Volo Auto Museum, McHenry Outdoor Theater, D.C. Cobb’s team up for Nostalgic Day Giveaways   VOLO — You could win two free tickets to the Volo Auto Museum, a $25 gift card to D.C. Cobb’s and two free admissions to the McHenry Outdoor Theater — plus free popcorn and fountain drinks for two at the theater.    And that’s not all. Winners also get to watch the movie from a head-turning, 1949 Plymouth Special Deluxe, courtesy of the museum.    And that’s not all, either. Your chance to win arrives not just once this summer, but we...

  Rudy Hernandez playing Fred Flinstone twirls a bone Saturday during the Night at the Museum at the Volo Auto Museum.  About 20 members of Costumers with a Cause dressed up and posed for photographs to raise money for Ronald McDonald Charity House.

    Some of the most captivating vehicles soon to be unveiled at the Volo Auto Museum required no hemis, four-barrels or big blocks to set them in motion. Nope, nothing but pure muscle for these beauties — in the form of strenuously circling pint-sized feet. Yes, a pedal car exhibit is the latest of many treasures visitors to the museum will find. But these aren’t your dad’s rusted out miniature chassis. These are original, painstakingly restored, high-end toys produced by the Murray Co. and others between 1920 and 1950.“These things are...

  VOLO — As a venue that displays an eclectic mix of historical, celebrity-connected and film-famous cars, the Volo Auto Museum is no stranger to the occasional controversial exhibit.    But plans to host a Presidents Day event featuring a rare limousine formerly owned by — and in fact bearing the ubiquitous brand of — the current president is drawing unprecedented heat.    The museum is set to offer half-price admission and eight free tokens good toward vintage games and kiddie rides for children ages 5 to 12 on Feb. 19. That’s this ...

  VOLO — Elvis fans everywhere will mark the King’s 83rd on Jan. 8, 2018.    Lucky Elvis fans will gather a couple of days early with impersonator Travis Morris at the Volo Auto Museum, 27582 Volo Village Road.    “We have such a fun place to celebrate the King of rock ’n’ roll,” said Brian Grams, museum director. “We’re true fans.”   Morris, a dedicated Elvis impersonator with a devoted following, will give two performances on Saturday, Jan. 6 — one at noon and one at 3 p.m. Between sets, museum-goers can take photos against the ex...

Volo Auto Museum debuts music machine collection    VOLO — With their hand-carved, ornate cabinets — some bearing backlit stained glass and others art deco styling — the machines are as beautiful to see as they are to hear.   What they are isn’t tough to guess: They’re self-playing music machines. But where they are might surprise. This collection of Steinways, Mortiers and more — a grouping easily worth hundreds of thousands of dollars — is among the newer facets of the ever-evolving Volo Auto Museum, where the trip from engine roars ...

  We suspected we might see some increased foot traffic while our recent admission-price rollback was in play. But what truly transpired went beyond our wildest imagination (and if you’ve been here, you know that’s saying a lot).Thousands walked through our doors in the nine days between Dec. 2 and Dec. 10 when we offered 50-cent admission — a nostalgic nod to the fee folks paid back when the Volo Auto Museum first opened in 1960. In fact, 4,083 people visited. That’s a high nine-day number. And we are so pleased to have...

Back when the Volo Auto Museum first opened in 1960, visitors paid 50 cents apiece to see a smattering of jalopies in a 10,000-square-foot, gravel-floored pole barn.   From Dec. 2-10 in 2017, those same two quarters will buy a far more bountiful feast for the eyes.   “Now more than ever, our exhibits appeal to all ages, genders and tastes,” said Brian Grams, museum director. “We truly are a family venue. To encourage more people to see what we have, we’re rolling back the clock to our original 1960s fee for nine days this December.”  ...

The era of 15-cent hamburgers under the golden arches may be disappearing from the Des Plaines landscape. But a movement is afoot to find the iconic McDonald’s museum a new home in Volo.“I’d love to be able to relocate and restore the entire structure,” said Brian Grams, director of the Volo Auto Museum at 27582 Volo Village Road. Ever since he learned Tuesday of McDonald’s plans to demolish the Ray Kroc-inspired replica that long has stood in the location of the first “modern-era” McDonald’s in Des Plaines, Grams has been intrigued. He ev...

Recent news that Chuck E. Cheese restaurants across the country were bidding farewell to their animatronic bands struck a nostalgic chord with more than a few of the restaurant’s patrons. After all, today’s parents have been enjoying the antics of these furry, robotic bandmates since their own childhoods. Even Conan O’Brien chimed in on the subject in an August episode of his TBS show. So, when Volo Auto Museum Director Brian Grams was tagged in a Fox News social media post about the availability of one of the bands on Craigslist, he was i...