Nostalgic ‘Growing Up X’ exhibit on display in Grayslake

GRAYSLAKE – The Grayslake Heritage Center and Museum shines a spotlight on Generation X with the Illinois State Museum’s traveling exhibit “Growing Up X,” which will remain on display until June 14.

The exhibition explores the toys, technologies and cultural touchstones surrounding Gen Xers in their childhood.

Museum visitors will see items familiar to anyone who grew up in the 1970s and 1980s, from telephones with cords, record and cassette players and an SE-30 Macintosh computer to Teddy Ruxpin and parachute pants.

Visitors will learn how growing up in the shadow of the Vietnam War, the AIDS crisis, and the War on Drugs shaped Gen Xers as individuals and a generation.

For those looking to immerse themselves in the experience of “growing up X,” the exhibition offers an interactive rec room space where visitors can sit on a floral sofa, watch a movie on VHS, play a video game or listen to a cassette tape.

Several Grayslake experiences also are on display, including going to Grayslake Community High School, businesses that were around during the 1970s, ’80s and ’90s and artifacts that were donated by residents.

“My favorite part is hearing people say, ‘Oh, no way!’ as soon as they walk into the room,” Grayslake Heritage Center and Museum Executive Director Michelle Poe said in a news release. “The exhibit is about growing up from the 1970s to ’90s but you don’t have to be a Gen Xer to remember wood paneling, Blockbuster and answering machines. It’s fun to see families in the exhibit, and there’s something for everyone.”

More than 1,000 results from a public survey the Illinois State Museum sent out in 2022 informed the exhibition with the inclusion of insights, quotes, photographs and loaned objects from Gen Xers. A Grayslake version of the survey also was sent out and local responses were incorporated into the exhibit.