Exhibit To Lure Visitors To Heald Home

Most collectors find one subject and obsess over it. Ollie Hibbeler obsessed over many subjects.

"He had the disease we call collecting," said his daughter Cheryl Hibbeler.

Ollie Hibbeler's collection of antique fishing lures and tackle will be on display from 1 to 4 p.m. June 12, in the historic Darius Heald Home at in O'Fallon.

The display is being presented in conjunction with Family Fishing Day, a  free event sponsored by the O’Fallon Parks and Recreation Department. From 8 a.m. to noon, children ages 5 to 12 and their families can take part in a morning of catch-and-release fishing at Lake Whetzel. A variety of other activities will also take place, including worm races, a casting contest and a reel race.

After spending the morning fishing, visitors are welcome to check out the two-story, brick home that has been temporarily decorated in antique fishing equipment. Admission to tour the Heald Home costs $2.

This is the third collection of Hibbeler's to be displayed in the home. In March, the site hosted his collection of "Hear No Evil, Speak No Evil, See No Evil" monkeys, and an April exhibit featured Hibbeler's collection of brewery memorabilia.

"My father had quite the eclectic interests across the span," said Cheryl Hibbeler. Ollie Hibbeler died last year.

The fishing collection features rods, reels and tackle boxes with some items dating back to before 1800, Cheryl Hibbeler said. The items typically hang on hooks organized all throughout the basement of her parents' home.

Hibbeler has no idea how many items are in the collection. "Thousands would not be off," she said.

Her father began collecting lures 30 to 35 years ago. "For 25 years, he lived at the Lake of the Ozarks," she said. "When he was there he did a lot of fishing, and that's when he became interested in collecting lures."

Hibbeler said her father liked to travel and spent many hours in flea markets and antique shops looking for treasures. He also attended national conventions where he would trade lures with other collections. "He didn't sell too many," Hibbeler said.

Hibbeler said her favorites in the collection are the novelty lures--most of them beer-related--and the painted lures used in bass fishing. "Some of them are very artistic," she said.

Her father's collection is well-known among the fishing lure collectors' circle. "There have been calls since dad passed away, but mom is not ready to get rid of it," Hibbeler said. "Some of the items are stored away, some we've been offered over $1,000 for."

Hibbeler said linking the family fishing event with the lure exhibit was good planning. "Mom and Dad can bring the kids to fish and they can see the antique stuff on the same day." 

For more information on Family Fishing Day, contact Recreation Specialist Paula Creech at pcreech@ofallon.mo.us or call 636-474-8121. No fishing license is needed for ages 15 and younger or 65 and older.

If you would like to assist with Family Fishing Day, call the Volunteer Services Department at 636-379-5507, or send an email to volunteer@ofallon.mo.us. For more information visit www.ofallon.mo.us/volunteer.

For more information on the fishing lure exhibit at the Heald Home, call 636-379-5614 or email Marsha Seymour at mseymour@ofallon.mo.us.