By Tom Hintgen
Otter Tail County Correspondent
Larry Zevenbergen, Hollandale, Minn. with the linotype
This year marked the second year the Minnesota Newspaper Museum has hosted visitors at the state fair in its new home. The museum is now located adjacent to the 4-H Building in the northeast section of the fairgrounds.
From 1987 to 2013 the newspaper museum was located at Heritage Square, just north of the midway. That area is now used by the state fair’s West End Market.
This year, as in previous years, the newspaper museum attracted thousands of visitors. Guests were able to see old-time newspaper veterans operate 1930s letterpress equipment.
“We want to have things up close and personal, explaining how the hot metal letterpress process worked,” said linotype operator and volunteer Larry Zevenbergen who worked for the Albert Lea Tribune.
He was a linotype operator at the newspaper in Albert Lea from 1966 until 1976, when the newspaper went to a new offset type of operation. Most newspapers in Minnesota also switched from letterpress to offset in the 1970s.
Linda Falkman and Bob Shaw at the Minnesota Newspaper Museum
Zevenbergen and others learned new jobs at the various newspapers in Minnesota.
Kids visiting the newspaper museum at the state fair this year with their parents marveled at how the letterpress method in prior decade compares to the computerized world they live in, today.
Children and adults alike left the newspaper museum with mementos such as newspaper hats, souvenir newspapers printed during the state fair with use of linotypes and the like, drawings of old newspaper equipment, bookmarks and memo pads.
The editor’s office also was a main attraction this year at the Minnesota Newspaper Museum adjacent to the 4-H Building.
The newspaper museum was open from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. each day of the state fair.