A cotton candy stand, a roving juggler, and an acrobat brought a fairground vibe to the Museum of Science and Industry on Thursday night. To celebrate its 125th anniversary, popcorn company C. Cretors hosted a 400-guest gala in a spot that has great significance to the organization.
According to vice president of sales and marketing Shelley Olesen, company founder Charles Cretors brought his newly invented popcorn machine to the grounds of the World's Fair, for which the museum was originally built, in 1893. The steam-driven wagon "was a hit," she said. "And unbeknownst to [Cretors], that machine and that concept ended up being instrumental in the start of the entire concession industry."
When planning the milestone celebration, "we started chatting with a lot of other concession vendors and said, 'Hey, this is a great opportunity to get together and collectively celebrate our industry,'" Olesen said. Companies such as Coca-Cola and Packaging Concepts Inc. signed on as sponsors, the guest list comprised industry reps from 48 countries, and vendors such as Eisenberg hot dogs and FuNacho set up food stations for the cocktail reception.
Linda Kingsley, the museum's director of sales for corporate and private events, worked with Olesen to create a theme for the evening. "When I did the proposal, I developed a design that was based on the company's time line," she said. "C. Cretors was launched at the World's Fair, and now they're very Hollywood. They have ties to MGM and all the big movie studios."
Marilyn Monroe and Charlie Chaplin lookalikes mingled with guests during the cocktail reception, and tabletop decor incorporated film strips and reels. Signed movie posters filled a silent auction, which benefitted the Chicago Arts Partnerships in Education. "The overarching theme was 'Midway to the Red Carpet,'" said Olesen. "We wanted to bring our company's trajectory to life."
