Mock protesters were part of the fun of the ‘60s exhibit grand opening. Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star
By Steve Plunkett
Women in tie-dyed dresses and psychedelic makeup took selfies in the parking lot. Inside, a new exhibit at the Boca Raton History Museum made this Throwback Thursday anything but routine.
“Those Were the Days, My Friend: Boca Raton in the 1960s” showcases what Susan Gillis, the museum’s curator, says was “such a pivotal era” in the city’s development.
It was the decade that Florida Atlantic University was started, the time when IBM first came to town. The city’s population swelled from 7,000 in 1960 to 28,500 in 1970.
Photos from the era line the hall, including shots of the old bridge over the Boca Raton Inlet, which was replaced in 1963, and aerials of IBM’s new headquarters going up. A 1967 ad from Publix announces chicken on sale for 29 cents a pound.
Also present is a photo of a Halloween dance at Teen Town, across the street from the present-day City Hall. The city converted a wartime housing project building into a gathering spot for its growing younger population after youths complained they had nowhere to congregate. Teens at the time had to travel to Delray Beach to attend high school.
Museum volunteer Steve Bellanca eagerly pointed out large glass cases containing artifacts from the decade. Among the historical finds is a T-shirt from the Keg, a beer and burger establishment that thrived at Palmetto Park Road and State Road A1A — on the beach side — from 1967 to 1971.
Borrowed from the FAU archives is the gold-colored rotary dial telephone that connected President Lyndon B. Johnson to the White House when he came to the city for the Oct. 25, 1964, dedication of the university.
On another shelf is an LP and album cover for Boca Raton’s Own Banjo Man Ray Wood. The musician was a regular entertainer in the early 1960s at the Bayou, a New Orleans-themed restaurant at the northeast corner of East Palmetto and Fifth Avenue, next to the now-city-owned Wildflower property.
The reason for the new display was simple.
“All things retro are popular,” Gillis said. Besides being educational, “it’s fun and nostalgic. People really enjoy history they can remember.”
Patrons at the Jan. 28 opening reception for members were invited to wear their ’60s best.
For Betsy Fletcher, a museum director, that meant getting her paisley, British Mod dress out of the closet.
“It actually is ’60s. It’s old, old,” Fletcher said.
Bonnie Dearborn, who gives tours of the museum, chose a blue tie-dyed, floor-length dress.
“I tried teasing my hair. That was my effort,” she said.
Keylina Kitchen, an eighth-grader at Eagles Landing, wore a flowery maxi dress with ribbons in her hair.
She called the exhibit “really interesting” after Gillis explained what LP and 45 records were and told her how the musical group the Monkees had their own show on television back before there was MTV.
Keylina’s friend Olivia Santana also was impressed with the display.
“I think it’s cool,” Olivia said.
The exhibit will stay up until Sept. 1. The museum is at 71 N. Federal Highway in Boca Raton. Hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays; admission is $5 for adults and $3 for students; members are free.
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