Billiard Museum

Island Drive

Island Drive

Otto/Dads College Roommate/Cleveland Browns
Silver Member
To further enhance and promote our sport this idea could involve the BCA and major industry players. Purchase either Fat's old home in Dowell IL if available, or better yet due to more room/parking, purchase Janscos/Johnston City IL and turn it into Our billiard museum. It would be the perfect place, right off the Hwy/Interstate 57 in IL close to Carbondale, your in the Midwest, Brunswick's home court during pools heyday.
 
Was Newells in Clay Center KS couple of weeks ago and was told Brunswick is putting together a museum in Chicago. Not exactly what you're talking about but should be a cool place when finished.
 
That's a great idea and the owners of some of the most famous Classic Cues might be persuaded to loan some of their cues to the museum for certain periods of time or special events. It would also be a great place for cue shows etc.
 
SCCues said:
That's a great idea and the owners of some of the most famous Classic Cues might be persuaded to loan some of their cues to the museum for certain periods of time or special events. It would also be a great place for cue shows etc.
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The BCA has allot of material, I'm sure most is in storage.
 
Assuming the purpose of a museum is to attract tourists, I'd be hard pressed to pick a location worse than Johnston City. It's out in the middle of nowhere.
 
ha...not compared to Wisc

Island Drive said:
Be tough having a better spot that Fat's home in Dowell next to the corn fields. It's those dam IL taxes, I've heard they're steep.
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sales tax is 5.5% buy property tax here...$560,000 house..$9,800 taxes...then gas tax is nuts
 
bdorman said:
Assuming the purpose of a museum is to attract tourists, I'd be hard pressed to pick a location worse than Johnston City. It's out in the middle of nowhere.
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True, but ya also need a GOOD reason to drive to So. IL :).

When I tell others the story of the home I own there interest is ''cued up''.

I purchased this home after Elvira passed on. Elvira was the neighbor/died 1997, of Cassandra the woman who is the Vampie Black haired Halloween gal. They were neighbors growing up, Cassandra was allot younger than Elvira. I'm guessing a seven year difference, but I heard they were good friends growing up. Cassandra had two other sisters. She used the Elvira name to make her mark in life. There's always interest in the home where so and so grew up, Elvis comes to mind, or the hotel in TN where Fattie spent his final days I'd like to see that and the tombstone.
 
very nice idea, but those places are way off the beaten track. doubt they'd get many visitors.
 
lakeman77 said:
very nice idea, but those places are way off the beaten track. doubt they'd get many visitors.
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True, but most ALL great billiard mementos are sitting somewhere in a closet. I know one person whose Entire basement is full of billiard STUFF, some of it has never been seen.
 
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3kushn said:
Was Newells in Clay Center KS couple of weeks ago and was told Brunswick is putting together a museum in Chicago. Not exactly what you're talking about but should be a cool place when finished.
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Did you happen to go next door & play some Pool at the Idle Hour. It is an OLD Pool hall that is great to hang out & play there.
 
Island Drive said:
To further enhance and promote our sport this idea could involve the BCA and major industry players. Purchase either Fat's old home in Dowell IL if available, or better yet due to more room/parking, purchase Janscos/Johnston City IL and turn it into Our billiard museum. It would be the perfect place, right off the Hwy/Interstate 57 in IL close to Carbondale, your in the Midwest, Brunswick's home court during pools heyday.
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When I was like 16 I fantasized about owning my own pool room, I did have one just a few years later when I was 23. In my fantasy it would have a hall of fame and museum combined with it. I even had a name for it "World of Billiards". Of course I never did it but I still think it is a good idea.

I met a guy who opened a fishing hall of fame and museum and he had a zillion things to see but no one came. He lost money every year before combining up with a large sporting goods and fishing store. His stuff was a big addition to what they planned to do. Now tens thousands of people visit it every year. It is not something that can stand alone it needs to be part of another business, preferably a pool room.

http://www.igfa.org/Museum/Visit-the-Museum.aspx
 
3kushn said:
Was Newells in Clay Center KS couple of weeks ago and was told Brunswick is putting together a museum in Chicago. Not exactly what you're talking about but should be a cool place when finished.
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Joe has been keeping me in the loop about this, for obvious reasons, and I'm excited about it for the most part, BUT it will surely be a Brunswick-centric establishment, which really is disappointing...ie no info or artifacts about anyone or anything that isn't directly related to themselves. It could be sooooo much more! Fats is just one of hundreds of the characters that you'll never see there. :(
 
Mr. Bond said:
Joe has been keeping me in the loop about this, for obvious reasons, and I'm excited about it for the most part, BUT it will surely be a Brunswick-centric establishment, which really is disappointing...ie no info or artifacts about anyone or anything that isn't directly related to themselves. It could be sooooo much more! Fats is just one of hundreds of the characters that you'll never see there. :(
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That's so wrong.
 
Island Drive said:
That's so wrong.
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And, to add a little more insult to injury, I spoke with Joe about it again and he also said that the "museum" would be located at Brunswick headquarters (in Lake Forest) and that it would primarily be something for the employees to enjoy. :mad:

The good news is that they are supposed to be producing a museum type website as well...(wonder where they got that idea ? LoL) ...so at least we'll get to browse some goodies there.

This is one of those times when you want to grab them by the coat and ask WHY !
why o why would they not take full advantage of their legacy...and grab the industry by the horns and run with it ....???

Pfff.... Buncha pansies if u ask me ....I mean um.....yay Brunswick!
 
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