Elgin Public Museum employees and volunteers were busy in January, putting into place 20 new exhibits while the Lords Park facility was closed for cleaning and maintenance work.
“This year we were in hyperdrive all month preparing so many new things,” museum Director Sharry Blazier of the additions now available for public viewing.
An exhibit for a modest museum like Elgin’s is often a single glass case, not a huge display like you might find at Chicago’s Field Museum, Blazier said. But adding 20 such cases is a lot for them, and the changes are notable given that they also reworked the layout with the help of staff members, board members, interns and volunteers, she said.
Some of the new cases were funded with a $20,000 grant from the Seigle Foundation, which Blazier jokingly said they made use of like it was “Stretch Armstrong,” the stretchable children’s toy.
Eight slim cases were custom-made by Jim Eby to fit against the second-floor railings in a way that improves safety while allowing for an open view of the museum ceiling and the hall below. The increased exhibit space let them bring out many things that have been in storage for yours and possibly have never been seen by the public, Blazier said.
Among the items that can now be viewed are delicate seahorses that have been in the museum’s collection for more than 100 years, an odd-looking pufferfish and contraband items confiscated long ago by customs agents and the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service at O’Hare International Airport in Chicago.
The latter includes carved ivory pieces made from the tusks of endangered species, alligator purses, and boots made from seal fur. The confiscated goods came into the possession of the museum circa 2000, when museums were offered a chance to choose pieces from a government warehousee, Blazier said.
“We are allowed to have them as a means to educate the public not to try to smuggle these types of objects in or out of the country,” she said. “Often people don’t even realize that what they’ve spent big tourist bucks on will be taken from them when they get to customs at the airport. Not realizing you have something illegal doesn’t mean you get to keep it, and your money will be lost.”
Another new display features an ancient sea life diorama that includes Oddball Art Studios’ Mike Rende’s vibrant sculptures of a Tully Monster, an ammonite, an opabinia and a trilobite set up in an underwater scene created by museum board President Judy Hayner.
“As soon as Judy finished it, I said it would be a fan favorite, and it already is. It’s colorful and beautiful,” Blazier said.
The museum also now offers a rotating exhibit that will change every few months to spotlight different cultural heritages in the area. The initial presentation is called “The World in Elgin: Our Jewish Community.”
Rabbi Margaret Frisch Klein of Elgin’s Congregation Kneseth Israel assisted in curating the display, with the congregation lending items for it. They include an old red velvet Torah case and many items typically used during annual Jewish holidays, festivals and observances.
“The point is simply to build understanding and respect,” Blazier said. “Elgin is a wonderfully diverse city and it’s important, especially in these rancorous times, to get to know each others’ traditions and appreciate the many communities within our community.”
The museum also set up an Amazon Wish List in 2025 in which supporters were asked to purchase items that could be used to refurbish the Discovery Room for children.
“We have new adjustable tables so that younger kids can sit or stand at them to do activities, which will be changed out frequently,” Blazier said.
New setups include Learn About Tornados, with “tornado bottles,” she said, and a Magnification Station with magnifying glasses, an eyepiece microscope and a Wentzscope, each of which is meant to be used by different age groups.
“We also have some new dinosaur materials and have them all in one area of the room, with a cool Tyrannosaurus rex backdrop,” Blazier said.
While the work putting together all of the new exhibits could at times be strenuous and exhausting, the outcome is well worth it, she said.
“What good is having all that extra stuff stored in dark rooms, never seen? This is what we love doing, what we’re supposed to be doing, and we hope the public will enjoy it,” Blazier said.
Mike Danahey is a freelance reporter for The Courier-News.
