CALENDAR 2007

Chester Gould-Dick Tracy Museum
to Close

The Board of Directors of the Chester Gould-Dick Tracy Museum has announced that the Museum facility will close on June 1, 2008. A fixture on the Woodstock, Illinois Town Square since 1991, the Museum has welcomed thousands of visitors. Its charter was to preserve the record of Chester Gould’s contributions to America and the heritage of the Dick Tracy comic strip and its values for this and future generations. It did so through a comprehensive display of Chester Gould’s lifetime of art and the stories of his famed detective combined with community programs and outreach. The Museum brought cartoon classes, sidewalk art contests, fedora decorating exhibits, breakfast with Santa, art scholarships and other activities to the community.

Many people in the Woodstock community have worked hard over the years in the development of the Museum. Door admissions, merchandise sales and fundraisers, however, do not offset the cost of continuing operations. The Board regrets this decision to close, but its efforts to find corporate, foundation or tax-supported financing have not been successful.

The entire collection of art and memorabilia has been photographed, and the Museum hopes to continue “on line.“ A fan-friendly virtual museum with research capabilities and views of currently displayed materials is under development. In addition, Cliff and Beverly Ganschow, owners of the Old Court House & Sheriff’s House Complex, have expressed an interest in dedicating an area for a permanent display of many of the Chester Gould and Dick Tracy exhibits previously seen in the Museum. For further information, call the Museum at
(815) 338-8281.

The Art of Dick Tracy
The Chester Gould-Dick Tracy Museum proudly presents a 75th Anniversary Retrospective Art Exhibition "The Art Of Dick Tracy: 75 Years of Crooks, Dames and Fedoras, a decade by decade dissection of 'America's Most Famous Detective'".

The exhibition explores the maturation of the Dick Tracy comic strip, its character's, the changing nature of crime, as well as aesthetic changes spanning its 75-year history.

The exhibition is visually presented through more than one hundred examples of original artwork and high resolution reproduced examples of the Museum's extensive collection of original newspaper Sunday pages and daily comic strips, in brilliant color and breathtaking black and white.

Please Join Us
Friday, June 22, 2007
At Seven o'clock in the evening
For A Grand Opening

Old Courthouse Arts Center
Chester Gould-Dick Tracy Museum
101 North Johnson Street
Woodstock, Illinois

Refreshments and light appetizers
will be served.



Dick Tracy poster draws
the attention of tourists
By Don Peasley
Woodstock Independent


Tracy O'Connell, grandson of Dick Tracy creator of Chester Gould, stands by the Illinois Tourism Council poster featuring the famous detective.

A poster featuring Dick Tracy is one of the attractions calling attention to unique Illinois tourism sites. The campaign is conducted by the Illinois Tourism Council.

In the poster, Tracy wears his familiar yellow raincoat and yellow fedora, and the copy states, "Not All Heros Wear Tights." The poster states the home of the Dick Tracy Museum is Woodstock.

Bonnie Heimbach, executive director of the Northern Illinois Tourism Development office, said the poster campaign started a year ago. It has become so successful, the Dick Tracy poster is one of four new ones designed and released this year. Heimbach is delighted an important attraction in northern Illinois is featured as one of the posters.

"The posters are placed in transit stops, mall kiosks, train stations and other places where travelers congregate. These finished posters are reminiscent of the style developed to call attention to movies," said Heimbach.

The Dick Tracy poster was developed with permission from the Chicago Tribune.

From1936 to 1977, cartoonist Chester Gould drew the "Dick Tracy" strip from his rural Woodstock studio, never once missing a deadline. The museum built in his honor holds original artwork and memorabilia, and the Crimestppers Club Room lets boys and girls experiment hands-on with everything from forensic science to drawing techniques.

New posters this year also include "The World's Largest Catsup Bottle," a roadside attraction in Collinsville measuring 170 feet and "Cave-In-Rock," a 55-foot wide cave in southern Illinois which provided a hideout for outlaws in the 1800s.

Earlier posters included a 400-pound Butter Cow, Superman, Illinois wine, Tallest Man in the World and Jane the T-Rex.

Heimbach said interest in the posters created plans to develop merchandise such as T-shirts, magnets, aprons, note cards and even doggie T-shirts using the poster artwork with proceeds to fund further efforts to promote Illinois tourism.

The Dick Tracy poster in this series is on display at the Chester Gould-Dick Tracy Museum in the Old Court House Arts Center on the Square.

Posters can be seen on the Website www.enjoyillinois.com



Molly Brown Recipient of the Chester Gould-Dick Tracy Art Scholarship



Molly Brown, 17, Woodstock High School senior, visits with Jean Gould O'Connell at the Chester Gould-Dick Tracy Museum. Brown was presented a scholarship to attend a summer art program July 16 to 22 at Northern Illinois University. Her scholarship is sponsored by the Chester Gould-Dick Tracy Museum. Brown shows O'Connell, daughter of Chester Gould, some of her artwork.