FINDLAY, Ohio — When you think of the music of the '60s what comes to mind?
The Beatles? The Rolling Stones? CCR?
But what about some local bands?
A new history exhibit in Findlay celebrates the bands of the '60s from the Flag City.
A few years ago Hancock common pleas Judge Reginald Routson learned a song from the Findlay-based band The Nite Watchmen for a reunion event.
Being a member of another band himself in the same era, Routson continued looking into how much information he could dig up on local bands from the '60s.
"And I got to thinking 'Man, this is really interesting. So, I decided I was going to do some more work on it, and I know there's never been anything done about our local music scene from that era," Routson said.
So he turned to the Hancock Historical Museum, and their combined research has led to a new exhibit which opened this month, Findlay Rocks the '60s!
"Once I started getting into the research with him I got really interested, because I had no idea that Findlay had such a rich history of rock and roll," said Joy Bennett, curator and archivist at the Hancock Historical Museum
Now, full displays feature the history and stories of 11 of the more prominent bands that toured all across northwest Ohio and southeast Michigan.
And you can see the trends of the era from the tight-laced, suit-and-tie performances transforming into more psychedelic outfits.
And along with the images and the stories of the bands on display, each band also has an associated QR code that visitors can scan and listen to a sample of their music online.
But it's not just about the bands and their music, but a celebration of the music venues in Findlay as well.
"If you went back and looked in the paper you'd see St. Mike's CYO dances, you'd see The Green Mill Garden, all of these venues. It was everywhere. You could go to two or three shows every Friday and Saturday night," Routson said.
"Everybody has been super positive about this exhibit, for the most part, and they've been thrilled to help. One of them told me that he thought that this part of history will be lost forever, and he's so thrilled that we're saving it." Bennett said.
Findlay Rocks the '60s will be on display for the remainder of the year, and is also available online.