Remote Podcast: Inside the Burbank Historical Society's Member Appreciation Day

Step through the unassuming doorway of the Burbank Historical Society and prepare to be transported through time. What looks modest from the outside—marked by the iconic Little Blue House and freshly-restored F-104 Starfighter on Olive Avenue—opens into a sprawling 20,000-square-foot wonderland of history that ranks as the second-largest museum per capita nationwide.

During a special Member Appreciation Day, Craig Durling and Ross Benson set up their podcast equipment among displays of Burbank's rich heritage while the sounds of live music, the smell of tri-tip barbecue, and the laughter of families experiencing Bob Baker's marionettes created a festive atmosphere throughout the museum grounds.

Through conversations with museum leaders and local dignitaries including Council Member Constantine Anthony, we discover the remarkable story of this all-volunteer organization celebrating its 50th anniversary of preserving Burbank's transformation from agricultural beginnings through its aerospace golden age to its current status as the Media Capital of the World. The passion of these keepers of history—Carrie Briggs, Don and Sue Baldessaroni, Gary Sutliff and others—shines through as they share stories of rescuing treasures from garages and estate sales that might otherwise have been lost forever.

The museum constantly evolves, recently adding Amelia Earhart memorabilia, a meticulously restored miniature fire engine, and soon, a half-scale model of the legendary F-117 Nighthawk stealth fighter. We even meet a descendant of the family who donated Burbank's first park after growing lemons and oranges for Union soldiers during the Civil War.

For just $20 annual membership, visitors gain unlimited access to this cavernous treasury where Johnny Carson's Tonight Show suit, rare boxing memorabilia, and countless other artifacts tell the story of a city that continues to reinvent itself while honoring its past. Come explore what one guest calls "Burbank's best-kept secret" and discover why you'll want to return again and again.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome to my Burbank Talks.
This is Craig Durling and todayI'm joining Ross Benson on
location at a true Burbanktreasure, the Burbank Historical
Society.
Today is Saturday, june 28,2025, and we are here to
celebrate all the members whohelped support this wonderful
local museum.
Ross, there's a live bandplaying a barbeque-a-barbecuing

(00:23):
and a very special museumwelcoming the public with open
arms.

Speaker 2 (00:28):
You know, Craig, this is amazing, the crowd of people
that are here today.
You smell that barbecue.

Speaker 1 (00:36):
I hear the band and I smell the barbecue and I can't
get to either of them right now.

Speaker 2 (00:40):
Tri-tip chicken, coleslaw, cotton candy it oh man
, it's in the museum, let's talk.
They just finished the f-104fighter.

Speaker 1 (00:51):
It's been totally restored front, it's out front,
not in the, not in the museumright, it's out on olive.

Speaker 2 (00:57):
That's where most people think you know that's
part of the museum.
And then you have the housethat we're in, where we're
setting up to do the podcastfrom.
What's so cool?
They got a brand new burbankfire engine the size of an eight
foot table.
That was a real engine manyyears ago it's new to the museum
, right right I shot it when thegentleman who owned it donated

(01:21):
it to the museum.
They have some some new AmeliaEarhart memorabilia.

Speaker 1 (01:27):
There's always stuff coming in which is great.
So every time, if you've beenhere before, come back, because
there's always something new tosee here, new to the museum, new
to you, new Burbank historybecause history is happening all
the time in Burbank and they'realways adding to this museum.
But we are ensconced in museumhere.
We have our table and ourlittle mini studio set up and

(01:49):
we're among displays.
We are in the middle of themuseum and we're just going to
grab people as they walk by.
We'll try to stop the flow here, but everybody's enjoying the
barbecue, the band.
Hopefully we'll get to enjoy alittle of that after a while.
But I've said it, we were herea year ago, a year or two, maybe
two years ago in the same spot.
But I will tell you I've saidit before and I'll say it again

(02:11):
this is the best kept secret inBurbank.

Speaker 2 (02:14):
And, would you believe, to be a member, $20.

Speaker 1 (02:18):
$20.

Speaker 2 (02:19):
$20.

Speaker 1 (02:20):
And the price of admission pays for membership
Yep.
The price of admission pays formembership Yep.
How can you beat that?

Speaker 2 (02:26):
And today, you get a barbecue to go along with that.
And that's what that membershipappreciation means, that you're
a dues-paying member.
$20 a year, you tell me anybody.
You buy magazines now andthey're $14.95.
I know what's a magazine, true,but you think about.
You know you go to TikTok orwhatever and you buy off of
there 20 bucks.

Speaker 1 (02:48):
It is a bargain and I know I'm not alone.
For years I drove right pastthis place, the park, and didn't
know that tucked right inbehind the tree was this huge
museum.
It's like Dr who's phone boothright.
It's small on the outside butyou walk inside and it goes on
and on and on.
And there's history from thefilming history, the movie

(03:10):
history of Burbank, the mediacapital of the world.
There's Johnny Carson historyand memorabilia in here.
There's the history of Burbank,how it started, dr Burbank, the
airport, and it goes on and on,and even upstairs they hold
public events.
So this is, it's really a greatvalue for the $20.
But you're not just paying foradmission, you're helping
support local treasure.

Speaker 2 (03:32):
And what's kind of they're looking to grow.
They want to add to it.
They're running out of roomExactly, and I remember.
You know I go back many yearsin this city.

Speaker 1 (03:45):
I think you've perceived most of the displays
in this museum.

Speaker 2 (03:48):
Well, the house that's out on Olive.
I remember watching it getmoved through the Burbank
streets to where it was.
Right at 2.30 in the morningthey moved that house right from
.
I'm trying to think we had acouple movers at that time, but
I remember it being put in place.
They talk about.
You know, watch a house beingmoved that was built from here.

Speaker 1 (04:12):
Now, that's how you know.
You're here Driving down Olivethe park.
Out here you see the F-104Starfighter Starfighter.
I believe the jet and thelittle blue house.
You know you're here, butwhat's behind it?
It's great.
I sound like Huell Hauser today, but it's great.
Wow, it's amazing.

Speaker 2 (04:32):
Now Huell, he would be in here.

Speaker 1 (04:35):
Oh, he'd be a kid in a candy store here, exactly.
Nobody would see anythingbecause he'd be talking to
everybody.
But we've got a whole podcastplanned for you today.
We have a lot of Burbank VIPswalking around here and we're
going to try and grab them asthey walk by through the museum
here and I can't wait to seewho's first.
Yeah Well, I think I'll go outand find somebody, find somebody

(04:57):
to interview.
It's like fishing in a barrelhere.

Speaker 6 (05:00):
Oh, today it is.

Speaker 1 (05:06):
What a great day, and if you missed this one,
hopefully you'll keep an eye outfor the next one.

Speaker 2 (05:09):
Well, somebody walking by just reminded us that
we've got to clear our throatsbefore we move on.

Speaker 1 (05:15):
And get some barbecue before it's all gone too.
So we'll be right back with ourfirst guest Sounds good, Craig.

Speaker 2 (05:22):
We are honored to have the first guest today.
Join us, maybe with still somebarbecue sauce on your upper lip
.

Speaker 1 (05:32):
Save that for later.

Speaker 2 (05:33):
But we're not doing video.
We have Constantine Anthony,burbank Council member.
He has been here.
He's been working the crowds,he's been talking to people.
He's dressed in a three-piecewe're not video, so I can say a
three-piece suit with a brandnew tie.
He's wearing new glasses.

Speaker 4 (05:51):
He cut the beard off and a bib and a bib still from
the barbecue outside my tie gota little bit of barbecue sauce
on it, so I'm a little upset,but I'm worse for the wear.
Is this place?
amazing dude I come.
I try to come every at least acouple weeks, if not every
couple of months.
I was just here last month bymy son, um, he loves all the new
exhibits.
Every time I come around peoplewho haven't been here, or if

(06:16):
you even feel they've been here,uh, one or two times.
There's so many spaces, nooksand crannies, little things in a
glass case that is just so richwith history.
It's an item or it's an article, or it's a piece of clothing
from Burbank's past, and I don'tknow how they do it, but they

(06:37):
get some amazing artifacts.

Speaker 2 (06:40):
And think about it.
You were mayor of this city.
You will be an artifact in thishistory.

Speaker 4 (06:47):
I'm going to show up one day.

Speaker 1 (06:48):
They're still working on the statue of Ross.

Speaker 4 (06:50):
Right, right Me.
It's going to be my polishedskull in the corner.
That's what they will do.
The actual one.

Speaker 1 (06:55):
Right?
No, we were mentioning itearlier.
There's always something new tosee.
There's always a reason to comeback here.

Speaker 2 (07:10):
And some people argue well, who cares?
It's just burbank history.
No, burbank history is americanhistory.
Yeah, you think of what's goingon in our town, from the
airport during the army days tonow.
We're in the media.
You know, media, capital of theworld and creative, or however
how that's going to be worded.
But, and they have it here.
There's so much you can learn.
I guess they just moved inthere.
I don't know if it's set up yet.
The, uh, the um, amelia erhart.

(07:33):
Yeah, they got from the airport.

Speaker 4 (07:35):
They donated statue is that cool.

Speaker 2 (07:38):
plus, as I said in the intro, the city just had the
f-104 fighter totallyrefurbished, cost quite a bit.
It had been out there in thesun for many years.
I wish I'd drive by at nightand I wish in the beginning,
when it was brand new, thelights would work on it and make
it flash, but I don't know.
They might not have done thatfor a reason.
Remember when they put that in,there's so many things here.

Speaker 4 (08:02):
For those of you who haven't been, it's right along,
olive.
It's behind the old house right, the old, classic, 100-year-old
house, little blue house.
Little blue house it's beenmoved.
It wasn't here originally inthat spot, but they found it,
they refurbished it and then,yeah, right out front of that
park, the F-104 Starfighter.
It was looking kind of shabbyrecently, 104 Starfighter.

(08:24):
It was looking kind of shabbyrecently.
But, yeah, we got a grant topaint it up and make it look
nice.
It's looking spiffy.

Speaker 2 (08:31):
Isn't it that new paint job?

Speaker 1 (08:34):
It's like it's ready to fly again.

Speaker 2 (08:35):
Well, you drive by it every day and you watch them
put one coat on it and anothercoat, and then you know the
protective coat.
That was a real.

Speaker 4 (08:43):
They used it for testing.
That's a real plane, yep, likeif you put the pieces back
together in it it could fly.
So it's a legit piece ofhistory here.
Sounds like a dare to me.

Speaker 2 (08:53):
And the other thing that I don't think of a lot of
people who don't follow council.
All of rec is going to beredone.
It has gone through many of thestages.
I've seen what is coming here.
This city is on the move, dude.
I mean new library, new olivewreck.

Speaker 4 (09:12):
Well, to your point, what you said earlier about
urban history is Americanhistory.
The historical society is sucha key part of that.
You can go back topre-incorporation and when we
talk about American Westernexpansion and all of the
Manifest Destiny, and stuff thisarea up here, all this farmland

(09:33):
and ranchland before there waschicken coops anywhere, you know
this was native Tongva land andall of the tribes that are in
the area were here, far beyondsome of the other places in the
country, and so you can see thechanges that happened to the
native tribes, to the rancherswho came, to one genius of a

(09:53):
dentist who decided to make hisown city and then, like you said
, we go into the aerospaceindustry and that just
encapsulated the whole city.
I think it was at some pointlike 40 or 50 percent of the
workforce was either workingdirectly for aerospace or in
some tangential field, and we'vetransitioned then to media,

(10:15):
which is a completely differentfield, but that has now
encapsulated the city and sowe've gone through so many of
these changes.

Speaker 1 (10:22):
It mirrors so many other cities and so many other
places in this country, everysingle one of those changes you
just outlined is recorded hereand memorialized here at the
museum, from Dr Burbank toJohnny Carson.

Speaker 2 (10:35):
I think some people don't like change, but if we
have witnessed other cities, youdon't change.
The city dies and we are a veryvibrant city.
This is shows our history.
It's funny where we're set up.
I just look over greg'sshoulder and it shows the mayors
from 20 1923.

Speaker 4 (10:55):
Just think someday you're going to be yeah, on one
of those walls one of those oldblack and white photos.
When, when black and whitecomes back into fashion, they're
going to get a new frame.

Speaker 2 (11:05):
But if you think about it, the changes you need
to change.
And now we're moving the mediacapital of the world with
everything else that is going on.
The major studios I always saywhy do they choose Burbank, one
of our newest Nickelodeon?
Um the?
Uh the dome on hollywood way?

(11:27):
Um, what's the?
Uh the company?

Speaker 4 (11:30):
msg dome, ms yeah yeah, they chose burbank.

Speaker 2 (11:34):
Yeah, there's reasons these companies are coming to
burbank and if you look you knowour crime rates down and
everything else it's a full.
You know, I honestly don't goto Glendale too much.
I know you're banned from it.

Speaker 4 (11:48):
They're doing okay, but I think to your point.
We have not just an activecouncil but an active citizenry.
You don't get a historicalsociety like this if the people
aren't passionate enough topreserve their city, to take
care of their city and learnfrom the past.
That's why these institutionsare so important.

(12:11):
If you don't look back at whereyou come from, you don't know
where you're going.
Right In mathematics, whenyou're looking at a line, you
got to have a starting pointbefore you get the ending point.

Speaker 2 (12:21):
You got to know where you're going because of where
you came well, you got to give aton of credit to the members,
the people that you know carriebriggs, don baldessaronis, you
know the gary sutliff's, the allvolunteer, by the way, all
volunteer, but they do afantastic job of maintaining
this and and giving tours.

(12:42):
Tours are free and, as I saidto somebody else, would you
believe, membership is only 20.
Pretty good, is that fantastic?
I mean every burbank resident.
If you have kids or you don'tcome down here some can't top
off your gas tank for 20 oh, youcan't.

Speaker 4 (12:59):
That's the best membership in town, right it is
you know.

Speaker 2 (13:02):
so we're gonna have carrie and we're gonna have don
on here and talk a bit about themuseum and so forth, and as our
first guest, I thank you forstopping by.

Speaker 1 (13:12):
Absolutely Good way to start off, the bar has been
set high.

Speaker 4 (13:15):
Well, I'm going to set it a little higher.
I've been told I'm allowed togive you an exclusive here.

Speaker 1 (13:20):
I don't have like a news ticker tape, sound effect
or anything there you go.

Speaker 4 (13:25):
We haven't gotten the permits through City Plan Check
yet, but I hear that we have aI believe it's a one-half scale
F-117 Nighthawk.
That is the triangular stealthbomber.
It was Lockheed.
It was built and designed inBurbank Down the road.
We've got a scale model insomeone's backyard that we're

(13:49):
working on.
I believe Gary is the one who'sputting this together.

Speaker 1 (13:52):
We have some heads nodding nearby.
Here it's looking good.

Speaker 4 (13:56):
We've got to clean it up and that is going to be an
amazing addition.
As soon as that comes down here, I know my son is going to want
to see it.
That's going to be special.

Speaker 2 (14:06):
And if you think about that, that fighter, you
know, we've seen what it does,you know, and it was all built
here in Burbank.
I remember when, back in thedays when I had a friend working
at Lockheed, and when theywould fly them, put them, load
them into a C-5A one of thebiggest planes and go down the
runway, they'd turn all therunway lights off.
We'd be at the end of therunway where the fence is, and

(14:29):
I'm not exaggerating, maybe 10feet Touch the tires Between,
yeah, the fence and all, and theroar, those Pratt-Whitney
engines.
Yeah, you know, and it just.
But that's Burbank history,folks.

Speaker 1 (14:44):
When that fighter, when that model arrives here,
you're going to have to put areal obvious sign in front of it
.
No one will be able to find itRight.

Speaker 4 (14:52):
It's invisible, it's stealth, it's stealth and all.
But yeah, when we talk aboutagain going back to what you
said about American history, oneof the reasons why the United
States as a whole is such a ummilitary powerhouse around the
world, a lot of those designs, alot of those planes, a lot of
that air superiority right,lockheed skunkworks I when we

(15:13):
did our burbank in pictures.

Speaker 2 (15:15):
I had a gentleman come up to me who was a
photographer at lockheed at thetime.
He to this day cannot talkabout some of the things that he
photographed as an employee ofLockheed.
He is sworn to secrecy andthings that he saw and he said
everybody that worked on thatteam the same thing and it's

(15:35):
just amazing.

Speaker 4 (15:37):
We're hearing from the audience that there's even
more secrets, that we can't tell.

Speaker 1 (15:41):
It's like Area 51.

Speaker 2 (15:42):
You know I'm glad we have a crowd here because Cary
Briggs is going to be our nexton-air.
He's in the queue.

Speaker 1 (15:49):
He's in the green room right now.
Hang out in the green room.

Speaker 2 (15:51):
Talk about this place .
There's certain people thatmake this place go, and Cary
Briggs is at the top of thatlist.
He is just.
He is a historian of allhistorians.
So, Constantine, we're going tolet you get back to the pork
and beans.

Speaker 4 (16:06):
Thanks for getting the ball rolling for us.
A lot of barbecue.
Thank you for being here onsite on location today.

Speaker 2 (16:11):
I really appreciate that it's the place to be have a
great day, great weekend.
We happen to have, as you cantell from our last interview, we
have an audience standing hereand we have Carrie Briggs.
Now, carrie and I have beenfriends for years.
You have been, I think,president of the Historical

(16:34):
Society, the chief bottle washer.
You have built displays.
You know this place, I'd saysay almost like the back of your
hand.
You probably have spent moretime here than some weekends
with you, than your wife.

Speaker 6 (16:49):
I was mentored well, mary jane and gary sutliff and a
lot of the older members of thesociety uh, made sure before
they passed on that somebodyknew what was going on and I was
fortunate enough to walk aroundbehind Mary Jane and listen and
absorb and get hit on the backof the head many times for not

(17:11):
getting it right when it becametoday.

Speaker 2 (17:16):
Well, as I was saying to Craig, I remember when they
brought the house here at 2o'clock in the morning.
I remember watching it beingmoved into place and everything
and then watching this wholefacility come alive over how
many years now.

Speaker 6 (17:32):
Well, we just celebrated our 50th year.
Last year Mary Jane startedwith a vacant lot that was
donated by the Howards for us tostart the facility.
The bus was our first bigattraction that made the money,
but it was all.
This was all dirt and just alittle motorhome or mobile home
that was out on the corner whereshe used to bring clippings

(17:54):
from newspapers that the librarydidn't want and nobody wanted
and she would.
You know about the police?
Nobody had a history of thepolice.

Speaker 2 (18:02):
Talking about Mary Jane Strickland.
She was our first city PIO.
I worked for Mary JaneStrickland.
She had a tiny office on thesecond floor at City Hall.
She would call me, you know,whenever things were happening
in pictures.
And her husband was one of thefirst policemen, harry
Strickland, you know, in town,harry Strickland.

(18:22):
This was their love of theirlife.
I mean they.

Speaker 6 (18:27):
Thank you to the two of them for Starting the fire,
making the infection happen.
I mean it's, it's gone, likeyou said, 50 years now it's, it
hasn't gotten any worse.
You know, you come here.
Every time you come here,hopefully you find something new
, something different,something's been moved.

Speaker 1 (18:45):
And we've already mentioned that, that's been
mentioned a couple times theultimate reason to come back is
there.
Always is going to be somethingnew, something you haven't seen
, something you missed.

Speaker 2 (18:54):
last time we had a gentleman walk up to us and said
I didn't know there was asecond floor.

Speaker 6 (18:58):
Oh yeah, Happens all the time.

Speaker 2 (19:02):
Happens all the time.
Happens all the time.
What, kerry, of all the roomsand I know you have been in
every room do you have afavorite of anything here?

Speaker 6 (19:11):
I have a favorite piece.
I was just talking to agentleman that was in the film
industry and it's a backdropoverhead projector.
And what it is is it's built onoverhead projector and what it
is is it's built on a Singersewing machine cabinet with a
car scissor jack underneath it.
They facilitated the mirrorsand all the wood slides for it.

(19:31):
You would have no idea what itwas and some guy says, oh, it's
just one of these.
The thing was laying right nextto it on the floor.
You'd have no idea what it was.
But things like that I like tosee what we did as a society to
make things better.
You know, I always say aboutLockheed Lockheed made great
airplanes but great people madeLockheed and that spread over

(19:54):
into Burbank because you knowyou used to have to live here,
to work here, right, and thingsin Burbank were a lot tighter
then, and so some of the stuffyou see in the museum has
flourished from that culture andit's really neat to try to tell
that we just had a group ofYMCA campers come through this
weekend this week, fromkindergarten to fifth, and to

(20:15):
watch their eyes and to see youknow things that they can relate
to.
You know the dolls and themuseums, or the cars or the
music box, something they canfeel and get you know you just
said a group of YMCA camperscome through here.

Speaker 2 (20:33):
People don't realize.
Through the year you have tonsof tours.

Speaker 6 (20:39):
You have tons of tours, Strickland or I mean the
Howard Foundation pays for theschool buses for every third
grader in Burbank to come.

Speaker 1 (20:47):
That's fantastic.

Speaker 2 (20:48):
Isn't that that?
They thought of that.
You know, and they're stilldoing that, you know that.
And on the weekends you guysare here, you guys, you keep
this place up.

Speaker 1 (21:01):
I mean it's pristine and that's really to speak to
the value of this museum for theentire nation, maybe even the
world, if I can reach that far.
But to your point about thatprojector is how many things
that are used worldwide wereinvented for the use here in
Burbank, whether it's aviationwith Lockheed, stuff for the

(21:23):
film industry, like theprojector that's your favorite
piece here how many things, thatingenuity, that creativity,
that resourcefulness thatstarted right here.

Speaker 6 (21:33):
A lot of that came from Lockheed and the
surrounding manufacturers,because you were working six to
seven days a week, ten hours aday, and when you got off work
you needed to do something withyour hands.
It'd be quilting, maybe modelairplanes, maybe model railroads
, maybe dress patterns, whateverthey were.
You had to have something to dowith your hands when you got

(21:54):
off work.
So a lot of this stuff allstarted from that and manifested
from that.

Speaker 2 (21:59):
Well, I know you also also, besides, have the museum
here.
You and I have been out atevents, you uh, mckinley
elementary.
Every year I see you out therewith a ton of history showing
the kids inviting them here.

Speaker 6 (22:16):
You don't just do it here, it's in your blood I'm
from being from burbank and myyou you know, my
great-grandparents, you know,settled the sanitarium at
Burbank and Foothill back in thelate 1800s.
So all my parents, mygrandparents, my
great-grandparents, we've alllived here.
I know the stories I've beentold.
So I'm very fortunate that Iget told a lot of stories, you

(22:36):
know, just because of where I am, I get to pass them on to the
youth and to the people thatreally want to know.

Speaker 2 (22:42):
Well, you know that brings up.
You know, knowing Burbank sowell, you know you've been
around and it's just I love youknow where we've been, where
we're going.
Can you believe how thiscommunity went from aerospace
media capital of the world nowis, you know, have all the seven

(23:04):
to nine of the major studioslocated here in burbank?

Speaker 6 (23:08):
things, things change , things morph.
You know, manufacturing diedaway, but manufacturing also
switched over into the movieindustry, right, and all those
things and and having to makethings and and do things.
That all started with themovies and the production here
with warner brothers and all thedifferent studios.
We're working right now.

Speaker 2 (23:28):
I'm trying to get some more of those studios to
buy in to the museum and exposethemselves to to the public
through the museum yeah, becausewhen you work on a show craig
and I both have a studiobackground when a show show is
done it usually gets trashed,thrown in a dumpster.
They move on that or they'regoing to put it in storage if
they know there's going to be asequel.

(23:49):
But again, once a show is doneand moves on, and if that show
is not successful, but you havea whole wing here, I say a wing
or a whole area, an area that is, you got original seats from
the Johnny.

Speaker 1 (24:05):
Carson Captured some of that history that can so
easily be lost, right?
And if anybody's hearing thenoise in the background for the
last 10 minutes here, it's justone of the many events going on
today at the AppreciationBarbecue.
I believe it's Bob Barker'smarionettes, correct, not the
Price.
It's Bob Barker's MarionettesCorrect, not the Price.
Is Right, bob Barker Baker.
Oh, baker Baker.

(24:27):
I ran by the sign with mybarbecue too fast.

Speaker 6 (24:30):
They're all having fun out there.

Speaker 2 (24:32):
And this is a membership Appreciation Barbecue
, correct, you did one a coupleyears ago.
I recall we were here.
We did a podcast.
But did one a couple years ago.
I recall we were here.
We did a podcast.
But it's open to the public,but it's also your members and
so forth.
And I keep saying to everybodythat comes up $20 to join, be a

(24:53):
member.

Speaker 6 (24:54):
It's a bargain.
We have a lot of events thathappen all throughout the year.
This is just one of them andwe're very, very fortunate that
we have a strong docent teamthat helps with the tours, that
helps with the cleanup, thathelps with all the different
things that need to be aroundhere, because this is all run.
Nobody gets any salary here.
This is all volunteers.

(25:14):
Everything here was donated.
Everything here is just to showpeople what Burbank is.
You were talking aboutnationally and globally, and
everything Because the city ofBurbank is only 100,000, 110,000
people and we have over a20,000-square-foot museum.
We're the second largest museumper capita in the United States
there's only one museum that'slarger and that's in New York.

(25:36):
Wow, Because you only have100,000 people, right?
Right, that's true.
So we have a big expanse for alittle bunch of people.

Speaker 1 (25:43):
You're counting nighttime population, not
daytime population.
Yeah, how it moves in Burbank.

Speaker 6 (25:48):
Yeah, that's crazy, yeah.
So there's a lot of dynamicthings that are going on right
now.
We just had that doll show twoweeks ago.
That was off the hook.
We had the Tri-City Doll Clubcome in here, that was upstairs
the hook.
We had the tri-city doll clubcome in.
That was upstairs, that wasupstairs, yeah, and some very,
very expensive tens of thousandsof dollars, uh of dolls were
came through here and and theywere able to see what they were.

(26:10):
They were identified if youneeded them fixed.
There was a lady that did that.
That repaired dolls and stuff.
So it's it's we, which we tryto reach out to different parts
of the community to bring themin here.

Speaker 1 (26:21):
A number of interests .
There is something different inhere for everybody.
Gary not to put you on the spot, but where can people go online
and find a list of the eventsgoing on here?

Speaker 6 (26:32):
Yeah, we have a website.
We've got a like.
This is going on.
Next, the next thing I think wehave is a.
I believe it's a video show.
I think that's coming up.

Speaker 2 (26:42):
Thinking about that.
We said second story you havean auditorium upstairs or a
meeting room that we I put on ashow there just a couple weeks
ago, right, and we've done it acouple of times there and I've
been here for hundreds of events.
It seats what?
100?
.

Speaker 6 (27:00):
It seats, seating capacity.

Speaker 2 (27:02):
We can get about 250 in there, wow, and it's got
professional AV equipment, gotprofessional.

Speaker 6 (27:08):
AV equipment.
We pimp it out for weddings andfunerals and celebrations of
life club members, all sorts ofthings, because we try to get
people to come in here like wesaid, different groups,
different entities to try toenlighten them that this place
is here and hopefully they canenlighten everybody else to come
you can get fans from fans ofold movies.

Speaker 1 (27:31):
Old television history, television aviation
fans.

Speaker 6 (27:35):
I tour people in here that all have different
interests.

Speaker 1 (27:38):
Now here's the website.
It's BurbankWWW I can't believewe still have to say that these
days butBurbankHistoricalSOCorg.
The society is abbreviated, butit's BurbankHistoricalSOCorg
and that'll get you to thewebsite for the Historical
Society.
All the upcoming events.

Speaker 6 (27:58):
I'm sure there's ways to donate, submit things,
Submit things, tours, anythingthat we can do to try to make
the community come in here andbe a viable part of that
community.
That's what we're trying to do.

Speaker 1 (28:11):
We're getting drive-by thumbs-ups.
Here we are, Kerry.
Does this event go on everyyear?

Speaker 6 (28:17):
We're trying to make it.
Every year from our nicebenefactors we have a lot of
commentary going.

Speaker 1 (28:25):
The boss just walked up.
She did so.
We still.

Speaker 2 (28:26):
We work for people and again the person that just
walked up happened, her husbanddonated.
I mean some real history ofburbank fire department, history
.
That, um, she's a benef, abenefactor of the museum and
outside people.
You have some stuff here thatpeople have found in their

(28:48):
garages that are history withinBurbank.

Speaker 6 (28:50):
One of the most moving exhibits we have here was
from some people that weremoving out of a garage and said
we have a box up in the atticyou might like to come get.
So we went out and looked at itand yeah, and it's the
footlocker from a gentleman thatwas shot down in Japan, was a

(29:10):
prisoner of war.
He kept a diary of everythingthat happened to him and how he
was beaten and how everythingand those type of things were
just going to be thrown away.
This came to us and we wentthrough it and refurbished it.
All the tools for the Morelandthat are out there, all those
hand tools, those priceless handtools same thing.

(29:33):
We got this big white box inthe garage.

Speaker 1 (29:35):
You may want to come look at it and that's all
history that is so easily lost,easily, but just by luck, by
happenstance is now Gary.

Speaker 6 (29:46):
Sutliff and Suvalda Cerrone are our acquisition team
, even the airport stuff.
We go look at all sorts ofdifferent venues, estate sales
and you know people getting ridof stuff.
Come look Pickwick.
Hey, if you're not here in anhour this Pickwick sign is gone.
All the bowling pins and thepins you know what?

Speaker 2 (30:08):
I want to reel that back for one quick second
because I know you took the tripto Orange County.
You know people talk aboutboxing.
Where did it start?
Right here.
It started right here and youwent to.

Speaker 6 (30:23):
I represented the family and the historical
society when they inducted theum jeffries barn into the
national boxing hall of fame andit was really cool and and I
before there, I got to meet hisniece and learn about jeffries
and and through the days.
Burbank back in the early dayswasn't like it was here.

(30:45):
Buena Vista was actually a goodview and you could look across
the valley because there were nohomes there and it was flat
chaparral and supposedly fromBuena Vista up on the top there
you could see Jeffries Barn,because Jeffries Barn was like a
mecca.
It had pepper trees all aroundit and this big barn and people
would come from Kernville, sanBernardino, santa Paula, ventura

(31:08):
, wherever, to come to the barnon Thursday night to watch him
you know his youth fight andthen on on Saturdays to watch
him wrestle and that's what hedid.

Speaker 2 (31:17):
He took in wayward youth and that's how things
started and didn't you come back, or I know there was a picture
I think I saw a picture of youholding one of his belts.

Speaker 6 (31:29):
Yeah, don Baldessaron and I were fortunate enough to
hold the belts.
I've got pictures of the beltsand everything.
But Jim Jeffries was a veryinteresting man.
He was the first internationalstar of Burbank.
Twice he did it once when heretired as the undisputed
heavyweight champion of theworld in 1900.
Later, after his wife was thefirst female auto fatality in

(31:53):
Burbank.
That's when he started takingin the wayward youth.
She was killed going acrossbetween the farm and the barn on
Buena Vista and he startedraising cows.
And cows didn't work out realwell for him so he got into
bulls.
He started raisingprize-winning bulls so people

(32:16):
from Portugal and Spain andMexico City could come up here
and look at these prize-winningbulls and because we're a
railroad town we could get thebull out to port in less than
two days.
So you might even see that bullthe next week in Mexico City
fighting.

Speaker 1 (32:31):
I was going to say there was never a bullfighting
arena in Burbank, was there Notthat?

Speaker 6 (32:35):
I know of, but he would bring people from all over
to see these prize-winningbulls well for people like
myself.

Speaker 2 (32:41):
I've been here 69 years point of vista in victory,
where currently cvs is andthere's some other shopping
center.
You know houses there.
But we remember when thelockheed machinists oh yeah had
their union office there andthere were.
It was a weekly occurrence.
They would rent it out, andthere were, and it was a weekly

(33:04):
occurrence that the burbank pdwould show up.

Speaker 6 (33:06):
Yeah, it was a weekly occurrence.
I lived right down the streetfrom that and it was a.
It was quite a quite anentertaining place.
That's where I actually learnedto drive.
Stick shift was in the parkinglot of the machine.

Speaker 2 (33:16):
Assault yeah, how burbank has changed and and you,
a lot of people don't likechange.
But you know, as I've said withour prior guests, if we don't
change, our city will die.

Speaker 6 (33:29):
We have to change and I try to preserve the past and
I try to perpetuate the past,but I do it in a way where the
kids can see it through theireyes and their future, and
that's where it has to come from.
It has to come from them.

Speaker 1 (33:41):
Well said.

Speaker 2 (33:42):
Well, we're going to let you go back and enjoy.
I don't think they're servingbeer, but you can have a cold
soda out there.

Speaker 6 (33:50):
My goal today is to make sure everybody's happy and
informed and they leave herewith a smile.
So far, so good.

Speaker 1 (33:56):
And I'll tell you anybody listening right now that
has not been here or plans tobe here again.
Try to be at the museum herewhen Carrie is here, Because I'm
telling you, half of a museumis the people that are working
and volunteering, the docentsand all that.
That's where you really getkind of a living history, a
verbal history, and can putyourself in that area.

Speaker 6 (34:15):
We're always looking for volunteers, we're always
looking for docents.
Like I said, we're a completelynonprofit.
Nobody gets anything out ofthis.
We're open Saturday and Sunday,1 to 4, to the public and we
give private guided tours to allsorts of different groups, and
one entry fee gets you a year ofmembership.

Speaker 1 (34:31):
How bad.
Then you can come to thebarbecue.

Speaker 2 (34:33):
Like Kerry said, his history of things.
He knows the city so well andwhy you aren't a docent here,
ross.

Speaker 1 (34:42):
I'll never understand .

Speaker 6 (34:43):
Busy fighting crime that's right, he's out.
He's making that history Makingparades and stuff.

Speaker 2 (34:48):
Gary, thank you for everything you do for the museum
.
You know you and I work onother projects in the city.
I've turned to you.

Speaker 1 (34:56):
You've driven that Moreland bus many times you
can't get rid of each other.

Speaker 2 (35:01):
We're tied at the hip .
But you know it's people likeCarrie and Don and Gary and you
know, sue, that keep things likethis going, and I appreciate it
so much.

Speaker 6 (35:13):
We appreciate you guys.
Thanks for the publicity.

Speaker 1 (35:17):
Ross.
Every time we're with thisgentleman, blessed by his
presence, I have to wonder wherewe are.
Are we at a car show?
Are we at a parade?
What city event are we at?
Because this guy is everywhere.

Speaker 2 (35:28):
You know we have the honor of having sit with Don
Baldessaroni Now, if you'velistened to our other podcasts,
Don has been on several, but Donis a lifelong Burbank resident,
a graduate of Burbank HighSchool.
He is an affectionato of manythings and I will tell you not

(35:49):
only a couple weeks ago we didthe car show at Johnny Carson
Park.
Here we are at the museum whereyou are, president of the
historical museum, and you andyour wife, Sue.

Speaker 1 (36:01):
Who's working the front table?
That's right, the family affair.
I was just going to say.

Speaker 2 (36:07):
We appreciate this museum.
Every time you see people theywalk around, their eyes are like
soda cans or silver dollarsbecause they're so amazed of new
things.
And you guys, this isconsidered, as we've mentioned,
an appreciation lunch for yourmembership.
Isn't it great to have themarinettes out here?
You know your food.

(36:29):
You guys are serving Handymarttri-tip.

Speaker 1 (36:33):
Oh you can't get better than handymart tri-tip If
you drive down.

Speaker 2 (36:35):
If you're a Burbank person, you drive down Magnolia
at Buena Vista on any Saturday.

Speaker 1 (36:42):
Look for the smoke.
You can smell it before you seeit.

Speaker 2 (36:45):
That's right, I mean you have your whole crew out
here today.
I mean you have, you know, allyour members in our New Year
board who are all volunteers youput in.
You know, Don and I, as I willsay, we're part of the chamber,
we do every opening.
We saw each other three timesthis week, In fact, I think at
our last event.

Speaker 1 (37:04):
I think it's getting unhealthy.

Speaker 2 (37:08):
Well, it's funny because we said the other day
where are you going to betomorrow?
But the thing is I call Don.
I have him in my cell phone onspeed dial.
If I have a Road Kings question, call Don.
If I have a road king'squestion, call Don If I have a
Burbank.
As we have said before, donowned three gas stations in this

(37:28):
town on three prominent corners.
That people.

Speaker 1 (37:31):
She was yelling something about an elevator.
We are here to help.
We're part of the crew today.
We are.
It's all hands on deck at theHistorical Society Without a
question, but history-wise, donhad three gas stations in town.

Speaker 2 (37:44):
You're a lifelong resident.

Speaker 1 (37:45):
Here's my question, to lead it off when is your wing
of this museum?
Where's my wing?
It sounds to me like you'requite a fixture and part of the
history of this town.

Speaker 7 (37:55):
Well, that's a good question.
However, I love every part ofthe museum.
I mean, I was thinking fromlast year.
You said what's your favoritething in the museum and of
course I went to the Road Kingdisplay.
We have all this stuff.

Speaker 1 (38:10):
It's cars and everything A little biased, but
Very much so, but worthy Veryworthy of a.

Speaker 7 (38:14):
Now we have the new fire truck, we have Amelia
Earhart from the airport.
We got the airport supportingus.
We got the city as you saw, thebig.

Speaker 2 (38:24):
Yeah, sealed, there's a brand new.

Speaker 7 (38:27):
I mean, we have so much new things here at the
museum.
It's unbelievable.

Speaker 1 (38:31):
Oh, the seal, the giant seal.

Speaker 7 (38:32):
It's huge.

Speaker 1 (38:34):
It's like four feet across.
Oh see, that's what gets me.

Speaker 2 (38:36):
You know, I know you always tell me you have invited
me to go with you guys, when youguys find items and when you
bring stuff new to the museumand it just blows me away.
You have room after room ofBurbank history which is just so

(38:57):
amazing.

Speaker 7 (38:57):
And you know what's funny?
90% of the people you ask haveyou been to the museum?
No, where's that at?
Well, you know the jet airplanethat they just painted by the
way that they drive by every day, every day, yeah.
And the little house.
Oh yeah, yeah, we have a 20,000square foot building back here
full of everything.

Speaker 1 (39:12):
Guilty, guilty, as charged for years.

Speaker 7 (39:24):
Until you walk through it and see A real quick
story.
I had a business, a lot ofbusiness, and it's basically
Glendale, but it's.
I was going to say Chilean, butit's not Chilean.
What is that called?
You know, we went over thereand it was closed up.
I put my business card on allthe buildings around it and
everything.
I got a call from the guy thatowned it and he says well, yeah,
I could do something like that.
Let me bring it over to themuseum.

(39:45):
Where is the museum at?
So I told him and came over.
I opened the door, walked intwo steps, looked around and he
says wait a second.
He went out to his car and sawthe scale backboard, everything
from 75 years worth of stuff andI just couldn't believe what we

(40:06):
have here.
Oh, it's a hidden gem.

Speaker 2 (40:09):
It is.

Speaker 1 (40:10):
It is cavernous.
I describe it as cavernousbecause there will be a room and
I'll come back next time andrealize there was a whole other
room that I missed.
It took me a couple trips hereto realize there was stuff
upstairs too.
Well, I'm a newbie.

Speaker 7 (40:21):
I've only been here 25 years.

Speaker 1 (40:22):
And you're still fine .
You still get lost.

Speaker 7 (40:25):
I still walk around and read oh shoot.
I don't remember that, ofcourse, in my defense at my age,
I don't remember what I had forlunch yesterday.

Speaker 1 (40:35):
But you know what?
It's fair to say that betweentrips, more history has happened
in Burbank.
Oh yeah, without a question.
So there's always going to besomething new.

Speaker 7 (40:44):
But you know, look at what we did today, but it's not
just our board, and I guessyou're going to be talking to
Gary pretty soon.

Speaker 2 (40:52):
Yeah, he's one of our— he's in the green room
right now.

Speaker 7 (40:54):
He's in the green room.
That's great Because he's thechair of this particular
committee, of doing what we'vedone, and it's just.
It's a feeling that you have toexperience giving back
everybody we have in thecommunity, because we want them
to see everything we have heredon, as you mentioned, everybody

(41:14):
that works here is a volunteer.

Speaker 1 (41:15):
How many people did it take to put this event
together today?
Oh geez, everybody.

Speaker 7 (41:19):
Well, actually there's only 16 of us 17 of us
on the board, but then we haveGary, and his family came.
We have the Disney volunteers.
We have four of them.
The Chamber of Commerce cameover to help serve food.
The Road Kings obviously camein.
In fact, we had too many peopleall of a sudden.

Speaker 1 (41:41):
It's crowded, they love it.

Speaker 7 (41:43):
It's a built-in crowd , though, because there's a band
, there's the barbecue line andall that and the band was
fantastic and, like I said, Irenamed them Not the Valley Boys
anymore, it's the Burbank Boys,because they're in Burbank and
they play.
And they said, oh yeah, that'sa good idea, that's a good idea
and they are good, we're goinghyper local.
That's right, Right, right,right right.

Speaker 2 (42:02):
Well, you know, as we've asked other people that
have sat in where you'veinterviewed, is there one
display that you were in lovewith?

Speaker 7 (42:14):
Well, like I said, I'm going to discount the road
kings.
You can do road pick one roadkings and one non-road kings.
Well, I love our Kong's garage.
I really do, because I walk inthere and I remember half the
pictures that were taken there.
So that's my favorite.
And then we have the Lockheedstuff that we got in

(42:34):
Unbelievable 17A that Gary isrestoring.
Now that we can hang on theside of the building, you'll
love it.
The F-117?

Speaker 1 (42:42):
F-117.
Felfighter yeah, I mentionedthat.

Speaker 7 (42:48):
You'll just, you know .
I mean, that's why people haveto come every couple of months,
because we do change things out,you know.

Speaker 1 (42:53):
Well as any good museum worth its weight, it's
going to be always updated.
There's always something new.

Speaker 7 (42:59):
Now that brings me back to one other point.
We need docents here at themuseum.
Three hours a month is all ittakes In a row, yes, in a row.
The thing is, you could learnabout everything we have here.

Speaker 1 (43:17):
It's interesting you say that because I recommend to
many people, if they're lookingfor something to do, become a
docent somewhere, somewherewhere you're interested in the
topic.
You don't have to go in as anexpert, you'll become an expert.

Speaker 7 (43:30):
You don't have to.
You will learn it when you'rein the middle of it.
We train what you see, you know.
So it's really like the girlthat just passes by.
The new docent here only beenhere about a month.

Speaker 1 (43:43):
You haven't seen her in two weeks.
She's been lost wanderingaround.

Speaker 7 (43:46):
There she is, we found her, she put together with
another docent and my wife.
We have turnouts from the firedepartment and a helmet.

Speaker 1 (43:55):
We have it right around the corner here.

Speaker 7 (44:00):
They were here on the floor putting it all together.
I have pictures too, by the way, if you want to see that.
But it was funny, it was great,they were having a great time.

Speaker 1 (44:07):
And one of the great benefits and things that I would
enjoy as being a docent is notjust being among the stuff but
sharing it and seeing the peoplecome through who might be
seeing it for the first timeKids, the school groups, Well,
how do you I know you can answerthe question, or maybe Gary
will in our next interview howdo you preserve some of this

(44:30):
stuff so well?

Speaker 2 (44:32):
I mean, it looks like it's never been touched.
It's on display.
These pictures are saved inpristine condition.
Well, we are near.

Speaker 1 (44:42):
Hollywood and if you've seen some of the stars,
the celebrities in Hollywood,many of the same techniques of
preservation are used.

Speaker 7 (44:51):
I'm a good example of being preserved.
Heckled Tequila does it again.

Speaker 2 (45:00):
Well, we're going to let you get back to supervising,
because I know you're presidentin charge.

Speaker 7 (45:05):
No problem, it's easy when you have a group of people
that we have here at the museum.

Speaker 2 (45:09):
Believe me Again, we appreciate it.
Thank you for having anappreciation day for my Burbank
to come to Right and a museumthat you guys are preserving for
a long, long time.

Speaker 1 (45:21):
Go make sure the Burbank boys aren't taking an
extra long break out there.
You got it All right, Thanksguys.

Speaker 7 (45:26):
Take care, appreciate it.

Speaker 2 (45:27):
We happen to have another director of the
Historical Society, but there'ssomebody that I've known.
I think every person that Ihave had sit down here I've
known for years, gary Sutliff.
Gary has been around Burbankfor a couple of weeks.
How many years now, gary?

Speaker 1 (45:47):
83 years, all of them , all of the years.

Speaker 2 (45:50):
Well, all but two, and Gary's family is here today
helping, and Gary and I go backto the days when he was a
firefighter for the city ofBurbank, as they say when
typewriters typed in pencil.

Speaker 5 (46:06):
Yeah, we did that.

Speaker 2 (46:08):
There's a lot of things that Gary and I got to
see, that techniques havechanged and so forth, and we
have been together on many, manymany fires, many fires.
You know, and you've beeninvolved with the museum here as
a director and also one of theearly founders of it.
You know, you knew Mary Janeprobably as good, if not better,

(46:30):
than anybody.

Speaker 5 (46:31):
Mary Jane was one of my favorites.
We go back to my high schooldays and Mary Jane was a founder
.
I was not.
And Mary Jane was a founder, Iwas not.
Mary Jane sucked me into theboard of directors and I've been
here I don't know 35 years ormore I think that's how it
happens is you get recruited,you get volunteered for stuff

(46:55):
like that that's it.
It's kind of a railroad job.

Speaker 1 (46:59):
But in the history of it and now looking back at it,
no regrets right, no regrets.

Speaker 2 (47:04):
Well, you know, when he was a firefighter he moved
through all the ranks from youknow captain to finally the
battalion chief.
And people don't realize.
When Burbank rebuilt the policeand fire headquarters as one
Gary and we had, he was afireside and Joe Latta was the

(47:24):
police side and you guys werethe committee.
Joe actually worked for me.

Speaker 5 (47:34):
I was in charge of building, designing and
supervising construction of allthe fire stations in Burbank,
and they didn't have money to dowith police.
Originally, the concept was tobring a police and fire together
on one piece of property andthe bond failed to build it, and

(48:00):
so they directed me to build astand-alone fire headquarters,
and I went to the city managerand the chief.

Speaker 2 (48:10):
Was that Joe Baker back then?
Well, actually it was AndyLazzarone.

Speaker 5 (48:16):
And I said you know, in all seriousness, cops needed
a new facility more than we did,and so, anyway, I was a captain
at the time in charge, and sothey assigned Joe Latta and
Steve Berger to work with me.
But I couldn't supervisesomebody with a higher pay grade

(48:40):
.
So I got promoted to battalionchief oh you're kidding which
was a step above a lieutenant.
That's one way to do it.
Well, there's a civil servicecode that says you can't
supervise somebody that makesmore money than you.
Oh, and so as a battalion chiefand I was number one on the
list anyway- Well, as you justsaid, said you were in charge of

(49:04):
rebuilding.

Speaker 2 (49:05):
I remember some of the stations you couldn't put
rigs in oh no, because the newerrigs were bigger than the
stations were built.
Um, you know, and for a goodexample was station 12, you know
, they could not put hook andladder truck out there because
it was too tall.
And then station 16 up there.
Plus, you were in charge of thetraining center, which I

(49:28):
remember spending nightless,many nights, out there.
It was a part of Department ofWater and Power property.

Speaker 5 (49:35):
And they always wondered how I was able to build
on their property.
Well, here's a bit of triviatoo.
They always wondered how I wasable to build on their property.

Speaker 1 (49:41):
Well, here's a bit of trivia too, from my days as a
reserve for the policedepartment in the new police and
fire headquarters, the onlyroom that I was ever aware of
that was shared by the twodepartments, other than the
lobby and the museum, the gym,the gym Downstairs.
It was a huge gym and it wasshared.
There was a door on either endof it, one that came down from
the fire of it, one that camedown from the fire department

(50:02):
when they came down from thepolice department and we shared
a gym.

Speaker 2 (50:03):
I really and it's funny because I've had guys tell
me they'll be in the gym andthey'll always know when they're
when the fire department'sgoing- all the lights go off,
the strobes go off.

Speaker 1 (50:12):
You there's no.
Uh, there's no.

Speaker 2 (50:13):
Missing it down there , yeah there is history at every
fire station.
You you kept quite a bit.
One of the ones is what we callthe big house.
It's the main fire station.
It's a part of the policestation.

Speaker 1 (50:29):
You guys took out, was it 13?
It was almost as big as that.
Well, 13.
Task Force Station.

Speaker 2 (50:34):
That was called the Taj Mahal at the time because
they thought the airport andBurbank were going to put in.

Speaker 1 (50:41):
Well, it was built as a task force station, right.

Speaker 2 (50:44):
But the station headquarters.
They took the floor out of theold fire station 11 and they
made a table out of it and allthe stuff that goes with the
rebuilding.
But let's get back to themuseum.
Here you have done a fabulousjob on.

Speaker 5 (51:04):
It's been a team effort.

Speaker 2 (51:06):
Well, that I know we've had don, we've had carrie.
I know you're many yearsretired, but you, you, this
isn't 31 years.
But there's a lot of otherthings that gary sutliff have
done.
A lot of people don't reallyknow you're into race cars yeah
you know bonneville flats betterthan a lot of residents been

(51:28):
there, had records there youbroke records yeah, didn't you
have.

Speaker 5 (51:33):
I still have a record at el mirage I've gone.

Speaker 2 (51:36):
How fast 139 miles an hour in a model a wow, a 35
model a engine well, but youknow, and it's stuff like that,
it's if people come here andlook at a lot of people don't
know there's two floors, but youlook at the alcoves and you
look at all the rooms that wherethe cars are stored, your
fingerprint on everything it'son on everything.

Speaker 5 (52:01):
The one thing that I would like to know more about is
that medallion right behind youthe big seal.
Where it came from.
It's got Dan Remy, mary LouHoward, leland Ayers, jim
Richmond and Bob Olney's name onit and it was a dedication of a
reconstruction of a building in1980.

(52:23):
That date is on that plaque andwe haven't been able to find
out where it came from.
There's a story behind it thatit was stolen and scrapped for
scrap metal and it weighs 350pounds.
That's why it's sitting on thefloor and I've got it mounted to

(52:44):
the wall For anybody listening.

Speaker 1 (52:46):
we're doing an audio-only version of the
podcast today, so if you want tosee what we're talking about,
you've got to come to the museumin person.

Speaker 2 (52:53):
And again, that is a brand new item.
I know you guys have beenworking on it, but somebody, if
they were here two years ago.
That is like some of the otherthings you have.

Speaker 5 (53:02):
Supposedly it was used in a court trial and
somebody had scrapped it in thepolice department.
I don't know that it wasBurbank, necessarily.
The rumor I heard was that theyfound it in a scrap middle yard

(53:24):
and said no, no, no, this isn'tright and we have no knowledge
of it.
We've been able to find outother than go to Mary Lou Howard
, I guess.

Speaker 1 (53:32):
But the important part is you've saved it, oh yeah
.

Speaker 5 (53:35):
It's now safe.
I cleaned it up and it's safenow.

Speaker 2 (53:39):
Now I'm curious because you also, when business
is closed, I know you love to goget signs.
You're one to collect signs andneon.

Speaker 5 (53:49):
Yeah, we've got the Don's.

Speaker 2 (53:52):
Don's restaurant up on Glen Oaks.

Speaker 5 (53:53):
Don's restaurant on Glen Oaks.
That sign's in the other room.
That sign was the hardest signI've ever mounted in this museum
.
We broke the neon the top neontube.
We broke that three timesgetting it up there.
It's patina.

Speaker 1 (54:12):
Just call that patina .

Speaker 5 (54:13):
Yeah, well, if you look at it, it's a lot shinier
than the rest of it.
Not taking up room in yourhouse, we just got the sign for
the Addison Hotel and it's arather big sign, wow.
And I sat back thinking wherecan I put it?

Speaker 1 (54:28):
We got no room and then I realized it sticks out
from the wall, and that's in theroom right over here right,
it's in the room right overthere right across from the
Don's Me pointing doesn't do anygood for the podcast, but
picture it.

Speaker 5 (54:43):
It's in the south wall.
There you go In what we callthe farmyard, and another sign
guy helped us restore the neonand it's all working now.

Speaker 2 (54:59):
Do you have a favorite room or a favorite item
in here?

Speaker 5 (55:02):
My favorite item isn't up yet.
Oh, it'll be the newest itemthat we're bringing in Stealth,
stealth.

Speaker 2 (55:11):
Before we talk about that, you have a new fire engine
here.
Oh yeah, Monty Osborne Montythat I was there the day that he
brought it into town Totallyrestored this, and now it's.
People need to realize it'sonly eight feet long.

Speaker 5 (55:27):
Yeah, it's a.
It's a 1950 in American LaFrance, monty and I were
partners in a fire protectionbusiness that was an aside to
the fire department in LosAngeles.

Speaker 1 (55:39):
Now, that engine would have fit in the old fire
stations.
That's what they were built for, right.

Speaker 5 (55:44):
Actually I've got a picture of it.
It was used on the cover of theannual budget at headquarters.
It was in front of headquarters.

Speaker 2 (55:55):
Really the old headquarters, station 11, the
old station.

Speaker 5 (55:58):
Station 11 of a new fire engine, and then that old
one, oh, very cool.
That engine was put together byMonty Osborne in the 70s for
the fireman's muster.
Oh yeah, the historical portionof the—.

Speaker 1 (56:13):
Absolutely, he did that, verdugo had a muster that
we were at years ago, there wereseveral musters.

Speaker 2 (56:20):
Well, I went to many musters with Gary Sutcliffe.
You camped out at many and Iremember our, our fire brigade
team and we had a whole team andguys.

Speaker 5 (56:32):
That's what it was built for.
And then money sold it and herejust recently he went back into
business.
After I bought him out and hemoved up north, he decided he
wanted to buy that fire engineback.
He traced it back through threepeople that had bought and sold

(56:52):
it, found it in Ohio and boughtit back, had it shipped out
here, restored it again anddonated it.

Speaker 1 (57:01):
A fire engine with a lineage.

Speaker 2 (57:04):
Again, it is gorgeous , and I mean gorgeous.
I remember the day Monty rolledit out of the trailer.
Yeah, he brought it.
We looked at this little engineAgain.
It's another reason for peopleto come to the museum.
You know, this engine is now ondisplay and it is just amazing,
amazing.
Plus, you have the old seagrave over here yep, you have 49

(57:27):
sea grave that was a burbankfire engine.
I drove it there you go now.
That was after they had cranksI pumped that.

Speaker 5 (57:36):
I pumped that fire engine at the big boy barbecue
fire oh, up on First Street yeah, yeah, on First Street.

Speaker 2 (57:42):
Yep, yep, I remember that fire.
Yeah, you and I have been onmany fires and that's back in
the day when the guys used tojump on the back.
You know, nowadays you can't doany of that.
Well, I remember hearing astory One of the engineers and I
won't say his name, I knowthings have moved on One of the
engineers and I won't say hisname, I know things have moved
on, but he would love to go downall of to Lake Street and over

(58:04):
the railroad tracks at about 70miles an hour.
And whoever was on thetailboard, you end up in the
hose bed.

Speaker 1 (58:11):
You'd end up in the front seat.

Speaker 2 (58:13):
Yeah Well, gary, we're going to let you go back
and there's probably sometri-tip left over, you know.
Again, thank you for what youdo for the museum.

Speaker 5 (58:21):
The museum is Burbank's best-kept secret and
it's a jewel, and it is.

Speaker 2 (58:27):
We appreciate your work and thanks for all the
little things that you fix andcorrect and make look good.

Speaker 5 (58:34):
History is in the details, if you just take my
fingerprints off of them.

Speaker 1 (58:38):
Right, yeah, we ask you to stop touching everything.
Yeah, thanks.
Yeah, we ask you to stoptouching everything.
Yeah, thanks, gary.

Speaker 5 (58:43):
Okay.

Speaker 1 (58:45):
Ross, we are back with a surprise guest.
We have somebody in the crowdhere introduce themselves and
they've got quite a tie-in toBurbank history through their
family.
This is Dixie Harned.
We're going to find out whatthat tie-in is right now.
Welcome, dixie.

Speaker 3 (59:01):
Thank you.

Speaker 1 (59:02):
You mentioned the Civil War.

Speaker 3 (59:03):
Right right.

Speaker 1 (59:04):
Now we're talking history.
We're going way back.

Speaker 3 (59:06):
Well, relatives of mine during the Civil War grew
for the North, grew lemons andoranges to feed the Army.
And after the Civil War he tookhis expertise and he came out
this way he bought a bunch ofland and he started raising the

(59:29):
lemons and oranges in a lemonfarm.
I think is exactly what it was.
But he eventually sold it off.
But he donated a portion of itto Burbank because it was mostly
in North Hollywood but asection of Burbank also, and so
when he left he donated thatland and it's Vickroy Park right

(59:49):
here in Burbank.

Speaker 2 (59:50):
Well, that, vickroy, that's your stamp on the city
Yep.
And if I recall right I haveheard that was the first- park.
Yes, yes, that's kind of youknow, that's history, yeah, and
I'm so glad you stopped by to.
You know, not only enjoy theday, but you are part of.

Speaker 1 (01:00:08):
Burbank Ross, did you cover the opening of that park,
the dedication of that?

Speaker 2 (01:00:13):
park.
I've been in Burbank shootingpictures for a long time.

Speaker 3 (01:00:16):
Well, every time a relative comes out this way, we
always have to take them toVickrey Park and have their
Vickery picture.
Oh, there's a sign there.

Speaker 2 (01:00:24):
There's a.
It's a, there's a arch Yep.
It says Vickery Park.
The city uses it every year.
There's a.

Speaker 3 (01:00:30):
It's the very end of his property.
But he wanted to give you know,he wanted to give something to
Burbank.

Speaker 1 (01:00:36):
That's fair and the bank is grateful for it.
What a legacy.

Speaker 2 (01:00:39):
How that intersection most people probably don't know
where it is.
It's like five intersectionsthat comes together.

Speaker 3 (01:00:46):
Yes, right Points, they all come together.
It's a small park, but it's abeautiful little park.
Oh, it is.

Speaker 1 (01:00:53):
And it's your favorite.

Speaker 3 (01:00:54):
It's my favorite park .

Speaker 2 (01:00:56):
As it should be.
Well, I know you said you wereshort on time, but we are so
glad you stopped by and sharedthat I'm glad.

Speaker 3 (01:01:03):
I did too.

Speaker 2 (01:01:05):
I mean, that is what today is about Burbank's history
, and you're part of it.
Thanks for sharing your historywith us we happen to have
another director of the Burbankhistorical museum with us.
Royalty, royalty, literally.
We have Sue Baldessaroni.
Now we've interviewed herhusband, don, but one of the

(01:01:27):
people that does most of thework around here she's been
working, the front table, thereception table, all day From
the before.
people were here.
You were here, you, you sentout the mailer.
Yes, tons of people I got that.
I mean you do a lot too for thehistorical society.
I hope you uh know, love everyminute of it and you know what

(01:01:50):
the burbank people that knowabout the museum do too.
They love what you do you.
It's a love labor of love foryou, definitely, you know.
I know don is involved in a lotof things and you aren't far
behind and it's all very muchappreciated.
Thank you yeah it, uh, and wewere talking um we had gary
setliff on earlier, one of yourdirectors, and you and him are

(01:02:15):
the people that go out.

Speaker 8 (01:02:17):
Do acquisitions?

Speaker 2 (01:02:18):
And that is an art in itself.

Speaker 1 (01:02:20):
I mean literally a discerning eye and it's
difficult when you turn somebodydown.

Speaker 8 (01:02:26):
Oh I bet, yeah, it really is.

Speaker 1 (01:02:29):
Do you feel bad for turning them down or do you feel
bad for letting something go?

Speaker 8 (01:02:33):
Actually both, but I don't like to see the look on
their faces when I tell them youknow I apologize, but we just
can't use it.

Speaker 1 (01:02:42):
Because they're attached to it.
They really are.

Speaker 8 (01:02:45):
They really are, and you know it takes a lot
sometimes for somebody to givetheir donation that's been in
their family for 50, 80 yearsdonation that's been in their
family for 50 80 years.

Speaker 2 (01:03:00):
But over the years and you've done this for many
years is there any one piecethat you think that is here in
the museum that you just werewowed over?

Speaker 8 (01:03:08):
there's so much there's, there is, but you know,
we just recently received thedonation from the airport and
Amelia Earhart is, I mean, I'veloved that woman for years and
to be able to receive that fromthe airport.

Speaker 1 (01:03:25):
And I put it together , I think that right now, that's
come up a few times todayalready, so that's clearly a
must-see.

Speaker 2 (01:03:32):
Well, we keep sharing every time.
You know we were here the lasttime.
We did an appreciation day twoyears ago, I believe For the
50th, and we looked around andCraig and I have been here
several other times, but everytime you come in here there's
something new.
And if you come back now wehave this what is that called?

(01:03:52):
Consider it.
Is it a seal A?

Speaker 8 (01:03:54):
medallion.
You know, nobody knows thewhole story behind it.
I don't know if they told youthe story about where it came
from Right, yeah, yeah, Don toldme.

Speaker 1 (01:04:05):
Now, since we're just doing audio, we keep referring
to this.

Speaker 8 (01:04:09):
It's the city seal.

Speaker 1 (01:04:10):
So circular city seal about four or five feet across
in brass.

Speaker 8 (01:04:18):
More than likely it's either brass or it looks heavy
oh it looks heavy.

Speaker 1 (01:04:23):
I wouldn't want that to fall on my toe.
It's almost 500 pounds.
Unbelievable and we're stilllearning about that.

Speaker 8 (01:04:27):
Yeah, nobody knows where it came from.
We're assuming it was from abuilding that may have been torn
down, but we're looking into itEven the police department
didn't know and we mentionedalready an appreciation for the
fact that you have it.

Speaker 1 (01:04:41):
That's the important part.
Yeah, it's here now.
Now you can learn about it andfigure out the history, but it's
been saved well, it's there's.

Speaker 2 (01:04:49):
There's so many, there's so much to look at and
find.
Here you are doing a marvelousjob, literally.
People that haven't come here,you know we'd love to see new
members, you know, you guys, andfor $20 a year.

Speaker 8 (01:05:05):
I know, and they get all this Right you get an
appreciation barbecue.

Speaker 2 (01:05:11):
That's right.
But you know, I know you andGary go out and, like you said
to some people, when you look atsomething you can't take
everything, that's right.
It's funny because I've beenshooting pictures now 50 years
and everybody asks me what areyou going to do with all your
old pictures?
And I go well, I hope thehistorical museum.
You know, because I havepictures of Burbank 50 years ago

(01:05:33):
.

Speaker 1 (01:05:33):
You have a timeline, I do Timeline of the last 50
years of Burbank.
Well, as I was telling people.

Speaker 2 (01:05:40):
I remember when they moved the house and originally
the Little Blue House.
I remember doing it at 2 in themorning.

Speaker 1 (01:05:45):
That's right, it was Somebody's going to correct me
if it's not blue.

Speaker 8 (01:05:47):
It is blue, it is blue.

Speaker 1 (01:05:49):
We call it the Little Blue House.

Speaker 2 (01:05:55):
I don't want to have been wrong were out and I
remember like it was yesterday.
It feels like, but it's justfor people to show up and come
here and there's something new.
Come back.

Speaker 1 (01:06:09):
A museum I wouldn't think would be able to survive
if it didn't give people areason to come back, which is
not only events like this toappreciate them, but something
new, something new to find,something new to come back,
which is not only events likethis to appreciate them, but
something new, something new tofind, something new to come see.

Speaker 8 (01:06:25):
And you always have that progression going on,
giving people a reason to comeback.
Well, that's like Gary andCarrie yell at me for taking in
too much.
So when we finished the lastthree displays, they said now I
understand why you takeeverything, Because I have an
idea of what I want and Icollect it.

Speaker 1 (01:06:42):
Some would say a method to your madness.
You got it, but you do havelimits here.
You do have walls that you'renot currently going out of.

Speaker 8 (01:06:51):
Maybe there will be expansion at some point, but you
have a limited amount of space,so what we're starting to do is
rotate some of the displays.
That's how we get around it.

Speaker 1 (01:07:01):
But Johnny Carson is always there, always Right.

Speaker 8 (01:07:04):
Always.
That room stays pretty much thesame, okay.

Speaker 1 (01:07:08):
I walked by that earlier and he was taller than I
remember him being.
If the suit is proportionally,because it's one of his suits
that he actually wore on theshow the Tonight Show it's
taller than I remembered himbeing, if the suit is.

Speaker 8 (01:07:23):
I only saw him sitting behind his desk.
That's it just from the thirdbutton up right.

Speaker 2 (01:07:31):
Well, you know, Sue, you work with a team.
I know there's several you.
You know you could become amember, but you are a on the
board and a lot of people don'trealize there's a lot of things
to make this museum keepfunctioning that certainly takes
a village exactly.
You know we talked to carrieabout tours.

(01:07:52):
Uh, to arrange that and to makesure you have docents here and
to be here when the kids arerunning around.

Speaker 8 (01:07:59):
It takes three of us to schedule the tours for him
and then he brings in the people, the docents and all like that
to help him with the tours.

Speaker 2 (01:08:08):
It's such a team effort.

Speaker 1 (01:08:10):
So remember that the entire team are all volunteers.
You do it for the love of doingit, giving back for the history
of Burbank teaching and passingit on to the younger
generations, for whatever myriadof reasons somebody might have
for doing it.

Speaker 8 (01:08:25):
We all love it.

Speaker 2 (01:08:26):
Well, you know, as a Burbank resident, a lifelong
Burbank resident, I appreciateit.
I'm not here as much as I wouldlike to be.

Speaker 1 (01:08:34):
This is where he'd like you to when his day comes.
We're going to stuff him andput him right here.

Speaker 8 (01:08:40):
There'll be a Ross Benson display you got it with
his name and some of his photos.

Speaker 2 (01:08:44):
Well, your husband has requested, if my son doesn't
want my fire helmet the secondone is going to you guys.

Speaker 8 (01:08:53):
Thank you.

Speaker 2 (01:08:53):
And you know I have 50 years of this city changing
and I'm all for change.
You have to, if not we would.
You know we'd be in troublefinancially and everything else.

Speaker 1 (01:09:05):
But how much has the spirit of the city changed?
Not that much, exactly, notthat much.

Speaker 2 (01:09:10):
Well, see, and that's the thing, you know that it's
changing.
And yes, the older people, butyes, young people.
So I've seen a couple of kidshere now that have gone through
today and they're in awe.
Well, you've got to take thatawe because they'll go back and
they'll think about that andthings that they've seen and
realize it happened right here.

Speaker 1 (01:09:34):
Your team and the docents here really provide that
human touch and puts it tocontext, brings it to life,
because without the context,people don't always know what
they're looking at, especially ayounger person.

Speaker 8 (01:09:47):
Exactly.
Some of the things are from thelate 1800s.
How did they associate withthat?

Speaker 1 (01:09:54):
They're not teaching a lot of that stuff anymore
either.

Speaker 8 (01:09:56):
No.

Speaker 1 (01:09:56):
You're teaching it here, you got it.
You're teaching it here.
You got it.
You're teaching it here.

Speaker 8 (01:10:00):
And we have when we work, our weekends and like that
.
You wouldn't believe thefamilies with four and
five-year-olds and they'reamazing what they see in here.
They'll come up to the desk andthey'll just chit-chat with
what they've seen.
It's amazing.

Speaker 1 (01:10:16):
And it's real.
It's actually in front of them.
It's not on a screen.

Speaker 8 (01:10:19):
Yeah.

Speaker 1 (01:10:19):
That's right, right there.

Speaker 8 (01:10:20):
What I've noticed with school tours.
They're used to looking attheir phone or listening to
music on their phone, and weturn the phonograph on upstairs
and they just can't get over it.
It's now in here in their phone.

Speaker 1 (01:10:37):
Well, I just where's that avocado green wall phone
with the 30-foot cord?
And that was on the kitchenwall.
Where's that hanging in here?

Speaker 2 (01:10:46):
and I remember our phone number, popular one.
No, I won't go in hornwall.
That's right, everybodyremembers their phone number
from my mom's birthday was j 4th, she always told me, and her
phone number was 849-1776.
She told me that she got thephone number because it was her
birthday.
She also tried to tell me thatthe fireworks that fly off every

(01:11:07):
July 4th were for her, and thenI finally caught on that.
No, it didn't work that way.
You were lucky to have allthree of those.
You were lucky to have allthree of those.
But you know, looking aroundyour whole team yes, thank them
From my Burbank and also as aresident, definitely.
And you guys get together andso forth these days, these

(01:11:28):
appreciation days that you puton.

Speaker 8 (01:11:30):
Thank you, you know, this is a member.

Speaker 1 (01:11:32):
it's officially a member appreciation day, but if
you're a member.
This is a great day to come andshow your appreciation for the
volunteers and the docents.
They're probably all here today, yep, or a good chunk of them,
so this is a great chance tocome thank them too.

Speaker 8 (01:11:47):
Thank you.
Thank you Appreciate it andjoin for only $20.

Speaker 1 (01:11:51):
You got it.

Speaker 8 (01:11:51):
Yeah.
You get so much for $20.

Speaker 1 (01:11:55):
Get some tri-tip today.
Very fortunate.

Speaker 2 (01:11:58):
Yeah, today you couldn't beat the lunch, for you
know any restaurant From HandyMarket.
Yeah, exactly, exactly.
But Sue, Sue, we'll let you getback to you.
I would have over.
You know you have a coupleother volunteers, but I know a
couple of them don't likepictures.
I know they won't like aheadset on.

Speaker 1 (01:12:17):
You've got to go check up on Gary and Don.

Speaker 8 (01:12:21):
Okay, thank you guys.
Thank you, appreciate it.

Speaker 1 (01:12:25):
Ross.
Time has flown.
We've been here since thisstarted today and it's been
hours.
We've spoken to some greatpeople, great guests, who some
we've seen before, some we'vejust met today.

Speaker 2 (01:12:36):
But another great event here at the Appreciation
Barbecue at the HistoricalSociety I am blown away by again
having some of our guests thatwe did not know were going to
join us to share the history ofBurbank, like Vic Roy Park.
Wow, I'm just, I'm in awe.

Speaker 1 (01:12:55):
Well, that's why I love being kind of out in the
middle of these events that wego to and do these podcasts,
because any kind of buddy canwalk by, and this is somebody
that walked by and said hey, Idon't know if you're interested
in my family.

Speaker 2 (01:13:06):
You know that in that other piece that they have here
, we learned some secrets abouttheir new project what's coming.
What's coming, I mean that is.

Speaker 1 (01:13:18):
And we've already let everybody know about some of
the new stuff that's here.
If you were here a couplemonths ago, there's already some
new stuff to see and maybe ifwe have anybody out there that
might have some answers aboutthis giant metal city seal it is
gorgeous and huge they'rethey're doing.
They're currently researchingthat, that item.

Speaker 2 (01:13:35):
So if you can help out there, just just reach out
to them, and on the outside edgeof that, have you noticed it,
has several city council members.
No offense, the majority ofthem are gone.
I think there's only one or twoleft.

Speaker 1 (01:13:46):
I think that's what Gary was reading off some of
those names.
But part of the research isthey're trying to figure out
where this thing started itslife.
It's huge, like I said.
I jokingly said it would make agreat coffee table.
Put a piece of glass on top ofthat, but you need to come in
person to see it.
That's right.
You need to come here to see it.

Speaker 2 (01:14:03):
Well, you know again Appreciation Day, the food was
great, the band what about themarionettes that we heard?

Speaker 1 (01:14:11):
We heard it.
It was right around the corner.
It sounded like a great showand they do have.
The room around the corner isfull of chairs and not one of
them was empty during thatmarionette show.
It sounded like a great showand a lot of people enjoy that
part.
But again, just one of the manythings to come and enjoy at an
event at the Historical Society.

Speaker 2 (01:14:30):
Well, craig, you and I have done many podcasts
together.
Always great to be on air withyou.
I mean you lighten up thepodcast Today.
We're our engineer.

Speaker 1 (01:14:41):
Multitasking today.

Speaker 2 (01:14:43):
You were hitting those buttons like so well and
keeping track.
I appreciate it and thank youand until next time, always a
pleasure.
And until next time, we're notsure where we're going to be.

Speaker 1 (01:14:53):
We never know.
It's always as much of asurprise to us as it is you.

Speaker 2 (01:14:57):
That is true.

Speaker 1 (01:14:59):
To find out more about the Burbank Historical
Society, their website,burbankhistoricalsocorg.
All the events, everything's upthere.

Speaker 2 (01:15:08):
And myburbankcom oh, there's that too.
You can find what's happeningin Burbank.
There, with all of our socialmedia.

Speaker 1 (01:15:16):
And the audio version of this podcast will be
available on anything youdownload your podcasts on, and
there'll be an audio version onthe my Burbank YouTube channel,
I imagine probably within a week, but if you're hearing me say
that it's already happened.
There you go.
Good to see you, Ross.
Always fun to spend a day withyou.

Speaker 2 (01:15:34):
Until next time, toodle-oo, have a great day.