It has been a wonderfully busy summer here at what we fondly call the Schulz Complex, what with the Hockey Tournament, Beaglefest, and lots of classes and activities for both children and adults. Next week I will be writing about our 10th Anniversary doings, but in the meantime here are some photos of our new strip installation, Taunting Trees and Talking Walls: Anthropomorphism in Peanuts, which is in the Strip Rotation Gallery. It’s a delightful and whimsical exhibition and I hope visitors will enjoy it. These pictures will give you a taste of what it’s all about.

I hope the graphics “grab you” the way the tree grabs Charlie Brown’s kite!

Don’t you love the malevolent expression in the eyes of the kites? I don’t know if everyone knows that the top panel of a Sunday strip is called the “throw away” panel because many newspapers do not have room for that panel and they simply discard it. Those of us who work with Sparky’s art comment that some of the most wonderful drawings are contained in these throw away panels. This is an example of one of them from February 5, 1961.

“The malevolent kites” in context. The art is done with a vinyl appliqué taken directly from Sparky’s art.

This photo might take some squinting to decipher, but it’s well worth talking about. It shows the Lucite rack that the strips can “rest” in for the 4 months while they are on display in the Strip Gallery. The Lucite is held in place by the tiniest of rare earth magnets which secure to the metal plate under the fabric. I am so proud of our staff for coming up with this system of attachment which saves wear and tear on the comic strips. Kudos and thank you to all the staff who have worked for several years to perfect this system.

Two youngsters are enjoying working the questions and puzzles in our Family Guide. Visitors can return these to the Front Desk for a small Peanuts memento.