Union County Museum adds local flavor to Smithsonian sports exhibit

COBDEN, Ill. -- The Union County Museum is hosting "Hometown Teams," a Smithsonian Institution exhibit that explores the relationship between towns and their sports teams.

The exhibit, which opens Saturday with a ribbon-cutting at 10 a.m. and runs through April 13, features artifacts and tales of championship runs, rivalries and traditions.

In addition to the national exhibit, the museum will present photos and artifacts that feature the history of athletics in Union County and Southern Illinois, including the 1984 Anna-Jonesboro football team, winning Cobden Appleknockers teams and more.

In conjunction with the exhibit, a series of programs will be offered at 2 p.m. Sundays at the St. Joseph Community Hall, 103 N. Centennial St. The schedule is:

* Sunday: Sports in the Civilian Conservation Corps camps

* March 9: Independent and merchant baseball teams

* March 16: Black basketball teams

* March 23: 50th anniversary of the 1964 Appleknockers basketball team

* March 30: Women in Southern Illinois sports

* Aril 6: Building community through sports.

The programs and the exhibit are free to the public.

Museum hours during the exhibit are from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday and from 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday.

The museum, operated by the Union County Historical and Genealogy Society, is at 117 S. Appleknocker Drive in Cobden.

More information is available by calling 618-893-2865 or 618-893-2567 or going to museumonmainstreet.org/hometownTeams.