The Rocket exhibit: Sections of the Rocket

Reading The Rocket 25 years after the final issue was published is like reading a conversation amongst members of a close-knit community. The Rocket staff told stories, readers reacted through letters and sometimes showed up in person at Rocket Towers. Many of the readers were music fans. Many were the musicians being written about (or hoping they’d be). No matter their identities, the readers didn’t mince words. They responded, either in agreement or opposition, but always using strong adjectives and colorful language. I challenge you to pick any issue of The Rocket, read a letter, and NOT go looking for what prompted the letter and responses to it. The journey is impossible to resist!

From local hair salons and apparel shops to corporations selling products ranging from cigarettes and alcohol to music and movies, advertising revenue helped to keep The Rocket afloat.

Ads in The Rocket chronicle local businesses and how they appealed to young readers. Some business are still open today. Sadly, many have closed their doors, making way for new business, while others have fallen victim to new ways of shopping or consuming music.

The ads document the seismic changes in communication (analog to digital), technology (cassettes to CDs to downloads), industry (prices, shopping at brick and mortar stores to online), and popular culture (music, art, fashion, and more) during the The Rocket’s 20 years.

The Rocket offered a unique type of reader participation with the creation of “I Found It!” This section showcased both the odd and the mundane aspects of Seattle life via found objects. “I Found It!” by David Anthony began in 1995 when Anthony spotted a crumpled note outside the Miller Community Center in Capitol Hill. The Rocket featured the handwritten note alongside a typed out version of its contents.

In April 1996, Anthony published “You Found It”, asking readers for help. This began the era of submissions. The paper states that the items should be found by chance, not in the trash or purchased: “He [Anthony] wants the real thing, fresh out of the gutter or off the street."

The first submissions were anonymous. After this initial batch, Anthony credited the finders in each week. Anthony even published a book version of the column in 1999 of the same name.