In a small Texas town just south of Abilene, a state-of-the-art museum opened in July 2018. Woody’s Classic Cars and Baseball Museum is a 22,000 square foot museum dedicated to local resident Danny Lee “Woody” Wood and showcases his lifetime collection of classic cars and baseball memorabilia.
Construction of the museum took about 18 months, and the result is an amazing customer experience from the time you pull up outside of the museum.
A Journey Through the Past
As you enter Woody’s museum, there are two sets of large glass doors, each honoring Woody and his wife Patti’s passion for classic cars and baseball. One set of handles are crafted from chromed exhaust pipes, the others are made from custom baseball bats.
The front of the museum is designed to resemble a drive-in theater, and a large 18”W x 10”H LED wall mounted about 15-20 feet high ft is playing clips from old movies. Overhead, the ceiling is comprised of fluorescent lights shining through panels of blue sky and fluffy clouds to create a sunny day in Texas.
The museum’s main floor is the heart of the collection. The showroom has 27 classic cars from the 40s through 2014, including a Ford Model T, a Willys Jeep, a 1964-1/2 Ford Mustang, as well as Cadillacs and muscle cars.
The second-floor balcony displays baseball memorabilia and signed items from Babe Ruth and Ty Cobb to Mickey Mantle, Nolan Ryan, Pudge Rodriguez, and up to current players like Jose Altuve and Adrian Beltre.
Enhancing the Customer Experience
After the museum opened, the owners realized they wanted a way for visitors to learn more about the various memorabilia on display. Their initial idea was to provide a digital reader that visitors could access. They discussed their options with Taurus Technologies, their audio-visual technology partner.
To provide the best experience for all visitors, Taurus and the Woody’s museum team defined the following capabilities:
Taurus then reached out to AVTEQ, Inc. to design and build a custom kiosk. AVTEQ’s design team first selected Linak® DL6 lifting column to provide the height-adjustable capabilities for the kiosk. The compact lifting column offers a solid and stable lift while providing a quiet and fast adjustment.
The all-steel construction of the kiosk ensures a secure and durable structure to withstand use over time. The 24” touch panel display along with the Total Channel digital reader offers visitors a unique experience to access an in-depth knowledge base on the vehicles and baseball memorabilia on display in the museum.
“We were very surprised with the final kiosk and all of its capabilities. The construction is solid and the height-adjustable component is amazing. We love it! “
After the first two kiosks were installed on the main floor, the museum management ordered two more for the second-floor baseball section.
A Truly Unique Experience
Woody’s Classic Cars & Baseball Museum is truly a hidden gem. From the moment you walk through the doors, you step back in time as you travel through the museum and the latest technology enhances the experience.
Taurus consulted with Woody’s marketing team to ensure the ideal implementation of AV integration and vision. Taurus was able to team up various contractors for seamless coordination and installation and continues to work with Woody’s team on expanding their technology needs.
A graduate of DeVry Institute of Technology, Doug has been in the Technology industry since 1976 and actively oversees Fearing’s daily operations. Along with his wife, Lois, and three others, Doug started Fearing’s in a 600 square-foot facility in Portage, Wisconsin. In the 25 years since, the company has grown to over 30 employees with offices in Madison and Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Doug likes to say he’s a “TV Technician with a dream� going back to his history with the family’s original business-Fearing’s TV and Appliance.
Doug values time with family, watersports, hiking, snowshoeing and skiing. In addition to being a devoted member of his church, Doug serves as Board President for Kinship Mentoring of Columbia County, Board member of Schools for Haiti and Scripture Chair of the Gideons-Portage camp.
A graduate of MATC, Lois oversees Fearing’s daily book keeping along with various HR responsibilities.
Along with Doug, Lois is deeply connected to community outreach, serving as a Board member and Fundraising Committee Chairperson for Kinship Mentoring of Columbia County. She also serves on the Schools for Haiti Fundraising committee. In addition, Lois’ ongoing passion and commitment to provide care for the elderly comes from her 10-year history of working in a Reedsburg, Wisconsin Nursing home.
Lois enjoys singing, hiking, sunny days on the pontoon, and spending time with her 4 grandchildren.
Ehren drives Fearing’s technology by continually seeking out trends to enhance capabilities while supporting Sales, Engineering and Installation teams. Throughout his years with Fearing’s, Ehren’s talent and vision have joined forces to create a wide variety of projects and strategic solutions that exceed expectation.
Ehren loves music, family time, movies, nature, sustainability efforts and electric vehicles.
With 10 years with Fearing’s and over twice that long in the industry, Ben continues to lead, coordinate, and develop the Commercial AV team.
By consistently delivering an outstanding experience and outcome, Ben contributes to the Fearing’s legacy of long-lasting partnerships that truly make a difference. Whatever the Commercial AV need may be, Ben and team deliver at the highest level.
Ben is an avid fisherman and photographer. He enjoys coaching his sons and other youth.
Chris has been with Fearing’s for 20 years and in the industry for over 2 decades. As a Certified leader in Sales Acceleration and trained in EOS (Entrepreneurial Operating Systems), Chris successfully utilizes his skills to lead the Fearing’s Salesforce. Chris and team are motivated and driven to develop new client partnerships while continuing to reinforce loyal long-term relationships with ongoing Service excellence.
Married for 19 years with 3 children, Chris enjoys skiing, hiking, fishing, boating, hunting, camping and golf. He’s also been actively involved as a Youth Football and Softball coach for his family and others.
