The World of Little League® Museum and Official Store will open its doors free of charge to all Museum Day ticket holders on Saturday September 21, 2019 as part of Smithsonian magazine’s 15th annual Museum Day, a national celebration of boundless curiosity in which participating museums emulate the free admission policy at the Smithsonian Institution’s Washington D.C.-based museums.
“We are very excited to participate in the 15th Annual Museum Day and are looking forward to joining together with museums from all around the nation to celebrate this day,” said Lance Van Auken, Little League Vice President and Executive Director of the World of Little League Museum. “Museums are a vital part of our culture, and they help to preserve our heritage. The World of Little League Museum is our way of sharing the storied history of our program to visitors from all around the world.”
Museum Day represents a nationwide commitment to access, equity and inclusion. Over 450,000 tickets were downloaded for last year’s event, and Museum Day 2019 is expected to attract more museumgoers than ever before.
This year, Museum Day will celebrate the Smithsonian Year of Music, an institution-wide initiative celebrating the Smithsonian’s vast musical collections and resources through 365 days of music-related programming. Music is not only a reflection of human creativity and innovation, but also a key method of communication and cross-cultural exchange and understanding. The Smithsonian Year of Music crosses disciplines, bringing together music-related resources in art, history, culture, science and education.
Over the years, there have been three songs specifically written about Little League Baseball and Softball and some can often be heard during the Little League Baseball World Series each August.
- “Little League: The Official March of Little League Baseball” – With lyrics written by Emerson Yorke, a former member of the Little League International Board of Directors, and the music by Solita Palmer, this piece was used in Mr. Yorke’s Little League films from the late ’40s through the mid ’50s.
- “Little Leaguer” – Written and composed by Art Kassel, this piece was written in 1955 and was played at Little League fields across the nation, often after the National Anthem. A record was available to local leagues that included the National Anthem, a recitation of the Little League Pledge, and this song. It was also performed on the Lawrence Welk Show by Little Leaguers in 1957. Mr. Welk was a strong supporter of the Little League program and on the Little League Board of Directors and Little League Foundation Board of Trustees.
- “Little League Song (Hello Little Leaguer)” – Written in the ’60’s by William D. “By” Dunham and Stan Worth, the song is played at Little League fields across the nation as well as at the Little League Baseball World Series each August.
Museum Day tickets will be available for download at Smithsonian.com/museumday beginning August 15. Visitors who present a Museum Day ticket will gain free entrance for two at participating venues on September 21, 2019. One ticket is permitted per email address. A list of participating museums, which will be continually updated, can be found at Smithsonian.com/museumday/search.
For more information, please visit Smithsonian.com/museumday.