For more information, contact Timothy Mullin, Library Special Collections Department Head, at (270) 745-6261, or Cindy Troutman, Marketing Coordinator, University Libraries, at (270) 745-4502 or (270)282-3064.

KENTUCKY MUSEUM EXHIBIT TO CELEBRATE THE LIFE OF DUNCAN HINES

BOWLING GREEN, KY – “Recommended by Duncan Hines,” an exhibit celebrating the life of perhaps one of the best known Kentuckians, will open August 3 in Western Kentucky University’s Kentucky Library & Museum.
Located on the first floor of the Kentucky Library & Museum, “Recommended by Duncan Hines” will be the centerpiece of a renovated and expanded gallery. The exhibit will include eight sections featuring the life and work of the Bowling Green native.

The exhibit features artifacts along with state-of the art media tools so visitors will learn about Hines’ career as a writer on travel, dining and entertaining, as well as his transition to a “name brand” icon and pioneer in the world of packaged food. Each area takes you on a journey into Hines’ life.

The first vignette recalls American life in the early 1900s. Along the way, visitors will be introduced to Duncan Hines, the man, with a brief biographical overview of his life, including his birth and upbringing in Bowling Green. They will learn about his family, his career and how what started as a hobby, turned Duncan Hines into an American icon. Visitors will see the Duncan Hines kitchen filled with items from Hines’ own kitchen – his stove, base cabinet and kitchen sink. The cabinets are filled with branded artifacts and objects – mixes, cookware, Stetson dinnerware, and cookbooks. It not only exhibits the familiar, nostalgic trappings and artifacts of mid-century America, it represents the central themes of Duncan Hines’ work. Just as the kitchen is the heart of a home, this kitchen is at the “heart” of the Duncan Hines story. These are only a few of the artifacts on exhibit at “Recommended by Duncan Hines.”

OPENING CELEBRATIONS
As part of the exhibit opening, the Kentucky Library & Museum will be hosting events August 3 and 4, including Duncan Hines Festival events. Festivities include:

• Duncan Hines Festival Recipe Contest, August 3, 4pm

• Festival Art Awards and Silent Auction, August 3, 5pm

• 1950s Theme Party, with antique cars, 50s rock ‘n roll and cocktails, August 3, 7pm

• Country Breakfast with presentation by Jonathan Jeffrey, August 4, 9am

• Duncan Hines Festival Children’s Pageant, August 4, 10am

• “Adventures in Good Eating: A Taste of Duncan Hines,” a presentation of the Kentucky Historical Society, written and performed by Mike Thomas, August 4, 3pm

MAKING THE EXHIBIT POSSIBLE
“Recommended by Duncan Hines” is made possible through several gifts.

• The Bowling Green Area Convention and Visitors Bureau provided a $35,000 cash gift in addition to a large collection of artifacts, from postcards of restaurants and hotels from the 48 contiguous states bearing the Duncan Hines seal of approval to a seven-piece cookware set that was still in the box.

• The Park Foundation has contributed $50,000. Hines and Roy Park formed Hines-Park Food Corp. in 1948 to develop and market the Duncan Hines line of food products.

• Pinnacle Foods, which now owns the Duncan Hines brand, has donated $20,000.

• The Hines family is supporting the exhibit with a gift of an undisclosed amount.

• WKU has supported the exhibit with an $80,000 appropriation from the University Enhancement Fund.

- WKU - a leading American university with international reach -

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