Charleston, WV — The West Virginia Humanities Council is sponsoring a state tour of the new Smithsonian Institution traveling exhibit, Hometown Teams: How Sports Shape America. West Virginia is a debut state for the exhibit that will be on display at the Preston County Sports Museum located in the Szilagyi Center in Rowlesburg May 11 through June 21. The ribbon cutting ceremony to open the exhibit will be on Sunday, May 11, at 1:00 p.m.
Hometown Teams interweaves images and text with almost 70 artifacts, video, audio and other interactive elements that present perspectives on sports in popular culture, as well as local sports traditions. It offers information about mascots, marching bands, cheerleaders, game day traditions, tailgating, player/coach relationships, sports equipment, stadiums, rivalries, and athletes who broke racial, gender or physical barriers in sports. The growth of alternative and extreme sports also is explored.
The Humanities Council is providing funding and technical assistance to each host site for the development of companion displays and supplemental programs that celebrate their local sports heritage. For information on local Hometown Teams activities at the Preston County Sports Museum call 304-789-6147. Before coming to Rowlesburg the exhibit traveled to Parkersburg and Gilbert.
Hometown Teams is made possible through the Museum on Main Street (MOMS) program, a collaboration between the Smithsonian Institution and state humanities councils nationwide. Support for Museum on Main Street has been provided by the United States Congress.
The remaining Hometown Teams schedule for West Virginia is:
Preston County Sports Museum, Rowlesburg May 11 – June 21
Randolph County Community Arts Center, Elkins June 29 – August 9
Weirton Area Museum & Cultural Center, Weirton August 17 – September 27
Morgantown History Museum, Morgantown October 5 – November 15