In April and May the Wake Forest Historical Museum will host a traveling exhibit from the Smithsonian Institution, “Hometown Teams: How Sports Shape America.”
This is a tremendous distinction for a small and new museum, and Director Ed Morris and museum supporter Jill Bright are sending out a call for volunteers, sponsors and contributors to make the six weeks a stunning success.
“We are so excited to be able to bring this history of sports to our town, to share it with families, school groups, teams of all ages, senior citizens, clubs, businesses and everyone that is passionate about history, sports and/or Wake Forest,” Bright wrote in an email. “Wouldn’t it be great if those, especially those young and old, who never have the opportunity to go to Washington, DC, could come to North Main Street, Wake Forest and see an actual Smithsonian exhibit. Wow. IT IS happening.”
They have to enlist a great many docents because while the free exhibit is on display from April 16 through May 31 the museum will be open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. seven days a week. Volunteer docents will take three-hour shifts to help guide visitors through the display area which will include not only the traveling exhibit but a local section about the Wake Forest College, Wake Forest High School and DuBois High School. There must be at least three people trained to guide visitors at all times. The museum staff consists of only two people; they need a lot of help.
The Smithsonian requires an hour of training for the volunteer docents, and that training will begin in early March with a number of convenient training times. Clubs and groups can also volunteer.
Although the museum does already have a number of artifacts and photographs about sports at the college and the local high schools, Morris and Assistant Director Jennifer Smart are always interested in adding to the collection permanently or for just this exhibit. Do you have any sports memorabilia, anything from uniforms to game balls to pictures, that you would like displayed?
Part of the museum’s current holdings include brochures, pictures and information about the 1951 trip the Wake Forest College baseball team was chosen to represent the United States at the first-ever Pan American Games.
And the museum will need money for this project although the Smithsonian and the North Carolina Humanities Council provide the exhibit. They have to tint or shade the windows in the exhibit hall, a Smithsonian requirement to preserve the exhibit, and there are the mundane extra costs: water, electricity, programs, etc.
If you can help, there are four levels of sponsorship, all affordable: $2,000 and up, $1,500, $1,000 and $500 for individuals. The museum is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit and donations such as this are tax deductible.
To volunteer, to donate artifacts and to become a sponsor, call the museum at 919-556-2911, or contact Morris or Smart at morrisce@wfu.edu and smartjl@wfu.edu. Or you can call or contact Bright at brightmemorials@hotmail.com
