Many holiday moons ago, I was waiting at O’Hare for my daughter’s plane to arrive from Los Angeles where she was attending college. Traffic had been less brutal than I imagined it would be, so I got to the airport a bit early and had some time to kill. Instead of spending money on overpriced snacks, I turned to my cell phone and tuned into a live videostream that I knew was going to be airing that night from Manitowoc Public Library.
Barb Bundy-Jost was giving a lecture on the history of the aluminum trees that had been produced during the late-1950s and 1960s. They became a national phenomenon, but what initially interested me was that they had been manufactured right here in Manitowoc. And while I knew a little about these Evergleam trees, there was lot of its history with which I wasn’t familiar. The information was fascinating and Barb was, as usual, a treat. The time flew by and before I knew it I saw my daughter walking towards me as she approached me waiting at baggage claim.
At that point, I was barely involved with the Evergleams that were being displayed at MPL—an event that would go on to become a yearly tradition during the “Evergleams on 8th” spectacle. I mean, sure, I helped market and promote Barb’s lecture and the display, but that was the extent of it. However, when Kristen Stoeger departed from the Library, I was fortunate enough to fall into the position of becoming the point person for MPL for the display, interacting with what would become Manitowoc Aluminum Kitsch-Mas, Inc., or MAKI—the organization that Barb would help to form that focused on the preservation and celebration of these spectacular aluminum beauties.
To be honest, I don’t even remember the name of that initial presentation I watched at the airport, but I definitely thought that it was overflowing with sparkle—both the subject matter and the presenter! Over the years, the number of trees in the Enchanted Evergleams at MPL has grown and one lecture has evolved into a pair of presentations known as “Sparkle!: The History of Aluminum Trees with Barb Bundy-Jost”—one live and in-person at MPL, presented amidst the splendor of the twinkling Evergleams, and the other livestreamed on Facebook (www.facebook.com/manitowoclibrary), again with the Evergleams as a backdrop, but this time with special guests added into the mix.
This year, Jordan Kabat—an avid Evergleams collector who is also part of the MAKI organization—will be joining Barb for both “Sparkles.” And Barb’s guests during “Virtual Sparkle” will once again include some of the folks that worked on the line during the initial production of the trees. They were added to the mix last year and people commented that their interaction reminded them of a class reunion—a class reunion where the people actually liked one another!
One more side note regarding “Virtual Sparkle.” This virtual version of the presentation grew out necessity—MPL was closed due to the pandemic, but we didn’t just want to cancel the sparkle. So, we went virtual. And it was a smashing success! Collectors and enthusiasts from around the country and globe found out about it and attended online en masse. And one spectacular standout moment was when a pair of sisters from Kansas jumped into the online conversation and mentioned that they had in their possession a 14-foot tall custom order Evergleam that their father had purchased to display in his automotive parts store. Everyone was amazed because no one had ever heard of a 14-foot tall Evergleam. One thing led to another and two years later, the McCoy Sisters drove that tree to Manitowoc this past summer and donated it to MAKI. It’s the first thing you see when you enter into the library proper and it’s awe-inspiring.
Here are the specifics for the two “Sparkle” presentations:
In-Person at MPL—Wednesday, December 7, at 6 PM
Live on Facebook—Thursday, December 15, at 6 PM
For a full description of what you can expect on either of these evenings, just head to the Events Calendar on MPL’s website: https://www.manitowoclibrary.org/events/month/2022/12.
We hope that you can join us for one or both of these evenings. There’s almost no chance you’ll regret your decision. As Barb frequently says, “Prepare to Sparkle and Be Amazed!”