Editor’s note: This is the fourth part in a series.

Whenever the late Bidney Bergie presented one of his popular slide shows, he always allowed time for audience participation.

For example, he might show a slide for which he didn’t have much information. Maybe the original photo had been given to him by an area citizen who couldn’t offer much more in the way of details. Yet, the photo still had a very valid local or area historical connection.

Bergie might show this challenging photo at several of his show appearances and hope someone in the audience had the desired answers. Hopefully some person might say, for instance, “Hey, that’s my uncle Hans Hansen and his Stanley Steamer automobile out in front of my grandpa’s house near Alden about 1910.” Thus, Bergie had solved the mystery regarding one of the many photos in his extensive collection.

There was one aspect of the Bergie slide shows that appealed to the audiences. They revived memories.

For some folks, those recollections based on scenes of Albert Lea’s past shown on the screen were still somewhat vivid. Others in the audience might not make visual connections with some of the scenes shown. Then there might be other scenes depicting something they had heard about from members of other generations in the family, perhaps parents or grandparents.

What always helped to make these shows worthwhile was Bergie’s commentaries and audience participation.