The Wellington County Museum and Archives is showcasing a local collector's passions through a movie night.
Rick Clark is an avid Coca-Cola and Elvis Presley fan. He started collecting out of a love and passion for his favourite musician and beverage.
"It happened very innocently," said Clark. "When I look back in hindsight, it wasn't a goal that originally set out. There's something that just lured me to Elvis Presley and Coca-Cola."
Growing up, he found an early Presley album in his parents' record collection. Since listening to that album, he was fascinated. He was then given Presley memorabilia for birthdays and holidays.
With Coca-Cola, he liked the way it was advertised.
"It was always the merchandising and how they entertain their product through the music on their commercials in the early days, the '60s and '70s, and they continued to do so with the Christmas themes," he said.
From there, he added the brand to his collections. Over the years, that collection grew to what it is now, one that fills his rec room with red, white, and Presley. A portion of Clark's Coca-Cola collection on display. (Provided by Amy Dunlop)
When Amy Dunlop, assistant curator at the Wellington County Museum, heard about Clark's collection, she went to see it and thought it would be perfect to showcase.
"When I saw how he displayed all the items and what he had, I was inspired and knew that we had enough space at the museum to tell his story and to have fun," said Dunlop. "A big part of the story is his connection, his love of Elvis Presley and the brand Coca-Cola, and the history behind it."
At the movie night, the 2022 Elvis movie will be shown. Tickets cost $10 each and come with free pop and popcorn. Alternatively, candy and Coca-Cola or root beer floats will be available for $5 each.
After the movie wraps up, guests will hear from Clark about his exhibit, titled "Cola Goes Better with Elvis: The Rick Clark Collection".
"I found out a lot, learned a lot of the life and times of Elvis Presley over the years and I'm hoping I can answer a lot of good questions and maybe share some things from my perspective, how I got to this point," he said. "I'm not there to convince [people] to be Elvis or Coca-Cola fans. But if they can just know that I've had fun with it and it's been a thrill for me to share my exhibit with everybody."
The movie night is on Saturday, September 9. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. More information about the collection can be found here. A portion of Clark's Elvis collection on display. (Provided by Amy Dunlop)