Schulz Museum, Rancho Obi-Wan compete for best pop culture museum in ‘USA Today 10Best’ awards

The Charles M. Schulz Museum in Santa Rosa, which celebrates the life of the creator of the “Peanuts” comic strip, and Rancho Obi-Wan, a collection of “Star Wars” memorabilia west of Petaluma, have been nominated in USA Today’s 10Best annual contest to name the nation’s best pop culture museum.

“Sparky” Schulz, as he was known to fans, friends and family, moved to Sonoma County in 1958. He died Feb. 12, 2000, in Santa Rosa at age 77.

By the time of his death, he had written and drawn "Peanuts," which debuted in 1950, for nearly 50 years.

“I think it’s flattering that something over 70 years old is considered ‘pop culture.’ Sparky used to say art has to stand the test of time, so in some ways, he would be proud that his work has been so enduring,“the cartoonist’s widow, Jean Schulz, said of the museum’s nomination.

“We appreciate how many people have been joining the fun by voting,” she added. “As Lucy says, ‘Hey, you! Who you gonna vote for?’” She also passed along a favorite “Peanuts” panel featuring the quote from Lucy van Pelt, the comic strip’s resident fussbudget.

Jean Schulz founded the museum to honor her late husband and celebrate cartooning as an art form in 2002. She is also on the board of investors for Sonoma Media Investments, The Press Democrat’s parent company.

In December, Schulz Museum recorded its highest attendance in 21 years, with almost 11,000 visitors from Dec. 1 to Dec. 31. For more information on museum’s exhibits and programs, visit schulzmuseum.org/

Rancho Obi-Wan, home to “the world's largest Star Wars memorabilia collection,” was certified by Guinness World Records in 2014.

Collector Steve Sansweet began building the collection in 1976, and the museum was opened in 1998 to house it.

The museum has been nominated in the same contest several times over the past three or four years.

“We’re thrilled to be nominated,” Sansweet said. “We’re a small museum and there are some very large museums included in this national poll.”

Scheduled, guided, docent-led tours are available. For more information: ranchoobiwan.org.

The contest, which launched in mid-January, gives voters four weeks to vote for the candidate of their choice at 10best.usatoday.com/awards/travel/best-pop-culture-museum-2024/

This year’s deadline to vote is Feb. 12. The winners will be announced Feb. 23.

A person can vote once a day for the run of the contest. Votes are allowed from Europe.

Other nominees include the Comic-Con Museum in San Diego, the Walt Disney Family Museum in San Francisco, the Mascot Hall of Fame in Whiting, Indiana, and the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

The rules do not allow offering prizes or other inducements to members of the public in exchange for votes during the voting period.

Nominees are submitted by a panel of experts, who narrow the field to select the final set of nominees for the Readers’ Choice Awards. Readers can vote once per category, per day. Categories are included for various kinds of museums, as festivals and cruises.

For more information, visit 10best.usatoday.com/awards/travel/best-pop-culture-museum-2024 or email readerschoice@usatoday.com

The panel includes: Jenny Peters, Los Angeles-based freelance journalist, editor and columnist; Joanne and Tony DiBona, travel bloggers and photographers; Kyle McCarthy, co-founder and editor of Family Travel Forum; Catherine Smith, Readers' Choice Awards production manager and social media director for USA Today’s 10Best.

You can reach Staff Writer Dan Taylor at dan.taylor@pressdemocrat.com or 707-521-5243. On X @danarts.