Smithsonian exhibit travels to Fordyce

FORDYCE — “Hometown Teams: How Sports Shape America” is a traveling exhibit from the Museum on Main Street Division of the Smithsonian Institute and is designed to be shown at small town museums across America. This exhibit will have its Arkansas opening in Fordyce on Friday, April 21, at the Dallas County Sports Museum.

This exhibit will be in Fordyce for a six week run, and then move on to five other Arkansas towns: Blytheville, Wynne, Helena, Arkadelphia and Batesville.

Carol Harsh, Director of the Museum on Main Street (MOMS) Division, Smithsonian Institute will be present for the Arkansas debut of this exhibit in Fordyce, and she will personally cut the ribbon at the Grand Opening Ceremony to be held on Friday at 1 p.m. at the Sports Museum Annex.

The opening ceremonies will be followed by a reception at the Wynne Phillips House, 412 West 4th Street in Fordyce and Director Harsh will be the honored guest.

Harsh will also serve as Grand Marshall of the “Fordyce on the Cotton Belt Parade” to be held at 11 a.m. on Saturday, April 22, 2017.

Three years ago there was a small announcement in the state paper inviting museums in towns of under 15,000 population to host this traveling exhibit from the Smithsonian.

It was a perfect fit for Fordyce and the Dallas County Museum, so the museum applied for the grant and the Dallas County Museum was chosen.

The Arkansas Humanities Council, under the direction of Jama Best is responsible for the arrangements.

The Humanities Council has sponsored training session in Little Rock and has arranged for representatives from all of the other host towns to be present in Fordyce to set up the exhibit on Wednesday, April 19.

“Hometown Teams: How Sports Shape America” will be open during regular museum hours, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Saturday April 21 through June 3.