December is finally here, and with several months of winter on the way, I couldn’t help but to try to think warm for this month’s “Undiscovered Treasure.” While Rockford may find itself hitting a balmy 50 degrees on
December 1st, weather like that isn’t going to stick around. I personally can’t ever find myself enjoying cold weather, so I decided to fire up the electric blanket and keep my mind on tropical temps. But what sort of item reflects that?

The fan.

Imagine it being December and you’re in some type of climate where you need to physically move air around yourself to cool off.
Sound good enough to ward off the chilly weather? I thought so.

Burpee’s Oriental collection has an interesting set of fans; including ones made of wood, silk, and feathers. In China, the earliest hand-held fans were made as early as the 2nd century BC! We are not sure how old exactly our fans at the Burpee are, but we know that this implement certainly is long-standing. …or long waving.

We’ve chosen two different fans to display this month: a silk fan and a feather fan.

So when you’re visiting the Burpee this month and you’re checking out the Undiscovered Treasures exhibit on the 3rd floor, even if it’s snowing outside, think back to the 2nd century BC, back in China, and imagine a day hot enough where you might need one of these. Those winter blues won’t last!

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