Lucille Ball Memorabilia on Display at Wyandotte Library

Fans from around the world have their own favorite memories of TV funny woman Lucille Ball.

But those living in Wyandotte, like Sandra Havlicsek, have a special connection as Lucy and her family once lived in Wyandotte.

"I just love her," Havlicsek said. "I feel like I'm related to her. She was such a comedian. Even when she was mean, she was so funny."

Lucy was about 1 year old when her family moved to Wyandotte. It's believed they relocated here so her father, an electrician, could take a job with the Bell Co. as a telephone lineman. The phone company was in a hiring boom for that position and paid $5 a day.

The Ball family lived at 126 Biddle. In 1928, however, the U.S. Postal Service changed the addresses on Biddle. The property address is now 3738 Biddle.

The family rented a back apartment at the house for $10 a month and lived there until Lucy’s father, Henry, died at the house in 1915 at the age of 27. The house was demolished in 1963.

Havlicsek has collected many Lucy mementos over the years and has now lent them to Bacon Memorial District Library for an "I Love Lucy" display case inside the library's main doors.

"I'm 65 now and I've been a fan since I was 15," Havlicsek said. "I know every word from every episode. I just love her. ... And she was a part of Wyandotte. That's a feather in our cap."

The display will be up through the end of February and includes some of Havlicsek's memorabilia, as well as books that can be checked out from the library.

Wallace Hayden, Wyandotte's historical librarian, said he's looking to showcase even more items next year.

"2014 will mark 100 years that Lucy moved to Wyandotte," Hayden said. "(It's) a year away yet, but I hope to do something in recognition then. ... In Lucy's own words, her first performances were in (Wyandotte) on the counter top of a grocery store. I am trying to get more background on that."

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Wyandotte Loves Lucy: Lucille Ball Lived Here as a Child