Hello Dr Pepper fans! We are excited to once again offer a fun Twitter contest to give you the opportunity to win tickets to our special holiday event, A Dr Pepper Christmas. The first TWO people to correctly answer the questions we ask via twitter over the next few days will each win two free tickets to A Dr Pepper Christmas – a $30 value!
Some things to keep in mind…
- A Dr Pepper Christmas takes place at the Dr Pepper Museum in Waco, TX, on Saturday, December 10, 2011 from 6:00 pm to 8:30 pm.
- Please only enter if you will be in Waco that evening and available to redeem your tickets and attend the event OR if you know someone who will be able to attend and you want to win the tickets on their behalf.
Some details…
- There are 10 sets of two tickets up for grabs.
- Your answer must be submitted via Twitter @ reply OR direct message.
- The first two correct answers will be determined based on our HootSuite time stamp.
- The DPM will respond to the winning replies to let those people know they won and work out the details of redeeming their tickets.
- Santa Claus will be in the building on the 3rd floor the entire evening! Parents, please BYOC (bring your own camera) to capture the cute Christmas moments that are sure to happen.
- A silent auction featuring prizes in Austin, Dallas, Waco, and Brenham.
- Performances by the Waco Children’s Choir (6:30 pm, Dr Pepper Museum building) and the Central Texas String Academy group The Quint-Essentials (7:30, Kellum-Rotan building)
- HOT Dr Pepper
- Appetizers including gourmet cheeses, fresh fruit, and fresh veggies.
- Dinner including spiral sliced ham, soft rolls, a variety of mustards and cranberry sauces, pinwheel wraps, and kid-friendly peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.
- Dessert including Blue Bell ice cream, Dr Pepper, Circle A Ginger Ale, and Big Red syrup, red hots, M&Ms, cupcakes, eclairs, and vanilla cream puffs.
- A special holiday Create a Soft Drink program.
- A Dr Pepper holiday slideshow with vintage radio commercials and advertisements.
- AND! A chance to check out the historic Kellum-Rotan building, which is the building next door to the Museum with the big red neon Dr Pepper sign on the side. We all know you’ve been wondering what’s up with that…
These details are subject to updates at any time.
Collections Correspondence
Blogging was not really something I ever thought I would be doing as part of a job, much less while working in a museum, but I have found that here at the Dr Pepper Museum in Waco, Texas, everyone does all that they can to keep the museum running smoothly. I am a Baylor graduate with a degree in History. (By the way, the name is Charlie.) Knowing that I did not want to pursue a job teaching school, I began to look at other fields in which this degree could be used or have some impact and decided I would see what working at a museum is like. Near the end of my last semester at Baylor, I decided to apply to be a volunteer at the museum and started helping out on a consistent basis in January. During that time as a volunteer, I helped work on several projects such as entering donated items into our database, giving tours, and helping with the set up of our Dr Pepper and Sports and Toy Tech exhibits.
Bottle Racks containing the Loesch Bottle Collection
In April my duties became more focused when I was hired as a part time employee to work on cataloging a collection of 568 glass applied color label bottles called the Loesch Bottle Collection. Applied Color Labels (ACL) first started being used in the 1930s as a way to add color that would be permanently adhered to the bottle unlike the previous paper labels. ACLs became a very common and popular form of making the soda bottle look more appealing. It is called the Loesch Bottle Collection because the man who gathered the collection was named James Loesch. If 568 sounds like a lot of glass bottles…well you would be right. A previous worker had cataloged about seventy of the bottles, but they were in a random order. I decided in the end that this would not do and began to reorganize the entire collection alphabetically.
To begin sorting the collection, I gathered all the bottles that began with the same letter (in a process much like Easter egg hunting) into a box and took them back to my worktable. Here I entered in the measurements, a description, and the condition of the bottle into a computer system called PastPerfect. I also gave the bottles their own unique identification number. Next, I would use a substance called Acryloid B-72 (think nail polish) to put a thin strip on the bottom of the bottle to safely write the id number on the bottle. From here I took pictures of the bottle to help identify it in PastPerfect and to help any future person who wanted to find the bottle know what it looks like. Finally, I put the bottles on the shelf in their numerical and now alphabetical order and looked for the next set. Each group I was able to put back on the shelf organized made the search for the next set of bottles I needed easier.
Personally I found this project and the Loesch Bottle Collection to be very interesting. Some of the bottles were over sixty years old and most of them were brands of soda that are very hard to find or do not even exist any more. One of the brands of soda that sparked an interest to me was the Boylan brand of soda. I have some relatives with Boylan as a last name and while it did not appear there was any relation, it did make me curious enough to ask. Another soda brand I liked was Red Bird. As can be seen on the picture, the main symbol for this beverage is a cardinal and the St. Louis Cardinals happen to be my favorite baseball team. Here is to hoping the Milwaukee Brewers go on a losing streak. Some of what James Loesch focused on when building his collection was finding soft drinks that had American Indian names and origins. Being a history major and one that likes American history, I thought it was interesting to see American Indians portrayed on soft drink bottles.
Boylan bottles
Red Bird Beverage Bottle
Various soft drinks with American Indian names
At this point I have likely rambled on far too long, so thanks for reading and if you need me, I will be knee deep in the next box of objects.
Camp Time!
We have a variety of things going on this summer here at the Dr Pepper Museum. We have a week of camp coming up shortly and one of our interns – Leah – has been working hard with other staff members to get ready for this exciting program for kids. As part of her work on the summer camp, Leah has written up a bit about what the campers will be doing during camp and other projects she is involved here at the DPM!
Looking for something cool to do this summer? Come on down to the Dr Pepper Museum for our unique summer camp!
It’s a 4 day adventure (though you may enroll for an individual day also) from July 11th-14th and again August 8th-11th.
- Monday is all about creating and marketing your very own soft drink.
- Tuesday lets YOU become a soda jerk for a day- you get to learn about the history of making soft drinks and have the chance to step behind the counter and make some Dr Pepper for real!
- Wednesday brings Soda Pop Science- a series of experiments using carbonated water, sugar, etc to bring the science concepts behind sodas to life (plus DIY ice cream).
- Then it all wraps up with Thursday’s Pop Art which showcases plenty of out of the box art projects about soft drinks that you get to take home!
Hey! My name is Leah and I am an intern in the Programs/Interpretation department of the DPM this summer. That means that I plan and put on camps, lead programs, help with events, and give tours. Some of the projects I have a hand in this summer include the DPM summer camps, The Dr Pepper and Sports section of the tour, the Free Enterprise Institute newsletter, and another camp called Kids Invent! Toys that will be revisited in the spring next year!
A bit of background on me: I am in my 3rd year at Baylor and will be graduating in May with a degree in Archeology and Anthropology with a minor in Museum Studies. I grew up in Waco and actually created my own soft drink here when I was in the 5th grade.
Toy Tech has arrived!
On Saturday June 4th, we opened our second traveling exhibition, Toy Tech. The exhibition was developed by the Northwest Invention Center and supports our mission of free enterprise education by showing visitors the process of taking an idea and making it into a marketable product — the touchstone of free enterprise – while emphasizing entrepreneurship and innovation, so visitors like you can learn how free enterprise works with soft drink industry and other products, too!
The exhibit focuses on toys that both kids and adults are familiar with. See the inside of the toys to see exactly what makes those toys work and get a peek into the invention process. Toy Tech illustrates the similarities between the way children play and the way the creative process is used by inventors in science and technology. So try your hand at making a paper helicopter and see what happens when you fly it in the wind tunnel. Can you get it to spin and stay afloat? What about making a whistle out of a straw? How do you make the tone higher or lower pitched? How high can you get your straw rocket to fly?
While in Toy Tech, take a look at a variety of Dr Pepper and other soft drink themed toys that are part of the Dr Pepper Museum’s collection. For years, soft drink companies have marketed their beverages by putting their logos on toy cars, trains, trucks, Frisbees, and stuffed animals. Some people have even made toys out of soft drink cans. Have you collected any soft drink themed toys? What about creating some of your own?
While visiting Toy Tech, take a look at The Secret(s) of Inventing exhibit that features several soft drink inventors and their soft drinks! Do you know what Charles Grigg originally named 7UP? Do you know what the oldest continually marketed soft drink in the world is? Which soft drink is older – Dr Pepper or Coca Cola? Figure out these answers and more in The Secret(s) of Inventing exhibit!
Come on in, enjoy, play, and learn a bit about free enterprise this summer!
Fun in the Summertime!
The summer is quickly approaching and the Museum has lots of exciting things that will be going on. From June 4 to September 11, the Dr Pepper Museum is hosting Toy Tech, a traveling exhibition all about toys! The exhibit will focus on toys that both kids and adults are familiar with. By taking them apart and putting them back together, visitors to the exhibition learn exactly what makes those toys work. They also get to take a peek into the invention process.
Toy Tech illustrates the similarities between the way children play and the way the creative process is used by inventors in science and technology. This exhibition provides visitors with hands-on opportunities to:
- Learn how play fosters creative talents among children as well as adults
- Understand how toys work by assembling and disassembling them
- Trace the development of toys through history
- Engage in multi-sensory experiences through hands-on activities that involve mechanical, optical, and acoustical toys
- Experience their own playful and inventive abilities by inventing new toys
- Understand how children’s play parallels processes used by inventor.
Toy Tech supports the Dr Pepper Museum’s mission of free enterprise education by showing visitors the process of taking an idea and making it into a marketable product — the touchstone of free enterprise – while emphasizing entrepreneurship and innovation.
On June 27 through July 1 we are hosting for the first time – Kids Invent! Toys. Campers invent their own toys by experimenting with a variety of materials and tools by engaging their creative and problem solving skills. It’s sure to be a fun time for campers as they take apart and reassemble toys and then create their very own new toys! Back in April, a few of our staff and several teachers from the area got to preview some of the camp activities and we had a blast! Check out some pictures at the bottom of this post!
So what can you do to make the summer a success? Come see Toy Tech! Sign your children up for Kids Invent! Toys! Registration opens May 16. You can find more information on our website. 
Do you have a little bit more time that you might be able to volunteer at the Museum this summer? We are seeking energetic volunteers to be Summer Camp Counselors for the Kids Invent! Toys camp and Exhibit Gallery Guides for Toy Tech. Come experience the joy of working with kids this summer and get involved in the fun of learning yourself! You can gain valuable work experience, contribute to your local community, and support the Dr Pepper Museum and our mission. Whether you are looking for volunteer hours for your college application or are retired and looking for ways to give back to your community, we have a spot for you! Check our website for more information including our application.
Dr. Sobey demonstrating the boomerang!
Up, up and away!Helicopters now!
What?Ready to roll!
Trying out the airplane!
The creative juices are flowing!
Dr Pepper and Sports
Hello Dr Pepper lovers! My name is Kelli, and I am an intern here at the Dr Pepper Museum, and I am working with Gabe, our new Exhibits Manager. My goal for the internship is to get a behind-the-scenes look at what goes on with exhibits from beginning to end, so I can learn more about the museum field. I started in January and have had quite the fast-paced and interesting first two months as we prepared for and installed our new exhibit – Dr Pepper and Sports. I had known a bit about museums, coming in as a first-year graduate student from Baylor’s Museum Studies program. However, I was able to learn quite a bit through hands-on experience about the entire exhibit process …there is much more work that goes into creating an exhibit than one would originally think…
I started out by researching; Joy (our Assistant Director) and I searched through the archives and found some amazing and interesting old material about Dr Pepper-sponsored teams and tournaments (from Waco, to Texas at-large, to teams in Canada and Norway!), and information about Dr Pepper and Sports throughout the years. Some of the photos, information, and articles we found are available for visitors to take in when they come to see the exhibit.
The next step was to sort through the vast collection at the Dr Pepper Museum for things that would bring the topic of Dr Pepper’s involvement in sports to life. After sifting through the collections database, as well as the collection itself, we have pulled some fantastic objects to bring interest and variety to the displays – like posters, sports memorabilia, fan-related items, and commemorative items to name a few. It was great to see how our research and all the objects have a relational association to one another, and what all we could incorporate into the space. (There are some pretty cool and surprising objects for you to check out when you see the exhibit!)
Ultimately, the most exciting part was installation, where it all gets put together! We began by removing the old exhibit, providing us with a blank slate to work with. From there, we began to do a preliminary installation for each display case. However, as this wrapped up, my internship hours for the week expired. So the next step for me was to wait anxiously to see what the finished product looked like. Gabe, Joy, Mary Beth, and Diane along with several part-timers and volunteers put in a lot of hard work and creativity to finish all the little (and big) projects that had to be completed in order to have the installation process come to a close. When I arrived this week, I must say, I was very impressed. The exhibit is amazing!
Ultimately, Dr Pepper and Sports explores local and nationwide sponsorships, advertising, celebrity involvement, pouring rights in stadiums, and promotions. Using a wide variety of archival material and artifacts, the exhibit takes the visitor through Dr Pepper’s interaction with sports on the local to the national level, including college football. Also, visitors will be able to explore little-known aspects of Dr Pepper involvement, like the Army-Navy game, soccer, and golf. The exhibit will come down in February of 2012, so come and check out the Dr Pepper and Sports exhibit today – it will definitely be worth the visit!
Brad, Mary Beth, and Joy working on set-up for the exhibit.
Test your sports knowledge with our interactive pieces.
The Dr Pepper and Baylor partnership is highlighted through stadium cups and on plexiglass from an old vending machine. Sic 'em Bears!
This is one of the finished cases you will see if you come visit the exhibit
A New Face Around the Museum
Designing exhibit floor plans
The new year brought us a new staff member here at the museum. We are quite excited to have Gabe working with us at the museum and he has gotten off to a terrific start!
So we wanted to take the opportunity to introduce him to you! And for all of you Peppers with inquiring minds, he’s a Pepper, too!
Hello, my name is Gabe Schooley and I’m the new Exhibit Manager for the Dr Pepper Museum. I have worked in the museum field for the past 12 years – first with Texas Parks and Wildlifeat Fort McKavett State Historic Site as the Exhibit Technician I and then with the Doss Heritage and Culture Center in Weatherford, where I served as Director of Operations.
I would like to thank all the staff and board of directors for making me feel welcomed to this great organization. I have only been part of museum staff for four weeks. In this short time, I’ve had the opportunity to work on several exhibit installations as well as starting on the ground floor of two exhibits which I think are going to be great fun. In February we will be opening Dr Pepper and Sports, the exhibit will include photographs of local and professional sports teams which Dr Pepper has sponsored through the years as well as several hands on exhibits to test your knowledge of sporting equipment and teams. The second exhibit, Toy Tech, is right up my alley. Toy Tech is a traveling exhibit which will allow visitors the opportunity to develop all sorts of toys and test the results of their work. Keep an eye out on our website and blog to learn more about Toy Tech.
I cannot thank everyone enough for the warm welcome I have received and look forward to helping the museum staff and board of directors in seeing the vision of the Dr Pepper Museum achieved.
A Dr Pepper Christmas
On Saturday, December 11, 2010, the Dr Pepper Museum celebrated its 4th Annual A Dr Pepper Christmas. With nearly 300 people in attendance, the floors rang with the laughter and cheer of the holiday season. Musical entertainment of those familiar holiday carols was provided by China Spring Middle School’s 8th grade band, directed by Michael Loudermilk, and Vocal Choir from St. Paul’s Episcopal Day School, directed by Claudette Basden. In between musical sets, visitors were able to create their own soft drink using a variety of holiday flavors such as cinnamon, apple, vanilla, chocolate, peppermint, and even egg nog. Visitors leisurely toured the Museum feasting on a variety of different foods placed throughout the floors. Visitors finished off the evening on the 3rd floor by visiting a Sundae Bar and watching a video montage featuring a variety of holiday themed Dr Pepper and 7UP artifacts from the museum’s collection. What better way was there to join in the holiday spirit?
The Dr Pepper Museum was also a drop off spot for Toys For Tots this past holiday season. Visitors that brought a new, unwrapped toy to donate to Toys For Tots that evening received a free pass to visit the Museum again at no cost. Thank you to everyone who helped make the holiday season a little brighter for children in our area!
Thanks to all of our board members and volunteers who came out and helped make the evening a success! We appreciate all of your hard work!
Thank you also to our sponsors! The evening would not have been possible without their support:
Mrs. W. W. Clements
Mr. and Mrs. Murray Watson
Central National Bank
Mr. and Mrs. Claude Ervin
Mr. and Mrs. Randolph Slaughter, Jr.
HEB
Blue Bell Creameries
Mr. and Mrs. Richard Kaga
Mr. and Mrs. Robert Borchgardt
Mr. Charles Brizius
Ms. Janet McCarty
Architexas
Dr Pepper Snapple Group Distribution, Waco
Son Beverage Company of San Antonio
Ms. Felicia Chase Goodman
Barrett Building Co.
Mr. and Mrs. Wilton Lanning
Mr. and Mrs. Bill Tilghman
Mr. and Mrs. James Clifton
Mr. and Mrs. James Hardwick
A Dr Pepper Christmas Twitter Contest
Hello Dr Pepper fans! We are excited to offer a fun Twitter contest to give you the opportunity to win tickets to our special holiday event, A Dr Pepper Christmas. The first people to correctly answer the questions we ask via twitter over the next few days will win two free tickets to A Dr Pepper Christmas — a $30 value!
Some things to keep in mind…
- A Dr Pepper Christmas takes place at the Dr Pepper Museum in Waco, TX, on Saturday, December 11, 2010 at 6:30 pm.
- Please only enter if you will be in Waco that evening and available to redeem your tickets and attend the event OR if you know someone who will be able to attend and you want to win the tickets on their behalf.
Some details…
- There are five sets of two tickets up for grabs.
- Your answer must be submitted via Twitter @ reply OR direct message.
- The first correct answer will be determined based on our HootSuite time stamp.
- The DPM will respond to the winning DM to let that person know they won and work out the details of them redeeming their tickets.
These details are subject to updates at any time.
Happy Birthday, Dr Pepper!
Today concludes a yearlong celebration of the brand’s flavorful history. Dr Pepper Snapple Group kicked the year off on the symbolic date of January 25 by teaming up with advertising icon David Naughton and legendary rock band KISS to ring the Closing Bell at the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE). Dr Pepper Snapple Group President and CEO Larry Young and other company executives closed the trading day with the Dow gaining just over 23 points – coincidentally matching the 23 unique flavors of Dr Pepper. Naughton also led a choreographed sing-along of the classic “I’m a Pepper” jingle on the floor of the NYSE.
Continuing the celebration, the brand advertised its Dr Pepper Cherry flavor during Super Bowl XLIV with a new ad spot featuring KISS and tribute band MiniKISS. And, this summer, Dr Pepper released six collectable cans inspired by the brand’s first 125 years, along with a version made with real sugar. The anniversary cans featured legacy artwork and memorable advertising slogans such as “I’m a Pepper” and “10, 2 and 4.” In addition, 12-pack cases highlighted key moments in the brand’s history over the last century.
Today, stop by the Dr Pepper Museum for a look at Dr Pepper’s history as it touched the lives of Waco’s citizens in the early 1900s and how it has become an international favorite today! Plus what birthday celebration would be complete without cake and of course, a Dr Pepper!
Old Corner Drugstore Artesian Manufacturing and Bottling Company
David Naughton, the Pied Piper of Peppers100th Anniversary Ad
