When Frankfort Mayor Keith Ogle and his wife, Kim, started showing some of the historical artifacts culled from a time capsule from 1976, he had a smile when he came across one package.
There was a clear plastic bag with a mug commemorating the Frankfort Fall Festival and two cans of beer with Bicentennial themes.
“I’ll bet these were the only two beers consumed at the festival,” he joked.
That was back in the days when the festival, once known as Sauerkraut and Weiner Day, merely drew 40,000 people to town.
Now it draws 250,000 people and has been named as one of the best fests in the country by Sunshineartist.com.
The Frankfort Fall Festival is just one example of major growth in Frankfort since the bicentennial. The capsule was full with hundreds of historical documents and items that were shown Saturday at Breidert Green. They will also be displayed at the Frankfort Area Historical Society Museum, 1312 Kansas St.
Connie Behnke-Rotondo and Gene Gerardi were two prominent Frankfort residents and business owners who oversaw the closing of the time capsule, a vault which resembles an oversized beverage cooler. They were on hand Saturday to watch it be opened a half-century later as the park of an Independence Day celebration that also featured music from the Frankfort Brass Band.
Behnke-Rotondo was a longtime photo business owner and opened a Frankfort studio in 1965.
“The population when I got here more than 50 years ago — God, I hate admitting it — the sign said 750,” she said. “We were kids from Chicago and said ‘what are we doing?’
“But I tell you, (moving here) was definitely the best thing we’ve ever done.”
The village has more than 20,000 residents, according to the 2020 census.
More than a decade after settling in the studio, Behnke-Rotondo became the first female president of the Frankfort Chamber of Commerce and immersed herself in the village’s various bicentennial projects, including the time capsule.
“In 1976, we were dancing to disco music … dining at Kelly’s Wagon Wheel and we had breakfast at the Little Oasis,” she said. “Everything was so desirable and a fun place to live. We just said ‘wow.’’’
Most of the items in the vault were documents, photos and other items donated by more than 40 groups or individuals.
So many of the contents appealed to deep, serious history buffs, but a few fun items were included.
Aside from the beer cans and mug from Frankfort Fall Fest, there was a phone book, a Sears catalog, menus from restaurants and resident-made Raggedy Ann and Raggedy Andy dolls.
“This is a very special window into our past,” Ogle said. “When our predecessors sealed this time capsule in 1976, they were looking ahead to us. They hoped we would open it in a moment of pride, reflection and unity.”
He said they believed that progress was not accidental and is built by people who cared deeply about the village.
“As we open this capsule, we honor their optimism,” he said. “We honor the belief that Frankfort would continue to grow, thrive and remain a community where tradition and innovation walk side by side.”
Breidert Green is named after Burton Breidert, who was the village’s first administrator.
His wife, Francis, wrote a letter in 1976 and placed it in the capsule.
“What we have enclosed in this time capsule indicates very clearly the scope of participation, which resulted from our leadership,” she wrote. “The degree of enthusiasm and cooperation was fantastic.
“We tried to convey to you what took place on holidays, the Fall Festivals of 1975 and 1976, the showing of the movie “1776” … and many other events.”
The vault was donated by Girardi Funeral Home and it started out bricked in a cornerstone at was was known as Heritage Hall, 14 Hickory St. It’s now occupied by Morgan Money Management.
In recent years, the vault was moved to the Frankfort Area Historical Society Museum.
The members of the historical society have other plans for the celebration of the 250th birthday of the United States.
The museum will feature a special military exhibit with the names of Frankfort residents who served in the military.
There is an America 250 mural with face cutouts outside the museum.
The museum is also giving out a limited number of free, small U.S. flags.
Jeff Vorva is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.
