Chico, a quirky college town in California, is home to the National Yo-Yo Museum, the largest public collection dedicated to yo-yo culture. Co-owned by yo-yo legend Thad Winzenz, the museum showcases thousands of yo-yos, memorabilia, and historical artifacts, celebrating the beloved toy's legacy. Despite its significance, the culture remains underappreciated in various parts of the country. Weekly gatherings of the Chico Yo-Yo Club at the museum highlight its active community and passion for the craft, cementing Chico's place in yo-yo history while juxtaposing its reputation as a party town.
"It's the mecca of world yo-yo culture," Thad Winzenz, a local (and international) yo-yo legend, told SFGATE during a recent Saturday. "It's such a big niche subculture that just flies under the radar in so many places."
The National Yo-Yo Museum is the world's largest public display dedicated entirely to the preservation, history and celebration of the beloved toy. Unlike the world's largest private yo-yo collection - which is owned by a Dr. John Meisenheimer in Florida - the Chico museum does not require a personal invitation or reservation to visit.
The museum's walls are covered in displays of thousands of yo-yos, as well as accolades, memorabilia and history - including a poster of Richard Nixon caught in a moment of yo-yo enthusiasm in 1974.
But if you arrive at the National Yo-Yo Museum between noon and 2 p.m. on any given Saturday, you'd be hard-pressed to find many visitors who can identify Richard Nixon. This is when the Chico Yo-Yo Club has its weekly gathering in Diamond Alley, right behind Bird in Hand.
Chico is historically the epitome of a party town and has remained a quirky community. Last year, it championed a local for standing atop a milk crate for nine hours with a pumpkin on her head.
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