Have you ever been in a room and felt like all eyes were on you? Well, that’s quite literally the experience at this Northern Kentucky business.
Vent Haven Museum, the world’s only ventriloquist museum, is located in Fort Mitchell and has become a must-see attraction for those who enjoy large collections, unique museums or simply the experience of off-the-beaten-path places.
Vent Haven features a massive collection of more than 1,100 dummies used by ventriloquists from the 19th, 20th, and 21st centuries.
It all started with William Shakespeare Berger, better known as W.S. Berger. Berger’s collection began in 1910 with the purchase of his first figure, Tommy Baloney. His collection grew rapidly in the 1930s and 1940s, and by 1947 Berger’s collection moved to its first “home” inside his renovated garage. The collection continued growing and in 1962 he built a second building.
Berger spent more than 40 years adding to his personal collection anything related to ventriloquism: dummies, puppets, photos, scripts, memorabilia, playbills, posters, recordings, etc. Though he was not a professional ventriloquist, Berger’s passion for the artform led to a leadership role as president of the International Brotherhood of Ventriloquists from the late 1940s until 1960. Under his leadership the organization grew from about 300 members to more than 1,000.
In 1973, Berger’s collection was officially opened to the public. Since then the museum has more than doubled in size and Vent Haven’s uniqueness has drawn tourists from around the world.
Growing support of Vent Haven Museum eventually led to the Vent Haven ConVENTion, an annual gathering of more than 400 ventriloquists and lovers of the art that occurs each July in Northern Kentucky.
Do you think this is something you’d want to experience for yourself? Vent Haven Museum is gearing up for its upcoming season.
Tours begin on May 1, are $15 per person and last 60 to 90 minutes. Tours must be scheduled in advance, no walk-ins are permitted.
To schedule a tour, visit their website here.
To learn more about the Vent Haven ConVENTion, visit vhconvention.com.
To read more about Vent Haven Museum, visit their website venthaven.org.
