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Objects from Bologna, Venice and Lake Como in Italy, collected by Chris and Heather Rizzoli, are part of “Greetings from Everywhere” exhibit at Museum on Main in Pleasanton Nov. 6, 2025 to Jan. 3, 2026. (Photo courtesy Museum on Main) 
The southwest corner of the exhibit, featuring souvenir T-shirts, Kuna molas, and a case displaying documents from a trip to Austria and other parts of Central Europe. (Photo courtesy Museum on Main) 
Cream pitchers in the shape of moose and reindeer heads. (Photo courtesy Museum on Main) 
Molas made by the Kuna people of the San Blas Archipelago. (Photo courtesy Museum on Main) 
Various memorabilia from the 1939-40 San Francisco World’s Fair. (Photo courtesy Museum on Main)
Sharing the experience of travel with others – by sharing the souvenirs that help the travelers remember their trips – is at the heart of the new exhibit at Pleasanton’s Museum on Main.
“Greetings from Everywhere”, which opened last week and continues into the new year, features an eclectic collection of mementos Tri-Valley residents brought back from their journeys away from home, highlighting the items themselves and the stories they represent.
“Many of these objects came from vacations or other pleasure travel, some from family visits, some from business trips, but the common thread unifying them is that they all carry memories of the places they came from and the things people did while they were there,” museum officials said in a press release over the weekend.
The museum called out several noteworthy displays, including a set of 170 stones and soil samples collected by Patrick Leary at sites of natural, historic and personal significance; two molas (appliqué blouse panels) made by the Kuna people that Gary and Pat Kirscher bought during a trip to Panama’s San Blas Archipelago; ticket stubs, brochures and other documents from Museum on Main curator Ken MacLennan’s trip to Central Europe; and a collection of antique moose-head cream pitchers from various parts of the U.S. contributed by Cheree Hethershaw.
“In addition to the objects lent by friends of the Museum, ‘Greetings from Everywhere’ includes a selection of souvenir items from the 1939-40 Golden Gate international expositions, collected by various Pleasanton, Dublin and Livermore residents who attended it, as well as a vintage slide projector filled with vacation slides from earlier generations of Tri-Valley travelers.”
“Greetings From Everywhere” is the main exhibition in the museum from now until Jan. 3. Additionally, the student-developed poster exhibit “Coming to Pleasanton: Exploring the Immigrant Experience in the Amador-Livermore Valley” will remain on display through the end of the year.
The Museum on Main is located in the middle of downtown Pleasanton at 603 Main St. For hours of operation and more information, visit museumonmain.org.
