On Saturday, September 14, the Mascot Hall of Fame (MHOF) in Whiting held its confetti-filled Grand FURnale closing celebration. Although the MHOF will officially be closing its doors this month, the museum will continue to maintain its online presence and will be on the lookout for potential new locations. For the past five years, the MHOF has commemorated mascot performers from all over the country, spreading education and fun along the way.
Whiting residents as well as guests from New York, New Jersey, Michigan, and Bloomington, Illinois came to join in the festivities. The Grand FURnale kicked off with a delicious pancake breakfast provided by Chris Cakes. The attendees walked throughout the MHOF, interacting with the different exhibits and learning about history’s most famous mascots. DJ Speaks enhanced the atmosphere with some excellent party music. DJ Speaks also served as the MC of the event, announcing the mascots as they arrived and encouraging the crowd to applaud.
Juan Rosendo, director of business development and consumer engagement at MHOF, considers the Grand FURnale to be a tribute to the people who have supported it during its existence.
“We weren’t happy when we heard that the MHOF would be closing,” Rosendo said. “However, we didn’t just want to close the doors, turn out the lights, and take off because that wouldn’t be fair to our members. After all, some of them travel an hour-and-a-half every weekend to participate in our weekends here. At this point, we consider them family. So we decided to turn this unfortunate situation into a positive event. The community helped us get to where we are today, so we wanted to give back to them by holding this celebration. I hope they take away memories of having a lot of fun here today.”
19 mascots came out to party with the attendees, including Reggy - the MHOF’s very own mascot - Jewel Osco’s Jojo, the Utah Jazz’s Jazz Bear, University of Cincinnati’s Bearcat, the Blackhawks’ Tommy Hawk, and the St. Paul Saints’ Mudonna, the first female mascot to be inducted into the MHOF. Last to arrive was the Chicago Bulls’ Benny the Bull, much to the onlookers’ delight. The mascots posed for plenty of photos with attendees of all ages, handed out autographs, and engaged in various mischievous antics.
Joby Giacalone, chairman of the MHOF executive selection committee, was one of the mascot “wranglers” at the Grand FURnale. As someone who has over 40 years of experience in the mascot field, he appreciated the opportunity to work with mascots at the FURnale.
“This event is about celebrating the MHOF and what has been built here,” Giacalone said. “It’s truly fascinating what the staff have done. They’ve created an environment that welcomes everybody and is particularly inclusive of people with special needs. I had a very nice experience working with all of the mascots here today.”
The Grand FURnale concluded with a balloon drop that would put many New Year's celebrations to shame. The air was filled with confetti and ribbons as the attendees excitedly danced with the mascots. Karen Anaszewicz, executive director of the MHOF, is grateful for the time she has spent with her staff over the years.
“We’ve always tried to do things the ‘mascot way’ here at the MHOF,” Anaszewicz said. “Mascots are so involved in their communities, and they all have a cause and a mission. Our goal has been to support the community however possible. I have found working with this team to be very interesting. We’re coworkers of course, but those lines have blurred and we’ve become a family. We can finish each other's sentences and anticipate the moves of every coworker because we’ve spent 40 to 60 hours a week every week, figuring out how we can make this place work. I’m pleased that I could be here when the doors opened and I’m pleased that I can be here now when they close.”
Valerie Reyes, special event coordinator at MHOF, considers the community work that the MHOF has done to be one of its most significant assets.
“The MHOF has had a huge impact on the community,” Reyes said. “We noticed that individuals with special needs didn't have a welcoming place that they always enjoyed going to. However, they felt welcome every time they came here. We also offered a number of community programs as well, including food banks, blood drives, and flu shot clinics for seniors and other community members. Our goal has been to make a positive impact nationwide. We try and make sure that each of our events are the biggest and best they can be, and we definitely tried to achieve that with the Grand FURnale.”
You can learn more about the City of Whiting’s upcoming projects, events, and announcements by visiting whitingindiana.com.
