Scotia hasn’t lost its character.
“It is a real community here and you can see how it was through the years. A sense of community is obvious in the old pictures and that is still there today,” Bennett said. “There aren’t too many villages upstate where you can walk to everything.” She said the old photographs do show differences from the village today, but residents easily identify many of the locations and buildings. “It seems that it has kept up with the times, but retained its original routes,” she said. “They didn’t knock down buildings to widen the road or put in a mall, which other surrounding communities experienced.” She said she’s mostly looking forward to people coming out to the event and reminiscing with one another about their past and the area’s history. Tickets for the event are $35 per person and reservations must be placed by Nov. 7 by either calling 346-1764 or sending an email to [email protected]. Attendees will even receive their own custom-made wood nickel in honor of the event. But at least one of the new wooden nickels has a long journey ahead of it.
“My plan is to send one of the wooden nickels to Mr. March … to show what he inspired,” Bennett said.