Geppi's Entertainment Museum

Geppi's Entertainment Museum
Established	September 8, 2006
Location	2nd floor, Camden Yards Baltimore, Maryland
Director	Melissa Geppi-Bowersox, President
Website	Official website

First edition comic books

Disney collectibles from 1928 to 1945

Geppi's Entertainment Museum is a 16,000-square-foot (1,500 m2) privately owned pop culture museum located at historic Camden Station at Camden Yards in Baltimore, Maryland. The museum chronicles the history of pop culture in America from the 17th century to today as made popular in newspapers, magazines, comic books, movies, television, radio and video games. It features a large and varied collection of nearly 6,0000 pop culture artifacts, including magazines, movie posters, toys, buttons, badges, cereal boxes, trading cards, dolls, figurines - and memorabilia of every conceivable category!. Geppi’s Entertainment Museum is located in downtown Baltimore's historic Camden Station at Camden Yards, directly above the Sports Legends Museum at Camden Yards and adjacent to Oriole Park at Camden Yards.

Background

The museum is owned by Stephen A. Geppi, President and CEO of Diamond Comics Distributors, and The majority of the artifacts come from Geppi's private collection. In 2007, Geppi's daughter Melissa "Missy" Geppi-Bowersox became the Executive Vice-President of the Geppi’s Entertainment Museum; in 2012, Melissa Geppi-Bowersox was promoted to President.

The museum's founding curator was Dr. Arnold T. Blumberg, former editor at Gemstone Publishing. In 2011 Andy Hershberger was promoted to Associate Curator/Registrar, and has since worked with Melissa Geppi-Bowersox in the creation of a curatorial advisory committee.

In 2012, the museum store was renamed Geppi's Comic World (formerly: Flashbacks) in honor of Geppi’s former comic chain. Zachary Winland is the current manager of Geppi's Comic World.

Exhibits

The museum is composed of several galleries devoted to different eras of pop culture, as well as a temporary exhibit space for rotating exhibits. The standing galleries are:

A Story in Four Colors displays a large collection of comic books to the Golden Age to the Modern Era. The gallery also includes an extensive collection of pulp magazines and Big Little Books.
Pioneer Spirit: Baltimore Heroes looks at personalities, businesses and events that have contributed to Baltimore's reputation.
Extra, Extra: 1776-1927 features characters made popular in newspapers, books, movies and radio broadcasts of the era.
When Heroes Unite: 1928-1945 displays character collectibles from the Great Depression until World War II, including Mickey Mouse, Popeye, Superman, Captain Marvel, Dick Tracy, Tom Mix, Gene Autry, The Lone Ranger and more.
America Tunes In: 1946-1960 features artifacts from the postwar era, including Howdy Doody, Davy Crockett, I Love Lucy, sports heroes, space and western shows and rock and roll.
Revolution: 1961 to 1970 contains relics from one of the most influential decades of the 20th century. James Bond, The Flintstones, Batman, The Green Hornet, Star Trek, The Beatles, Barbie and G.I. Joe are among the characters and franchises represented here.
Expanding Universe: 1971-1990 highlights video games, fast food tie-ins, Saturday morning cartoons, TV celebrities and Star Wars, among other post-1960s developments in pop culture.
Going Global: 1991–Present displays artifacts from the last decade of the 20th century to the present, and includes representation of Jack Sparrow, MC Hammer, Hanna Montana and the Toy Story franchise.

Special Edition: Temporary Exhibits

Geppi’s Entertainment Museum has been host to a wide range of rotating exhibits on topics such as Star Wars, the Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide, and previews of upcoming toys. As of August 2014, the current exhibit is Milestones: African Americans in Comics, Pop Culture and Beyond. Developed and curated by Michael Davis, co-founder of Milestone Media, it is scheduled to run through December 2014.

Events

Zombie Gras

Geppi's Entertainment Museum's Zombie Gras is a yearly event timed to coincide with Mardi Gras. During Zombie Gras, patrons gather at Geppi's Entertainment Museum and are transformed into zombies - then unleashed to shamble on the streets of Baltimore. Once on the prowl, these organized undead descend upon participating restaurants: restaurants eager to satisfy the hunger of the undead with great food at prices to die for.

The next Zombie Gras, titled Zombie Gras 3, is taking place on March 30, 2013.

Pirates & Princess Party

Geppi’s Entertainment Museum’s Pirate & Princess Party is an annual party thrown during the summer season. At the Pirates & Princess Party young kids are encouraged to dress up as pirates or royalty and explore the museum’s many rooms – all brimming with special activities.

There are games, prizes, stories and food aplenty to keep all entertained.

Awards and recognition

Winner of Nickelodeon's 2009 ParentsConnect.com Parents' Picks Award for Best Kid Museum.
Winner of Nickelodeon's 2008 ParentsConnect.com Parents' Picks Award for Best Teen Museum.
Baltimore City Paper 's GEM Best NonArt Museum, 2007.

In popular culture

The museum is featured in the 2008 Free Comic Book Day edition of Archie Comics Archie's Pal Jughead. The story, "Night at the Entertainment Museum," involves Archie and Jughead getting a job as night watchmen at the museum. Owner Steve Geppi and founding curator Arnold T. Blumberg also appear in the story.

Footnotes

External links

Museums in Maryland

Art	Academy Art African Art Museum of Maryland American Visionary Art Art Gallery at the University of Maryland Baltimore Museum of Art Brooke Whiting House of Art Center for Art, Design and Visual Culture Charm City Art Space Contemporary Havre de Grace Decoy Museum Janus Museum Maryland Art Place Maryland Institute College of Art Galleries Ratner Museum Strathmore Walters Art Museum Ward Museum of Wildfowl Art Washington County Fine Arts

Aerospace & Aviation	College Park Aviation Museum Glenn L. Martin Maryland Aviation Museum Goddard Visitor Center Hagerstown Aviation Museum Patuxent River Naval Air Museum

Entertainment	Chesapeake Children's Museum Geppi's Entertainment Port Discovery Radio & Television Museum Ripley's Believe It or Not! Museum

History & Historic houses	Adkins Historical Museum Baltimore Museum of Industry Banneker-Douglass Museum Barbara Fritchie House and Museum Beall-Dawson House Belair Mansion Belair Stable Museum Benson-Hammond House Bowman House Button Farm Living History Center Clara Barton National Historic Site Carroll County Farm Museum Carroll Mansion Costen House Cray House Darnall's Chance Edgar Allan Poe House and Museum Evergreen Museum & Library Flag House Furnace Town Girdletree Barnes Bank Government House Great Blacks in Wax Museum Hager House Hammond-Harwood House Hampton National Historic Site Hancock's Resolution His Lordship's Kindness Historic London Town Historic St. Mary's City Homewood Museum J. Millard Tawes Historical Museum Jerusalem Mill Village Julia A. Purnell Museum Kennedy Farm Ladew Topiary Gardens La Grange Plantation Laurel Museum Marietta House Museum Maryland Historical Society Maryland State House Miller House Museum Montpelier Mansion Mother Seton House Mount Clare Museum House Mount Harmon Plantation Oxon Cove Park and Oxon Hill Farm Pemberton Hall National Colonial Farm Poplar Hill Mansion Riversdale Rose Hill Manor Park & Children's Museum Schifferstadt Architectural Museum Smallwood State Park Sotterley Plantation Star Spangled Banner Flag House and 1812 Museum Steppingstone Museum Surratt House Museum Susquehanna State Park Taylor House Teackle Mansion Thomas Stone National Historic Site Tudor Hall (Bel Air, Maryland) Tudor Hall (Leonardtown, Maryland) Union Mills Homestead William Paca House & Garden

Maritime	Annapolis Maritime Museum Calvert Marine Museum Capt. Salem Avery House Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum Concord Point Lighthouse Cove Point Light Havre de Grace Maritime Museum Historic Ships in Baltimore Joppa Wharf Museum Maryland Dove Ocean City Life-Saving Station Museum Point Lookout Light Richardson Maritime Museum Thomas Point Shoal Lighthouse Tilghman Watermen's Museum Turkey Point Light Station Upper Bay Museum U.S. Naval Academy Museum Waterman's Museum

Military	Airmen Memorial Museum Antietam National Battlefield Bainbridge Naval Training Center Museum Fort Frederick State Park Fort George G. Meade Museum Fort McHenry Fort Washington Park Maryland Museum of Military History Monocacy National Battlefield National Cryptologic Museum Point Lookout State Park

Railway	B&O Railroad Museum Baltimore Streetcar Museum Boonsboro Trolley Museum Brunswick Heritage Museum Chesapeake Beach Railway Museum Hagerstown Roundhouse Museum Huntington Railroad Museum La Plata Train Station Marion Station Railroad Museum National Capital Trolley Museum Perryville Railway Museum Queponco Railway Station Stevensville Train Depot The Train Room and Museum Walkersville Southern Railroad Museum Western Maryland Railway Historical Society Museum

Science, Natural History & Medicine	Baltimore Public Works Museum Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge B. Olive Cole Pharmacy Museum Cylburn Nature Museum Deep Creek Lake Discovery Center Discovery Station Eden Mill Nature Center Lamar Heritage and Culture Center Maryland Science Center National Electronics Museum National Museum of Dentistry National Museum of Civil War Medicine National Wildlife Visitor Center at Patuxent Research Refuge Stonestreet Museum of 19th Century Medicine University of Maryland School of Nursing Living History Museum William P. Didusch Center for Urologic History

Sports	Babe Ruth Lacrosse Sailing Sports Legends

Transportation	Bob's Vintage Museum Canal Place C&D Canal Museum Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park Queen City Transportation Museum Thrasher Carriage Museum Wheels of Yesterday

Heritage	Banneker-Douglass Museum Jewish Museum of Maryland Latvian Museum National Slavic Museum Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland African American History & Culture

Miscellaneous	Anne Arundel County Free School Christian Heritage Museum George Alfred Townsend Museum Mt. Zion One Room School National Museum of Language National Shrine of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton St. Martin's Episcopal Church Museum Phoenix Shot Tower Sturgis One Room School Wye Grist Mill

Coordinates: 39°17′6″N 76°37′11″W / 39.28500°N 76.61972°W / 39.28500; -76.61972