Cheerleading program at Old Independence Regional Museum – January 28th
On Sunday, January 28 at 2 p.m. the museum will be filled with a number of cheerleaders from the past. Helen Musgrave has recruited 14 former cheerleaders to tell about their roles during the 1950s through the 1990s in generating excitement as they led local teams and the crowds with enthusiasm, acrobatic gymnastics, and the rhythmic words “Go, Fight, Win.” This spirit always added to the competition on the football field and the basketball court.
The cheerleaders spurred crowds to rise and shout out their support through energetic winning chants. Cheerleaders from Batesville and Southside High will be represented, as will Lyon, Hendrix, ASU and the University of Arkansas. Leader uniforms and formations have changed during the decades, but the heart to win is still there.
Bruce Johnston, program chair for the year said, “Our thanks to Helen Musgrave for recruiting the participants for this program. All during 2017 the museum has offered a sports-related program every month. It has been a grand run!”
This museum program will be the final opportunity to witness the historic Smithsonian Institution’s traveling exhibit “Home Town Teams: How Sports Shape America.” It will be taken apart and shipped back to Washington D.C. within days after this program.
Many museum visitors have enjoyed this special thematic display that depicts the impact of sports on the American culture, along with local stories and memorabilia.
Twyla Wright, museum exhibit curator, tells what is next. “We will be reinstalling the “Living With the White River,” but I’m excited to be planning a new exhibit about the history of air flight in our region. There is always something new happening at Old Independence!”
The program will be free and open to the public. Normal museum hours are: Tuesday-Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is $3.00 for adults, $2.00 for seniors and $1.00 for children. The museum is located at 380 South 9th street, between Boswell and Vine Streets in Batesville.
Old Independence is a regional museum serving a 12-county area: Baxter, Cleburne, Fulton, Independence, Izard, Jackson, Marion, Poinsett, Sharp, Stone, White, and Woodruff. Parts of these present-day counties comprised the original Independence County in 1820’s Arkansas territory.
