HOOD RIVER, OR — The History Museum of Hood River County recently opened a gallery devoted to Luhr Jensen & Sons, the manufacturer of fishing gear that operated in the vicinity for nearly 75 years before it was acquired by Finland-based Rapala VMC Corp. in 2005. Media Matrix Productions used gear from Alcorn McBride to lure visitors with motion sensor-launched video presentations.
More details from Alcorn McBride (www.alcorn.com):
The Luhr Jensen & Sons Gallery has opened at The History Museum, Hood River, Oregon with an array of Alcorn McBride equipment supporting A/V installations in the permanent exhibition. The product list includes a V4 Pro controller, a DMX Machine, three DVM8400HD video players and three AM4-EA audio players with built-in amplifiers. This A/V gear helps chronicle the nearly 75 years that the fishing tackle manufacturer resided in Hood River.
An avid angler, Luhr Jensen Sr. made fishing lures in his home workshop before launching the company in 1932. The firm rapidly expanded and remained family owned until 2005. Son Phil Jensen has long been active with The History Museum and has served as a board member and benefactor.
The new gallery features a 22-foot long mural, three video screens displaying vintage Luhr Jensen photos and other media, and a display of fishing rods, lures, spinners and other fishing gear and equipment manufactured by the company.
Visitors trigger motion sensors that launch the audio and video components of the gallery taking them on timed walk-through of the company’s history, from Jensen’s first lures to the company’s growth and innovation.
“The room is fairly small but has a lot going on,” notes Vinnie Cavarra, owner of Media Matrix Productions who served as sound and video designer and integrator. “There are eight or nine zones in the gallery from the large mural with its corresponding sounds to a factory exhibit and small theater in a rowboat where visitors can see what’s going on underwater.”
Cavarra selected Alcorn McBride DVM8400HDs to supply video to the exhibits. The AM4-EA Digital Audio Machines deliver ambient and background audio to the space. The DMX Machine controls lighting levels in the gallery, while the V4 Pro controller automates the entire system, kicking off the AV presentations and interactively guiding visitors through the exhibition.
“I’ve been using Alcorn McBride equipment since 2000 and knew it would perform reliably in this new gallery,” Cavarra says. “In addition, Alcorn McBride’s customer service and support are extraordinary. They’re wonderful people to talk to and help me through any questions that come up.”
The exhibit designers for The Luhr Jensen & Sons Gallery were Larry Watson and Peggy O’Neal of Ko-Kwow Arts and Exhibits, North Bend, Oregon.
