Valley Relics Museum shares pop culture, Americana from California's San Fernando Valley

VAN NUYS, Calif. (KABC) -- Americana, pop culture...our local history is global history. And the San Fernando Valley helped shape the nation. The Valley Relics Museum is a pop culture museum located at the Van Nuys Airport.

"It's a mishmash of artifacts that have been rescued and collected over the last 25 years," said Tommy Gelinas, founder and curator of the Valley Relics Museum. "I was searching the internet for Valley history. At that time, there was nowhere to find a location, a website that had all that information together. Through looking at and doing the research and actually experiencing what used to be here, it became a great obsession to learn more."

As Gelinas started the project, he found others who would reach out and say they had relics to share.

"The Palomino sign, one of my favorites, for sure!" Gelinas said. "One of the bigger rescues, Pioneer chicken sign because I grew up going there."

The museum attracts a lot of different people from various walks of life.

"A lady told me one time, she was in her late 70s, all of the good things that happened growing up in the Valley is here. So, it's those things that, you know, creates a lot of conversation and it creates being able to be a part of something that's so wonderful."

Watch Community News Producer JJ Zavalla's report above.