Cat's Pajamas

My pretties

I recently attended The Cat's Pajamas vintage show held at The Hemmens Cultural center. This year I went to the 1st show on a Friday instead of the 2nd show on a Saturday to figure out which I would prefer. Here is my review on the event.

What I liked -

The Hemmens Cultural center surrounding area is interesting and very beautiful. There's an ice skating rink, a cool looking library, shops down the street and a nice view of the Fox river.
Plenty of free parking areas.

Inside the center they have great cafe food, free art gallery, plenty of rest areas & an available ATM.

A map is handed at the door with the vendors information. If you like their merchandise you can visit them.

The vendors are spaced out and not shoved together.
Some racks are organized by color, era, or article of clothing.
The second floor has makeshift dressing rooms with a mirror.

Many vendors are willing to bargain or do bundles.

Two day shows...attend one or both.
Friday show is held later in the evening 5-10pm, so it wasn't very full. There is a best dressed contest, cocktail bar and live music. Beautiful vintage clothes & a cocktail is a nice way to spend a Friday evening.

Saturday show 10-5pm Entry fee is less. It will be packed, but not uncomfortable. They have beauty demonstrations, contests and play retro music. The clothing racks will be easier to shop from since the Friday night shoppers have lighten the load. The first floor will have natural light coming through the large windows to brighten up the floor. Being the last day, vendors may give you a better deal.

Lots and lots of clothes from every era!

What I didn't like -

Friday show entry fee will cost more. Being the first day of the show, you may not get as many deals. It's an evening show, so there won't be any natural light to help out in the dark corners. The corner vendors need more light.

Saturday shows I noticed the vendors packing up earlier than expected, I felt rushed.

Bins are packed and placed on top of each other.

Vendors pack the racks so tight that you're almost too scared to pull something out for viewing and risk tearing it.

Some vendors didn't price or check for missing tags.

The storage room used as dressing room could use a curtain in front of door. Many people mistakenly opened the door and embarrassed some ladies.

Helpful tips:

Wear something that is easy to remove for trying on clothes.
Know your measurements & bring a measuring tape if you don't want to try anything on.

Make a shopping list & place your must haves on the top, so you won't forget.

Set a budget. It's very easy to get carried away. 

Bring cash and avoid using ATM with fees.
Check items thoroughly for holes, stains, missing buttons,etc.. items cannot be returned.

Try to park close by for easy drop off of your vintage finds & go back for more!

I've been to both shows on separate occasions and I personally like attending the Saturday show. I like shopping on the first floor early in the morning with natural light coming through the large windows. It helps to get a closer look at the jewelry or clothes. Saturday morning surrounded by gorgeous clothes and people who share your love for vintage is a nice way to spend the day.

The vendors are kind and helpful at finding you that perfect outfit. Don't let some of the prices scare you away, there are deals to be found. Some items items are one of a kind and it may be worth the price. It's up to you to figure out if the item is worth the price or not.  I fell in love with a certain dress, but it had ink stains and about a dozen holes. Nevertheless, I still wanted it even a little more when the vendor cut me a tiny deal. I thought about for a couple of minutes and then I chose to walk away. I didn't regret it, further down the aisle, I spent the money on two wide brim hats and shoes instead of one dress!

The Cat's Pajamas has many unique and exquisite jewels to add some sparkle to your outfit. The clothing and accessories are in abundance, it cuts your driving time from shop to shop. It's a great vintage show, that will have gasping at the racks and racks of clothing. You will be hooked right then and there. The Cat's Pajamas is truly the Cat's Meow...You knew that was coming.

WWII days - What I wore & more

1st day- Heels,  I went alone

Dress & Gloves - TresYours Vintage
Hat - Pec Thing
Shoes - Thrifted

2nd day- No heels, I took the kids

Dress & shoes - Thrifted
Handbag - TresYours Vintage

USO Dance

Dress - TresYours Vintage



......Just a couple more photos

WWII - Part 2

The Midway Village Museum not only has the re-enactments of WWII battles, but they also host a USO- style dance. The dance is held at Veterans Memorial Hall, a perfect for setting for the evening. The Moonlight Jazz Orchestra played favorites from the 1940's and 1950's. They even had members of the band move around and play in other areas of the hall, just as Glenn Miller used to do with his band.

Although I love to dance and meet new people, I have the best time watching everyone dressed in their beautiful dresses and the soldiers in their formals. This is the highlight of the entire weekend for me. It's a fun filled night with great music and gorgeous dresses.

WWII days - Part 1

The 17th annual WWII Days at Midway Village Museum recently took place and I was fortunate to attend.  It has over 1,000 re-enactors representing the United States, Great Britain, Germany, Poland, France, Japan, Italy, Russia and the Ukraine. They use a variety of  uniforms, 1940's attire, vehicles, posters, and maps to inform you of every detail. The town & the back woods are used to demonstrate certain battles and each camp has been set up to represent each of the countries involved. The participants are always ready to answer any question you may have and will demonstrate any props they may be using. This is one of the largest re-enactments and it should not be missed.

Celebrating the Rockford Peaches

Rockford Peach uniform

In 1992 the movie 'A League of their own' starring Tom Hanks & Geena Davis was released and it did 3 things..1-It showed everyone, women can play baseball (even though we already knew that), 2-It had everyone saying "There's no crying in baseball" & 3-It peeked everyone's interest in the Rockford Peaches, especially mine. I had been living in Illinois for about 3 years and had never heard about the peaches. Everything I knew about them was from the movie and I knew better than to take it all seriously. I knew that Hollywood would change the real story around to fit their dreamy version for the big screen. I was also not aware of the Midway Village Museum at that time, so it would be awhile before I could view their display and see all of the Rockford Peaches memorabilia.

Jump forward to the present. In my visits to the museum, not only have I learned more about the Peaches, but my children have as well. I like that my kids, especially my daughter can learn about how these women came together to help keep baseball going, how well they played their sport and still behaved like a lady. We read their stories and we get to see the photos of the actual team members. It's also interesting to see what was given to the fans as promotional memorabilia and to see their cute, but not practical uniform up close.

The All-American Girls Professional Baseball League, was founded by Philip K.Wrigley and he ran it from 1943 to 1945, Arthur Meyerhoff from 1945 to 1951, and then the teams were individually owned from 1951 to 1954. The tryouts were held at Wrigley Field  with over 600 women that would eventually form 15 teams. The women that were chosen had to play in uniforms that were designed by Wrigley to show off a little skin which he thought the fans would like. The women, however, did not like their new uniforms and would often try to wear bloomers under the skirt.

The Rockford Peaches played at The Beyer stadium on 5th Avenue in Rockford. Their uniforms were peach colored with a patch of the city of Rockford seal. For their home games they would wear a white uniforms with black socks and cap. The Rockford Peaches won the league championship in 1945, 1948, 1949, 1950 and had several all star players.

Vintage baseball game

The Midway had other celebrations for the Peaches, but this was the first I had ever attended. They had a luncheon with two of the original peaches for a fee and it would've been interesting for me, but not for my kids. We decided to enjoy the other festivities that were free and more family oriented. A vintage baseball game where visitors could either play or watch & yell vintage baseball lingo from sheets that were passed out to everyone. There was also a food tent that sold baseball favorites, another tent had been set up for arts and crafts, and a table that had Rockford Peaches memorabilia for sale.

They also had a showing of  'A League of their Own' movie on the back of one of their buildings. The kids and I brought a blanket and picked out our spot. While we waited for the film to begin, my daughter played baseball and my son participated in the arts & crafts. We made paper baseballs, colored drawings of baseball uniforms and did word searches. It was all a lot of fun, except that it was muggy & buggy. I completely forgot to bring bug spray, luckily the museum was passing out cans for everyone to use. We sprayed and sprayed against every mosquito that also came out to watch the movie. We normally would have left,  we don't do well in high humidity, but we really wanted to watch an outdoor movie. The bugs finally fled as a cool breeze came in and we were finally able to sit back, kick off shoes, buy brown paper bags filled with popcorn and enjoy the movie. I loved that my kids were able to get a bit of an idea of how a drive-in used to feel.

As we headed home the kids and I talked about the good, the bad & the buggy. My daughter loved playing baseball, the popcorn & how everyone talked about how strong women are. My son enjoyed making friends, crafts & popcorn. I enjoyed watching my kids watch an outdoor movie at my favorite museum, and like my daughter, loved that the focus was on women. We also talked about how the museum should expand the Peaches display from a corner to a whole room and include other Rockford women in sports. In the end, we all agreed that after the humidity, sprays & even with a bite or two from the baseball bugs, we still had fun and would probably do it again...Probably. 

If I sit very still, maybe bugs won't find me...

A League of their Own

 VICTORY SONG
Batter up! Hear that call!
The time has come for one and all To play ball.

We are the members of the All-American League We come from cities near and far We’ve got Canadians, Irishmen and Swedes, We’re all for one, we’re one for all We’re all Americans!!

Each girl stands, her head so proudly high, Her motto ‘Do or Die’ She’s not the one to use or need an alibi.

Our chaperones are not too soft, They’re not too tough, Our managers are on the ball. We’ve got a president who really knows his stuff, We’re all for one, we’re one for all, We’re All-Americans!

Midway Village Museum

Amos W. Woodward Millhouse

The first thing you will notice as you drive towards the museum is the beautiful pond surrounded with weeping willows and wildflowers. It's a great start and setting to one of my favorite places to visit and spend the day.

The Midway village museum began in 1972 by the donation of land by the Severin Family and the union of other organizations in order to preserve the history of Rockford. In 1986, The Exhibition building was built to link two existing buildings together to make room for more displays. Later in 1988, the museum added The Aviation Gallery, The Carlson Education Gallery and The Doll museum that sits across the parking lot.
The museum will show you how Rockford has evolved throughout the years and how it has contributed to history. They have displays that include, The Greater Rockford airplane, Rockford Peaches, Queen city of the prairies & Sock Monkey. A new exhibit is about immigration to Rockford and how that changed the city. This display is still in the works, but in one area they have a vintage phone booth that allows you to hear the interesting stories from the immigrants.

The outdoor Midway village has 26 buildings that include a Barber shop, Schoolhouse, Rockford Hospital, Firehouse, Bank and many other interesting buildings. Many of the buildings are open to public for viewing with a guided tour and are all decorated as accurately as possible.

The village is my favorite part of the museum to visit with my kids. I love that they can walk around the buildings to appreciate the architecture, see the beautifully decorated homes, and in some buildings given the opportunity to have a hands on learning Rockford history. There are so many details in each of the buildings that I am still surprised each time I go on a tour.

Rockford Hospital

The museum hosts many interesting & as accurate as possible events that are interactive for the visitors. They have a Titanic Dinner, Victorian Tea, All Hallows Eve, the very popular WWII days and more. They have summer day camps for children, volunteering for gardening, sewing, hosting, preparing for large events, etc.. Some buildings can be rented for special occasions and would make a great setting for photos. Photos are another reason why I love this place, so many pretty things to photograph. I enjoy taking photos of anything that catches my eye. I took all of the photos in this post.

As would any place you will visit, it has its good and its bad.

Bad- Tours are a hit & miss. It depends on the knowledge of the guide. I've had one that was too short with a shy guide and we saw only 4 buildings, one guide told us all about her family and nothing else. I wish they would split it up the town in two halves. You can tour the first part and then the second or just decide for yourself which part of the town you would like to tour. My other problem is that they didn't make room to accommodate the growing attendance to one of their popular events. I was told to put my name on a list & wait....Finally, Mosquitoes! The pond = bugs. Bring spray

Good- Learning the history of Rockford in the tours or at the special events is made to be fun for families. The beautiful scenery is everywhere you look. The people that work at the museum are very friendly & helpful. The price is reasonable and it nice to bring a basket for the picnic area. They have a small gift shop with books, postcards, treats and reproductions of vintage toys for kids. A must for anyone who loves the vintage world.

General Admission

Adults: $7
Children 3 to 17: $5
Museum Members are always free.

Hours and Admission
Museum Center, Mill House, Old Dolls’ House and Museum Store
January – April
September – December
Tuesday – Friday 10 am – 4 pm
Saturday 10:30 am – 4 pm
Closed Sunday and Monday
May – August
Tuesday – Friday 10 am – 4 pm
Saturday and Sunday 10:30 am – 4 pm
Closed Monday                                                                                                                                            

Village Hours
Thursday – Sunday
11 am – 4 pm (May)
Tuesday – Sunday
11 am – 4 pm (June thru August)
Closed Monday
Village open by appointment only September through April.
The last tour of the day begins at 3 pm.