Trip back in time
Dunkirk museum exhibit highlights 1970s
A display honoring fallen Dunkirk firefighter Daniel Anson is part of the Dunkirk Historical Museum’s “That ‘70s Exhibit.”
“The ‘70s At Home” is part of the display at the Dunkirk Historical Museum’s “That ‘70s Exhibit.”
Kay Szewczuk, curator for the Dunkirk Historical Museum, poses with clothing in the museum’s “That ‘70s Exhibit.”
A diorama featuring an unrealized Urban Renewal plan for downtown Dunkirk is part of the Dunkirk Historical Museum’s “That ‘70s Exhibit.”
A display honoring fallen Dunkirk firefighter Daniel Anson is part of the Dunkirk Historical Museum’s “That ‘70s Exhibit.”
“The ‘70s At Home” is part of the display at the Dunkirk Historical Museum’s “That ‘70s Exhibit.”
Kay Szewczuk, curator for the Dunkirk Historical Museum, poses with clothing in the museum’s “That ‘70s Exhibit.”
A diorama featuring an unrealized Urban Renewal plan for downtown Dunkirk is part of the Dunkirk Historical Museum’s “That ‘70s Exhibit.”
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The Dunkirk Historical Museum is offering a trip back in time to the 1970s.
"That '70s Exhibit" is on display at the Washington Avenue institution. Admission is free to everyone.
Walking into the main hall, the first thing noticed in the exhibit is "The 70s at Home." It's a display featuring a mannequin dressed in '70s clothes at a desk with a typewriter and a vintage fan that still works.
"People say, 'That's my mom at the typewriter,'" said museum curator Kay Szewczuk.
Seventies music plays in the background to set the scene. Songs heard during the OBSERVER's visit included "Live and Let Die" by Wings, "Barracuda" by Heart and "Low Rider" by War.
The opening section of the exhibit also includes a timeline of 1970's events. "A lot of people remember all this but don’t remember the order," Szweczuk said.
The timeline provides big-picture context, but Szweczuk pointed out that the exhibit focuses on everyday items used by Dunkirk residents. "It gives people a sense that this was most of the '70s, real people living their lives. You don’t know you’re living through history until later."
Moving on, there is a reminiscence from Jim Kaczek of the Class of 1976. Szweczuk said part of the reason for the exhibition is to honor the 50th anniversary of the Class of '76. There are a few nods to the class throughout the exhibit.
Prom dresses are on display, as is a cheerleader varsity jacket donated by Lori Woodward. Right across the aisle from those is a memorial to Daniel Anson, the Dunkirk firefighter who died in the line of duty in 1979.
A film exhibit references the Cine and the Regent -- and includes the Regent's old clock. Part of the cinema display honors Toby Halicki's "Gone in 60 Seconds." Some of the items were donated by the Halicki family.
"They tried hard to keep the swearing down -- it was relatively kid-friendly," Szweczuk said approvingly of Halicki's film. "You and your 10-year-old could see these car crashes."
The centerpiece of the exhibit features items associated with "That '70s Show," the sitcom created by Dunkirk native Mark Brazill. His fraternity jacket, and scripts from the show, are a couple of the items placed in that case.
Speaking of fraternities, there is also a display on those, along with Dunkirk's sororities. Szweczuk is hoping the display will coax out some more information.
"There is a lot missing in the historic record." she explained. "Nobody wrote down what they did to pledge, or when the organizations started." The curator is urging visitors and residents to offer whatever information they have on the sororities and fraternities.
Moving on again, a shelf features 1970s Dunkirk High School yearbooks that visitors can leaf through. There is also a display dedicated to the United States bicentennial of 1976.
The entire exhibit includes plenty of locally donated items -- clothes, buttons, and bowling yearbooks, for example.
Szweczuk said the exhibit, which lasts until the end of the year, will switch out some items as 2026 progresses. For example, summer clothing is displayed now but will get replaced by cold-weather gear. A Blizzard of 1977 retrospective is planned, but "It seemed weird to do it in August," Szewczuk quipped.
The final part of the exhibit is grim, but impossible to ignore if you want the full story of Dunkirk in the Seventies. It discusses Urban Renewal.
The urban planning movement led to demolition of countless old buildings across the country, intending to revitalize areas with new construction. Szweczuk, who came to Dunkirk four years ago, sadly noted that it looks to her like the city had money available to tear down the old buildings -- but not erect new ones.
In fact, she said it seems like perfectly good buildings were torn down more so in Dunkirk than in other places, where blighted and derelict properties were the focus.
The Urban Renewal section of the exhibit is the only part down in the basement, almost as if Dunkirk wishes to hide that part of its past.
It features a diorama from a planning firm of a proposal for the city. In that pre-computer area, urban planners crafted three-dimensional street plan ideas into dioramas. This diorama shows a Dunkirk that is unrecognizable along the Route 60-Main Street corridor. It's filled by what appears to be a mall complex surrounded by a ring road.
The Dunkirk Historical Museum and "That '70s Exhibit" are open every Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 9 a.m. to noon, Wednesdays from 4:30 to 6 p.m., and the first Saturday of every month from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Szweczuk said the museum will also be open Saturday, Aug. 8 and Saturday, Aug. 15 to accommodate people in town for Dunkirk High School and Cardinal Mindszenty High School reunions.