I toured this morning the Trader Jon’s exhibit in the T.T. Wentworth Museum with Rob Overton, Chief Operating Officer for UWF Historic Trust.
In February 2015, I wrote an “Outtakes” on the need to bring back Trader’s. I asked the Destination 2020 folks to “consider helping bring back an iconic attraction, which was part of our military history for 50 years, as part of its strategy. It is a place of which generations of aviators still have fond memories—Trader Jon’s.”
The UWF Historic Trust heard my request and made it a reality. As we walked through the exhibit, Overton said, “Your column inspired me to pursue this. It’s a part of Pensacola history that so many have fond memories of.”
Located on the museum’s second floor, the exhibit opens with the front door of the bar and features memorabilia from the Trader Jon collection, including model airplanes that once hung from the ceiling, flight suits and signed photos of celebrities. Other highlights of the exhibit include a replica bar, as well as a miniaturized re-creation of the bar’s Blue Angels Museum room and video recordings of the legend himself, Martin “Trader Jon†Weissman, telling his story.
Pensascola filmmaker Liz Watkins provided the video recordings.
The T.T. Wentworth Jr. Museum is open Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Thursdays through Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. and on Sundays from noon to 4 p.m. To learn more about the Trader Jon’s exhibit and for museum hours and ticket pricing, visit historicpensacola.org.
