The Smithsonian Institution traveling exhibit, “Hometown Teams: How Sports Shaped America,” and a local exhibit on hometown “Heros on the Sideline” opened Saturday at the Ellinwood School/Community Library, located at 210 N. Schiller Ave.
Artifacts and over 200 photographs from the Smithsonian’s collection highlight Americans and their love for sports. The local display is also impressive, with photos, yearbooks and a salute to some Ellinwood sports fans who became part of the home team history.
This month the library will host two programs in connection with the exhibition, said Sharon Sturgis, Ellinwood project director.

'Faith and Basketball'

Dr. Michael J. Zogry, University of Kansas, will speak at 1:30 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 8. His presentation will examine the influence of James Naismith’s religious beliefs on his life, including the creation of basketball, as well as on the commemoration of his legacy.

'The Common and Quirky Mascots of Kansas'

Speaker Jordan Poland, director of the Kansas Sports Hall of Fame, will talk about Kansas mascots during his program at 1:30 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 22.
They come in all shapes, sizes and colors and are some of the most recognizable characters of our state. Poland will explore the history of sports mascots in Kansas, before playing “Name that Kansas Mascot!”

Fun Stuff

Those who visit the exhibit can learn some sports-related exercises and pick up free sports cards and pedometers. The library also has some replica sports items from the 1900s, such as a leather football helmet, a basketball with laces — used before players were allowed to dribble and had to pass the ball to move it — and a large “melon football,” also called a “watermelon football.” The oversized balls were used circa 1880-1910, before passing became an important part of football.
The replicas can be handled and even used as props in family photos.

The exhibitions will be up through March 15. The Smithsonian exhibit will travel to five other Kansas towns in the next year. Partner sites will have their own hometown sports history exhibits.
“Rice County Hometown Teams” will be on display Feb. 8 through July 31 at the Rice County Historical Society; “The Evolution of Hunting From Survival to Marketing to Sport” will be at Fort Larned National Historic Site from March 31 through Nov. 1; and an “Argonne Rebels Drum & Bugle Corps” exhibit will be at the Great Bend Public Library from June 1 through Sept. 6.
A complete list of  “Hometown Teams” communities and partner sites can be found at www.kansashumanities.org.