05/21/2013– With new exhibit and photo-op, Hastings, Neb., offers four great...

With the new Kool-Aid: Discover the Dream exhibit at Hastings Museum and a new year-round Original Kool-Aid Factory photo op, Hastings, Neb., the birthplace of Kool-Aid, offers four great flavors of fun to fans of the iconic soft drink from around the world!

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In 1927, Edwin Perkins invented and began to manufacture Kool-Aid at Perkins Products Company in Hastings. His dream of being a self-employed businesses success was backed by hard work and some ingenious marketing. While he developed many products, Kool-Aid was certainly the most famous and has gone on to impact popular culture through the decades.

Following its unveiling August 10, 2012, during the annual Kool-Aid Days, visitors to Hastings can stop by the Original Kool-Aid Factory , the original home of Perkins Products Company, at 516 West 1st Street in Hastings. This “first flavor” of fun is where Perkins invented and manufactured Kool-Aid, and the front of the building offers a colorful tribute to Edwin, his wife Kitty, and Kool-Aid – and is a great spot for taking a picture.

The new Kool-Aid: Discover the Dream exhibit at Hastings Museum explores the life of Edwin Perkins and how Kool-Aid became the international cultural icon that’s popular yet today. The exhibit – the “second flavor” of Kool-Aid fun – opens to the public August 10 during Kool-Aid Days and offers a complete remodel from the original Kool-Aid exhibit that opened at the Museum a decade ago.

“The exhibit explores the early life of Edwin Perkins and how he created many products starting in his mother’s kitchen. From Nix-O-Tine, a remedy to kick the tobacco habit, to Fruit Smack, a liquid fruit concentrate that led to the invention of Kool-Aid, Edwin was determined to make his Perkins Products Company a success,” said Teresa Kreutzer-Hodson, the Museum’s curator of collections. “By 1931, demand for Kool-Aid was so strong that all other products were dropped and Kool-Aid was well on its way to becoming the cultural icon that’s relevant yet today. Our exhibit covers the gamut, including many of the fun premiums and TV commercials many of us remember from our own childhood.”

Hastings Museum is open year round. In addition to Kool-Aid, it offers a number of permanent and traveling exhibits, a giant screen theater and planetarium. More information can be found at HastingsMuseum.org.

In 2000, Kool-Aid Man had his footprints immortalized in concrete at the world famous Grauman’s Chinese Theater in Hollywood. The concrete prints were donated to Hastings by Kraft, the company that now owns the Kool-Aid brand. This “third flavor” of Kool-Aid in the community can be found at the Visitor Center at 100 North Shore Drive.

The “fourth great flavor” of fun is Kool-Aid Days , an annual celebration held the second weekend in August. Taking place August 10-12 this year, Kool-Aid Days draws thousands of fans from across the country who come for the World’s Largest Kool-Aid Stand, parade, concert, cardboard boat races, Kool-Aid drinking contests, games, activities and more. For details on this great event, go to Kool-AidDays.com.

“Hastings is a community that offers visitors a wide range of great activities well-suited toward travelers, but certainly the Kool-Aid experience is something that can’t be found anywhere else,” said Kaleena Fong, executive director of the Adams County Convention and Visitors Bureau. “The history of Kool-Aid is fun, inspiring and relatable to all generations.”

About Hastings, Nebraska
Hastings is lively and progressive city of more than 25,000 people located in the agricultural heartland of south-central Nebraska. Hastings is home of Hastings College, one of the nation's leading liberal arts colleges; Hastings Museum and its giant screen theatre and planetarium; multiple summer festivals; a bustling downtown shopping area; and much more! More information about the community can be found at VisitHastingsNebraska.com.

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Photo cutline:

Kool-Aid Man enjoys a drink from a young fan during Kool-Aid Days, an annual event in Hastings, Neb., and one of four flavors of Kool-Aid fun the Nebraska community offers to visitors.

Note: Kool-Aid is a registered trademark of KF Holdings.