A $7,058 Pennsylvania Historical Museum Commission Cultural and Museum Support grant to the World of Little League® Museum and Official Store is offsetting costs for updating exhibits and improving outreach programs and cooperative advertising to promote Lycoming County and nearby attractions.
Three exhibits will benefit, including the 75th Anniversary of Little League display, a refurbished exhibit offsite at the Lycoming County Visitors Bureau and “Dad at Bat,” which is to open in time for Father’s day in June.
Painted by Alan Foster, a master of American Illustration Art and contemporary of Norman Rockwell, the work features Foster’s son as the catcher. The oil painting, part of the Museum’s archival collection, will be conserved before it is displayed to the public. Also included in the exhibit will be an original June 1, 1929, The Saturday Evening Post, when the painting appeared on the cover of the magazine.
Plans are to host Tom Daly, Curator of Education at the Norman Rockwell Museum in Massachusetts, who will speak about the art genre at the unveiling.
The 75th anniversary exhibit marks the milestone of the birth of the Little League program in 1939. It includes an informational rail as well as artifacts and a United States flag that flew over the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C.
The third exhibit was created for the newly relocated Visitors Bureau in Williamsport. It features artifacts from the Museum and information about visiting it. The Museum was renovated in 2013 at a cost of more than $4 million. The case used in the new exhibit was repurposed from an earlier display.
“We are grateful to the Pennsylvania Historical Museum Commission for the funding that will help with the creation of new exhibits and other projects,” said Lance Van Auken, Vice President of Little League International and Executive Director of the Museum. “With thousands of visitors coming here from all over the world every year, the new exhibits are assets to the museum and the community.”
The World of Little League is open daily from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. with the exception of Dec. 24, 25, 30, New Year’s Day, Easter Sunday, and Thanksgiving Day. General admission is $5. It is $2 for children (ages 5 through 12) and $3 for senior citizens (62 years and older). Children four and younger are admitted free of charge. The audio tour guide rental fee is $3 (free for AAA members).
More information about the Museum is available at LittleLeagueMuseum.org, or follow World of Little League on Facebook and Twitter.