The signs showcase old and new food-related places across the county, and the exhibit is in the Loomis Barn located next to the Chenango County Historical Society and Museum. (Photo by Lilli Iannella)

NORWICH – Every June, The Chenango County Historical Society and Museum features an opening exhibit to celebrate the semi-annual Path Through History Weekend, where communities statewide come together to showcase their histories and culture. On Sunday, the society will introduce its new exhibition, “Sign of the Times: Flavors of Yesterday,” which features vintage food-related signs.

The signs, collected by local Historian John Antonowicz, depict past and present Chenango County restaurants, grocery stores, pubs and other food manufacturing places, said Joseph Fryc, the society’s operations manager.

Fryc said that community members may build deep connections with both the people and businesses they come across, and signage like that of Antonowicz’s represents fond memories and nostalgia.

“If you were to show the Grande’s Pizza sign to somebody, they would probably be able to rattle off a dozen memories from Grande’s Pizza about growing up or their times spent there,” he said. “So it really takes on this human-like quality – people build a relationship not only with the people that they meet there, but with the locations themselves.”

Although the signs originate from businesses across Chenango County, many of them are from Norwich, Fryc said. Antonowicz called his signs “true Americana” and said he started collecting them when he was 11 years old.

“If it’s from Norwich and it’s a sign, I need it,” Antonowicz said. ”I buy them from businesses, auctions, estate sales, sometimes in the dump – I’m not ashamed of that.”

Not all of Antonowicz’s signs will be on display in the exhibit, but Fryc said the society might create a recurring exhibit that swaps out different parts of the collection based on category, with the opening topic being food.

While the signs represent histories, Fryc said Antonowicz will be sharing his own stories and interpretations of his signs.

“Local businesses can become almost like family to you, almost like friends,” Fryc said. “Even these inanimate pieces of signage are essentially kind of like friends to people.”

The exhibit will open at 2:30 p.m. on Sunday in the Loomis Barn located just next to the society’s building in Norwich, said Jessica Moquin, CCHS executive director. Following the opening of the exhibit, it will be accessible to the public Wednesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. starting next week, Moquin said. Admission to the exhibit is free, she said, but visitors can make a donation to the society if they choose.

Events on Sunday will take place from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m., Moquin said, and throughout the day, a food truck will be serving American cuisine. Following the opening of the exhibition, she said, the society will present memorial scholarship awards to two graduating seniors and launch their 11th issue of the "Journal of the Chenango County Historical Society."

The journal captures stories related to Chenango County that are submitted by county community members, Fryc said. Moquin said interested readers can buy the journal for $24.95 at the society’s museum shop.

Afterward, she said the society will unveil its newest members of the Chenango Heritage “Wall of Honor,” which according to the society's website recognizes community members, dead or alive, on the wall inside the main entrance of the Ward School No. 2.

Whether they be related to specific towns within Chenango County, the county as a whole, or all of New York state, community members will share memories and stories with others attending the event, Moquin said. She said the day allows the county community to take a moment to reflect upon its history.

“We have some really cool heritage, some amazing culture, that has come out of Chenango County and continues to this day,” Moquin said. “So we use our Path Through History celebrations as the opportunity to really shine a spotlight and feature all the highlights of what makes Chenango County so unique and so special.”