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‘Marketing the Presidency’

‘... Visual Tour of 125 Years of Presidential Artifacts’ program follows Historial Society’s annual meeting

Photos submitted to Times Observer Steve Mihaly’s political “stuff.”

The Warren County Historical Society’s Annual Meeting will be held at 6 p.m. Tuesday, March 10, in the main courtroom of the Warren County Courthouse.

The board of directors will hold a public meeting for the purpose of reporting to the organization’s membership.

At 6:30p.m., following the meeting, there will be a special program, “Marketing the Presidency: A Visual Tour of 125 Years of Presidential Artifacts,” presented by political historian Steve Mihaly.

Presidential candidates have come up with some creative gimmicks to market themselves to the public in their quest for election throughout the years. These often quirky items caught Mihaly’s interest as a child when his parents dragged him along on their antique shopping trips. Having found his own hobby, Mihaly began to amass a collection over the next 50 years that includes over 20,000 pieces of political Americana.

His collection, which includes items such as “Clean Up With Ike” soap, a Richard Nixon shower head, a James Monroe snuff box, and Theodore Roosevelt teddy bears, has garnered nationwide attention.

Photos submitted to Times Observer Steve Mihaly.

Mihaly has been featured in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Pittsburgh Tribune Review, Washington Post, and the Los Angeles Times, as well as on several national news and morning TV programs. He has even met four United States Presidents.

Mihaly is the former vice president of the HJ Heinz Co. and continues to live in the Pittsburgh area with his wife.

“I still enjoy the thrill of ‘the hunt’ and, in particularly, sharing my love of political history,” says Mihaly. “I developed the ‘Marketing the Presidency’ presentation three years ago in response to a friend’s request that I speak at the Joan Crawford Distinguished Speakers Series in Maryland.

Most folks, when they hear the word ‘marketing’ think of it as a relatively modern day term, but in terms of presidential candidates, from George Washington to today, candidates have been marketing themselves, their ideas, or marketing against their opponent, from the beginning.

“In particular, the presentation focuses on the array of ‘odd’ artifacts that candidates have produced to get the candidate’s name and ideas in front of the electorate,” he said. “Thus, the presentation tends to focus on the whimsical, while at the same time, explaining to the audience why the candidate would actually produce such an oddity and what is the historical significance behind it.”

Photos submitted to Times Observer Steve Mihaly’s political “stuff.”

This event is free and open to the public. Guests are reminded that all must enter the courthouse via the Fifth Avenue entrance of the courthouse.

For more information, call (814)723-1795, visit www.warrenhistory.org, or find the Warren County Historical Society on Facebook or Instagram.

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