Tiffany Burbidge Tiffany Burbidge

bringing family together in Utah County

Peterson Hadlock Reunion in Sparks Museum and Event Center, Provo Utah

We loved hosting the Peterson - Hadlock Family Reunion with multi generations in attendance. There was amazing music including trumpet playing by Jerry Hadlock, piano playing by Lyle Hadlock, singing by the Peterson Sisters and a Solo by GInny Critchfield. We loved bringing family together and seeing the talent that comes through generations. Food and fun visiting, laughing and singing. Reminding one another that family matters and to keep in touch with each other.

Read More
Tiffany Burbidge Tiffany Burbidge

corporate events love 0ur utah county space

Auction for Charity Event in Utah County

We love hosting corporate events. Our vintage vibe allows for all kinds of options in the Corporate Event Planning. We are perfect for Christmas parties, employee of the month celebrations, lunch events, and so much more. We are the most unique space in Utah , located in Provo right by the airport we would make a great place for anyone flying in who wants to host a party. You may need a place for a speaking engagment, an auction, a charity event, a car show. Our retro space is build for Corporate events although we would make a beautiful backdrop for a wedding too. They sky is the limit here in Provo, Utah .

Read More
Tiffany Burbidge Tiffany Burbidge

Have you ever experienced a drum bus? OUr Utah venue has…

Drum Bus team building activity at the Stratus HR employee of the month event.

Our Venue was ecstatic when Stratus Hr rented our space and had Drumbus.com come for their event. It was amazing to listen to the guests participate. It wasn’t long before the guests were drumming together, laughing and team building. Sparks was a perfect place for both a dinner as well as an activity of this kind.

Read More
Tiffany Burbidge Tiffany Burbidge

HellHound leather visits Ut County corporate venue

Hellhound leather keychains with Sparks and an antique car image to give to wedding guests, corporate event guests or any clients coming to our Utah County Venue.

Hellhound Leather made the most beautiful key chains for a fundraising event held at Sparks Museum and Event Center. They took a neon sign we have and made a stamp of this car then added Sparks to it. We think they turned out beautiful and share them with clients to remember their corporate event, wedding, reunion, etc.

Read More
Tiffany Burbidge Tiffany Burbidge

Frontier, another “cool” Brand.

The Golden Cowboy

Frontier is another very cool brand. It began when the two partners in Colorados Bay Oil company couldn’t get along and divided assets. One went to a refinery in Cody Wyoming and started Frontier Oil in 1940. Their first contract was making 100 octane fuel for aircraft in the war. Sparks Museum and Event Center has one of the first signs for gas advertising they sold. It the 5 foot “Golden Cowboy” Frontier sign and is a sign Sparky restored by hand and is one of seven known to exist. Finding that sign is a super “Picker” story! He found it while sitting in Hawaii surprisingly. He son Tim was in Nebraska hunting geese so of course Sparky took the opportunity to hunt for a sign. He looked up the antique dealers in the area and began calling. No luck however, all bad news. In desperation he asked if they even knew anyone who had an old gas pump or sign. ONe of the girls said yes she did and gave Sparky the number. Amazingly the man had a Calso sign and agreed to sell it. Tim was able to meet up with the new contact, yippee. Tim took a short video of the Calso sing plus many others including the two big Frontier signs. I negotiated and was able to get the deal. Finding a way to get Tim the cash was another story but after jumping through hoops and being creative we got them. Sparky picked them up during a different trip as remember Tim was on a hunting trip, and he wasn’t “

Read More
Tiffany Burbidge Tiffany Burbidge

Shell shell shell

Many of our Shell gas signs are on display.

The shell signs have come from all over including from Canada. Sparky bought Sehll gas in California as a kid but never knew it’s a European based Company till he started collecting signs. Shell changed the World of Petroleum while people were sleeping:) They invented and shared the means of deep water drilling which makes much more of our oil available today.

Read More
Tiffany Burbidge Tiffany Burbidge

Perfect for al capone

1937 Cord

The 1937 Cord gangster car belonged to a Dr in Chicago, of all the perfect places. We like to think of how this beauty would have looked back when she was brand new driving her owner around the town on a Sunday drive.

Read More
Tiffany Burbidge Tiffany Burbidge

What spurred the Petroliana collection?

First sign acquired sign hangs on this white building. Gargoil Mobile and Willis Knight.

In 2013 when Sparky and Jeannie were headed to Guatemala to serve a mission their son Tim was running the Storage Park. He suggested “dressing up the park a bit” Sparky had been mildly collecting a few gas pumps here and there and had about 11 in total. Restoring the first pump that once sat outside Sparky’s home. We put them in front of the office of the Storage Park and some of the few old signs on the walls there.

Tim restored a few more pumps while Sparky was away and when Sparky returned is when the real collecting begin to take place. Tim suggested they go hunting for more pumps and so they did. So back to “picking “ it was but new and improved with the internet and facebook in tow. They learned that gas pump collectors also collected signs and so the sign collecting was added to the search. The first sign was the Kendall Oil sign which hangs on the right upper side of one of the outdoor buildings.

This begin the new and improved hunting and picking that is what Sparks Event Center has now become!

Read More