Valpo Museum Ambitious Exhibit Revealed: Cool Ram Truck…No Boundaries

Nov 9, 2018

I think you’ll agree with me when I say Porter County has an engaging history. And now, history is engaging Valpo’s downtown. In this month’s Grieger’s blog, “Cool Ram …No Boundaries”, you’ll take a ride with Porter County Museum Director Kevin Pazour. Kevin will review a Ram Truck while giving you a VIP perspective of PoCo Muse’s first-ever interactive museum exhibit.

Fasten your seat belts, Porter County, because “Cool Car…No Boundaries” is about to take you on an engaging and interactive journey. You’ll go back in time. Way back! 100 years ago, when Valpo’s downtown tied the horse, went “over there” and came back to a Ram.

WWI Soldiers-Main St. (Lincolnway) in Valpo

You’ll discover when a special place called Porter County came together and kicked some Kaiser butt!

The influence of World War I remain entrenched in Porter County’s modern culture. Valpo’s quaint downtown and tradition of community volunteerism has a striking similarity to the Valpo of 100 years ago. Chesterton stands on the shoulders of its bold forefathers. Portage became Porter Counties largest city due to the economic boom at the steel mills, which worked around the clock to support victory overseas.

Kevin Pazour believes the uniqueness of the county was formed by the area’s equally special past and that by understanding our past, we can have a better understanding of who we are, and where we are going. Ironically, Pazour was interviewed while reviewing the Ram Rebel Truck-an iconic American workhorse whose history began in World War One.

Do Your Part! Porter County Responds to the First World War

While it is not uncommon for museums around the country to celebrate the recent 100^th Anniversary of the Armistice of WWI, the “Poco Muse” Museum, chose a unique and innovative approach to its WWI exhibit.

Do Your Part! A County Responds to the First World War

Perhaps Poco Muse’s most ambitious exhibit ever!

According to Museum Director Kevin Pazour, Porter County responded in a special way to the war that left a profound influence on our communities, which differentiate us from other towns and cities.

“The Poco Muse exhibit engages visitors from the vantage point of life on the homefront in Valpo and how Porter County residents were impacted from the war. The Poco Muse team has discussed creating a WWI exhibit for quite some time.”

They wanted a special exhibit that would connect with today’s generation. This interactive exhibit engages guests to experience life within the Sheriff’s home on the southeast corner of the downtown square.

“It’s timely with Nov 11^th being the 100^th anniversary of the Armistice”, said Pazour,“almost everything we do as a museum, we try to take the focus from the point of view of people that lived here in Porter County. Most museums focus their WWI Exhibits on what was happening overseas. We [Poco Muse] try to take it from the perspective of how did what was going on overseas impact the people here…in Valparaiso, in Porter County…and what we found was awe inspiring. The zeal of the men to sign up to fight…Of what people did to support the soldiers that served and to win the war.”

If you haven’t met Kevin Pazour, or been by the Porter County Museum, I would encourage you to do so. Kevin is a Valpo guy and one of the nicest guys you’ll ever meet. His knowledge of Valpo and Porter County is endless!

Pazour is a showman and a promoter. Just check out Kevin as he shares a little bit about the Museums new exhibit and his animated review of the Ram Truck he drove during our interview…

As seen on the video above, the Porter County Museum is located inside the former Porter County Jail & Sheriff’s Residence– just southeast of the Porter County Courthouse in Valparaiso, Indiana.

This isn’t your grandparents museum…or is it?

The WWI exhibit, called “DO YOUR PART- A County Responds to the First World War.” is an engaging experience that brings your senses to life as you explore life in a forgone era. The first ever interactive exhibit in Valpo’s layered history, you’ll immerse yourself in local World War I history as you step into a setting inspired by a Porter County kitchen and dining room as it was during the war. You’ll explore artifacts and stories that demonstrate how Porter County residents worked and volunteered on the Homefront as a response to the war.

In some ways it’s like going back in time.

“The Museum is located in the old Jail House located on the southeast corner of the square in downtown Valparaiso. It was originally served at an old Jail Sheriff’s residence, with the county jail positioned behind it…, this served in this capacity during the war, so we’re putting some of that character back to these spaces so that visitors will be stepping back into the dining room and the kitchen during the World War I era…encouraging visitors to interact with the space.”

“The exhibit uses interactive methods of teaching these stories, while engaging visitors, where they can use their hands, which is uncommon.”

WWI represented the dividing line between the county’s isolation from the world as small farming communities to an unfamiliar new order. The museum exhibit should capture the look and feel of this extraordinary time.

While the World War I profoundly shaped what came to be known as “the American century”, Pazour believes the unique values and culture of Porter County helped sculpture the specialness we still enjoy today.

You’ll learn how the men of Porter County organized a grass roots unit to fight, “over there”.

According to Pazour, “In some ways, this part of history has been relegated to the back shelf and were pulling it to the forefront. You’ll learn about the national guard unit called Company L– made up exclusively of men from Porter County. A pivotal time in U.S. history that transitioned from these independent National Guard units that was just organized a year prior to the first world war for something called the Mexican Expedition in 1916, which was a border war.

The United States was dipping its toe into international affairs. This same local company (made of men from Porter County) reorganized to fight in World War I. This is just one of the points that will be featured in the exhibit.

My hope is to show we are connected to the past-that the people that lived here are not aware that these things happened – or the impact that the war had on the area and the culture. Pazour believes there is a bit of disconnect between today’s young generation and those that gave selflessly, both home and abroad. “We think this is the way we can present this history that can make it relatable…which anymore is difficult to do.”

Porter County Women and the War

Women weren’t allowed to join the army, but the war still completely changed their lives – in some ways, for the better!

Before the war, a woman’s role was in the home. But with the men away at war, help was needed in the workplace – and so millions of women went to work in offices, factories, shops, transport and on farms.

American Trucks and War…. Birth of the Ram

America emerged from the war as a world superpower, and the Dodge Trucks helped lead the charge. The first military Mopar’s were the Dodge Brothers’ trucks used in General Pershing’s battles in prewar Mexico, and the surprisingly-early Jeffery Quad 4×4 (later called the Nash Quad). Dodge Brothers cars and howitzers were valued by the military during World War I.

100 Years ago, Dodge Brothers developed the decendant of the modern Ram Truck

After the Armistice, the American soldiers came home to small towns and farms. The Dodge also came home as the trusted work mule that helped spur an economic prosperity we have enjoyed for the last 100 years.

The go anywhere, do anything tradition of the Dodge trucks still exemplifies the American values of power, innovation and quality.

The Dodge came back Valpo with it’s soldiers.

Porter County is a special place because it stands on the shoulders of our descendants, and so does the modern era of Ram Trucks. Just take a closer look at the 2019 Ram Truck Pazour drove. Here is Gear Diary’s critical review of this month’s featured Grieger’s COOL TRUCK…NO BOUNDARIES BLOG.

Grieger’s 2019 Ram Rebel 1500 Review

Longer, lighter, safer, smarter, and stronger…and a little bit more expensive. That is how I am describing the new 2019 Ram 1500 Pickup. We spent a very short time with the newest Rebel model recently and came away with some surprises.

Kevin Pazour of Poco Muse reviews the Ram Rebel

First impressions, however, left us with a very good feeling for the new Ram despite many folks having no problem telling us they did not really care for the new styling. And these are truck people saying this so Ram may want to take a listen. This is all new styling for 2019 and gone is the traditional if outdated crosshair grille design, and the traditional fender badging has been moved to the sides of the power dome hood.

Griegers: Cool Car…No Boundaries.

The new truck is a bit longer in wheelbase over the outgoing Ram by about four inches. This aids the overall balance and stability. New lighter materials help cut down weight and therefore enhance fuel economy figures as well. Payload has increased to 2,300 pounds for 2019 and the new truck can tow up to 12,750 pounds. This truck is also more aerodynamic thanks to active grille shutters, new air dam, and air suspension system for a best-in-segment coefficient of dray of .357. Ram gives the new 1500 the largest front brake rotors on its class at 14.9 inches, and the all-new Frequency Response Damping shocks provide the best combination of ride, handling, and comfort in a truck. I’m telling you folks, the ride quality is truly impressive.

There is some new technology coming underneath the hood this year for light-duty Ram pickups but our tester did not feature it. Ram calls it eTorque and it is basically mild electrification that boosts power when needed. eTorque combines a belt-driven motor generator unit with a 48-volt battery pack to enable not only start/stop function but short-term torque assist and brake energy regeneration. eTorque will be available on the Pentastar 3.6-liter V-6 as well as 5.7-liter Hemi V-8 engines. Our tester arrived with the gasoline-only 5.7-liter Hemi V-8 mated to new-generation TorqueFlite 8-speed automatic transmission with dash-mounted rotary shift knob. This powertrain produces 395hp and 410 lb. ft. torque. The new eTorque system will add some 130 lb. ft. of torque for short periods. This Rebel tester, of course, came rolling in on a 4WD chassis and featured the electric shift-on-the-fly two-speed transfer case and new electronic locking rear differe

2019 Ram Rebel 1500/Images courtesy Ram

New smart safety technology includes adaptive cruise control with stop, go, and hold, forward collision warning plus with automatic braking, adaptive front lighting, ready alert braking and trailer-sway damping control, LaneSense lane departure warning to alert the driver and offer corrective action, ParkSense parallel and perpendicular park assist, surround view camera, hill start assist and hill descent control, and blind spot/rear cross path detection.

Let’s get to the interior of this new truck and check out the center stack that looks like a large electronic tablet stuck in the middle of the dash. You can control nearly every creature comfort and even operational functions from this screen. Ram uses the latest Uconnect 4C NAV infotainment technology here and the center stack itself has even been raised a bit for better access to all functions. And the new touchscreen can be set for one application over the entire screen, such as a navigation map, or split in two for dual applications. Engineers have made the cabin quieter for 2019 and redesigned the center console. Cab lengths have increased with the new models and there is now a true flat load floor in the rear.

Looking specifically at our Ram Rebel tester, the factory now offers Rebel in the shorter Quad Cab configuration. It still has four traditional style doors but the rear seating area loses a bit of legroom. This shortens the overall length of the truck making it more capable in the off-road environment. And while our Rebel tester did not feature the new 12-inch screen it did arrive with the familiar 8.4-inch model as well as a rocking Alpine premium audio system.

Pricing for the 2019 Ram 1500 begins at $31,695 in Tradesman Quad Cab 4×2 configuration. Our Rebel Quad Cab 4×4 tester arrived with a final window sticker of $69,510 fully loaded. That’s a good chunk more than the last Ram Rebel 1500 we tested, and that truck had the Crew Cab. Fuel economy is rated at 15 mpg city and 22 mpg highway.

We really enjoyed our short time with the new 2019 Ram 1500 Rebel. We were surprised how well this drove and how quiet and smooth it was. We were equally surprised at the window sticker. All in all, this is a great truck. I miss the fender badging and the crosshair grille, but those are minor points. If you want the best on-road experience in a new pickup, look no further than the 2019 Ram 1500.

According to Fleet Manager, Justin Carlson, Grieger’s Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Ram has earned allocations of cars, SUV and Trucks, including hard to get Ram Trucks and Valpo’s favorite, the Jeep line-up. Ram Factory incentives are up to $12,310- at time of publishing. For additional savings with real-time selection, shop on-line at Griegers Motors– or stop by Griegers Motors, Valparaiso’s Ram dealership at 1756 West US 30 in Valparaiso.

So there you have it, folks. The Cool Car…No Boundaries, Ram Rebel review as contributed by the folks at Gear Diary.

History has a profound influence on who we are and where we are going. Much like Porter County, today’s Ram truck can attribute its pedigree to the foundation established by the Dodge brothers nearly 100 years ago. We think you’ll agree that engaging history though interaction can be a fun way to spend an afternoon. Thanks for reviewing the Cool Ram Truck, Kevin Pazour….and thanks for helping a new generation connect with its past.

More reading:

Cool Car….No Boundaries. Your Blog for Fun things to do in Northwest Indiana.

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