The Claremore Museum of History is set to host an exciting two-month pop-up exhibit featuring the iconic fashion of Patti Page. This special exhibit, titled “The Fashion of Patti Page,” will be open to the public from July 27 to September 29. The unveiling event will take place at the museum located at 121 N. Weenonah Ave. in Claremore, running from 6 to 8:30 p.m. on the opening day.
Steve Robinson, the chair of the museum’s board of directors, highlighted that the exhibit will showcase a variety of Patti Page’s glamorous outfits, including mink stoles, cocktail dresses, jewelry, and original sketches of her dresses. “We have several dresses of Patti Page’s that no one’s seen before,” Robinson shared. “It’s really all about the fashion of her life — not just during her heyday, but her entire career.”
In the 1950s, Patti Page sponsored a contest inviting people to design four looks based on a pattern created by Spadea Pattern Co., known as the Patti Page Quartet. The museum has commissioned local retired home economics teachers to recreate these ensembles, which will be displayed at the pop-up.
Adding an interactive element to the event, there will be life-sized paper dolls for attendees to dress up. A 1955 Oldsmobile, the car company that sponsored the Patti Page Show, will be parked outside the museum. Inside, visitors can enjoy showings of an episode of the Patti Page Show, offering a nostalgic glimpse into the past.
The unveiling event will also feature a selection of food and beverages, both alcoholic and non-alcoholic, providing a festive atmosphere for attendees. Much of the memorabilia on display has been generously donated by Timothy Akers and Dena Roeder, relatives of Page who reside in Wichita, Kansas. Akers remarked that he has contributed nearly all the Page memorabilia currently held by the museum, “excluding a few odds and ends.”
Akers recounted his first realization of his great aunt’s fame in the 1970s when he saw a sketch based on Page’s hit “(How Much Is) That Doggie in the Window?” on the children’s show “Captain Kangaroo.” “That’s the first time it clicked with me that that’s who she was,” Akers said. “When I was 7 years old, like, oh my gosh, she’s on ‘Captain Kangaroo.’ I mean, that’s the coolest thing, you know?”
Since then, Akers has made it his “lifetime hobby” to collect Page memorabilia, amassing the largest collection of her recordings in the world. Many of the dresses that will be on display at the pop-up belonged to his mother when he was growing up.
Robinson explained that the museum has begun hosting pop-up exhibits to ensure there is always something new for frequent visitors, given the museum’s limited space. He mentioned plans to expand the museum by knocking down its west wall and extending into Gazebo Park within the next four or five years.
The museum’s first pop-up exhibit, “Lingenfelter’s Service Station,” ran from May 4 to June 3 and received positive feedback from the community. “Our feedback was, the community really enjoys seeing new exhibits, and so we plan to continue to do these pop-ups until we have more space,” Robinson said.
Akers expressed his excitement about returning to Claremore for the unveiling. He emphasized the importance of celebrating his aunt’s legacy, noting that many people don’t realize the extent of her popularity during her peak. Both Robinson and Akers stated that Page was more popular than today’s Taylor Swift. “The thing is, it did not go to her head,” Akers said. “She was a lovely, beautiful, modest woman. She loved her fans. She loved the state of Oklahoma. She was the best thing that ever came out of Oklahoma, as far as I’m concerned.”