Anglers of all ages will enjoy the current Community ArtShare exhibit at T.B. Scott Free Library, “Memories of Fishing Past,” which is open for viewing from now until the end of May.
The exhibit features fishing gear from the collections of Joe Hoffman, Chet Henrichs and Chet’s daughter, Jo Henrichs. Swedish immigrant Carl Newholm—Joes’ grandfather—along with Grover and Lester (Fat) Henrichs, Chet’s father and uncle, born and raised on Merrill’s west side, were avid fishermen.
Almost everything a fisherman would need to set out for the big one is on display, including steel minnow buckets, reels and old spinning rods, and other fishing tackle.
Unusual items include a J.C. Higgins steel fly rod made in 1894 in Black, Wis., belt-mounted baitboxes that would be used for holding live bait, hand carved wooden baits made by Chet’s father, and flies hand-tied by Newholm.
The exhibit is complemented by selections from the library’s extensive collection of fishing books, ranging from advice on fishing technique to collections of one of mankind’s favorite ways to exaggerate—the fishing story.
You are welcome to visit T.B. Scott Free Library to view this amazing exhibit and all the wondrous things the library has to offer. T. B. Scott Free Library’s “Beyond Books: Community ArtShare” features a new exhibit every two months on an ongoing basis. The program was made possible by a $10,000 grant from the Mead Witter Foundation, Inc. of Wisconsin Rapids.