"Work and Play at the Dawn of the 20^th Century," a collection of exhibits that feature different aspects of social life in Portage County in 1900, will be on display this summer at the Portage County Historical Society�s Heritage Park Museum in Plover.

The display in the old Methodist Church at Heritage Park, located between Washington Avenue and Willow Drive in Plover, will be open to the public beginning June 9. The museum will be open Saturdays and Sundays from 1-5 p.m. through September and a $2 admission is charged.

The exhibits are the result of the work of 26 students in the Museum Methods class at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. Nine student teams researched and built the informative and interactive displays under the supervision of Ed Marks, curator of education at UWSP�s Museum of Natural History, and Bob Freckmann, professor of biology.

"Each exhibit is different," Marks said of his class. "The students find various ways to interpret objects and tell stories. They produce these themselves and put themselves into it. It�s more than just academics."

Students Mark Willis, Naperville, Ill.; Jarrah Buch, Merrill; and Jenifer Gruber, Sheboygan, created a display on fly fishing because they all enjoy the sport, but they discovered a lot of history in the process, they said.

Their exhibit introduces visitors to Carrie Frost, a pioneer of fly fishing who founded C.J. Frost Fishing Tackle in Stevens Point and made it the nation�s fly tackle capital. At one time, she had 100 women working in the factory, hand tying 9 to 14 dozen flies a day and 10 million flies annually. The business was sold to Oscar Weber in 1920 and he supplied flies for World War II survival kits.

"Frost broke a lot of barriers and prejudices of her time," said Willis.

Another exhibit, "Modesty at the Beach," features a bucket of sand that visitors may lift to feel the added 20-30 pounds of a woman�s "bathing costume" once it was wet. The exhibit by Eliza Zimmerman, Orangeville, Ill.; Jessica Sawyer, Stevens Point; and Christine Thompson, Port Washington; features a model of a bathing costume as well as information on the social aspects of public "bathing."

A bartender seems to ask "What�ll you have?" at a display by Dana Churness, Wausau; Cody Strathe, Stevens Point; and Maggie Moesch, Milwaukee. The exhibit includes photos of the many saloons on The Square in Stevens Point, where people would gather to discuss politics and social issues.

"Researching this topic, we found that a lot more than drinking went on in the saloons," said Churness. "These were places where people could be open with their views."

Architecture of the past and the ethnic features of local homes and businesses is part of the "Building Traditions" exhibit.

"Stevens Point was such a melting pot," said Jason Buford, Madison, who created the exhibit with Stephanie Beyer, Fond du Lac, and Melissa Slager, Beaver Dam. "Compared to other towns, there are a lot of architectural styles that reflect different ethnicities."

The many household tasks of a homesteading woman are on display at one exhibit, showing how far women have come, said exhibit creators Amanda Govoni, Oxford, and Heather Timm, Stevens Point.

The exhibit "All Aboard to Yellowstone" portrays one family�s railroad journey to one of the country�s newest national parks. Visitors can hear the train whistle and read the family�s journal entries.

Children will want to visit the exhibit "Rainy Day Play," in which they may try on play clothing and take a look at the toys of yesteryear including a corn husk doll and slingshot.

"Wet Your Whistle" at an exhibit that features the history of the Stevens Point Brewery, Pepsi and moonshine. An interactive quiz about these beverages and a recipe for moonshine is also part of the display.

The circus was a big event each summer as Wisconsin was the starting point of many shows, according to the exhibit, "The Greatest Show on Earth comes to Portage County." Historical photos and a replica of a circus tent are part of the display.

Tim Siebert, president of the Portage County Historical Society, said it�s the fifth time that UWSP students have created exhibits for the Plover museum.

"Visitors are really impressed with the student exhibits," he said. "It always amazes me how they construct them at UWSP and reassemble them at the museum."

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