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Baseball's Gateway to the West
 In honor of the selection of St. Louis as the scene of Major League Baseball’s 2009 All- Star Game, Jefferson National Expansion Memorial, in collaboration with the Cardinals Hall of Fame Museum, created an exhibit highlighting the contributions of St. Louis to the “National Game.” “Baseball’s Gateway to the West,” funded by a generous contribution from Major League Baseball to Jefferson National Parks Association, presents the story of St. Louis’s role in popularizing and expanding the game of baseball, particularly in the West and Midwest.
Did you know, for instance, that baseball was played in St. Louis as early as 1860? Also that the song “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” was first played at a Major League Game by the Cardinals’ band? Or that the “farm system” of developing baseball talent for the Major Leagues began.... you guessed it, in St. Louis? Perhaps most astounding of all is the fact that St. Louis had the westernmost and southernmost Major League Baseball team up until 1954!
All of these little-known facts and more are incorporated into an exhibit that is blessed with incredible artifacts from the Cardinals Hall of Fame Museum. With a design by St. Louis firm PGAV and fabrication by Innovations in Art, “Baseball’s Gateway to the West” is an impressive display of story and objects charting the many highlights of the National Pastime in St. Louis’s history.
The exhibit will open with a VIP ribbon cutting ceremony on Saturday, July 11 at 10 a.m. in the Special Exhibit Gallery in the Museum of Westward Expansion beneath the Gateway Arch. The ribbon cutting will be attended by representatives of Major League Baseball, as well as representatives and special guests from the St. Louis Cardinals organization past and present, and National Park Service leadership.
Don't miss this exhibit or any of the other opening-day, fun events on July 11th! It will be a full day with free activities including interactive stations featuring hands-on displays of vintage baseball equipment, historical Cardinal logo tracing/coloring plates and a scavenger hunt.
At 11:00 a.m., The Perfectos, a St. Louis baseball club, will play a "vintage style" baseball game on the Arch grounds. The game will be played by the 19th century rules with players outfitted in vintage-style uniforms and equipment.
At 3:10 p.m., the classic Cards-Cubs rivalry will play out on the big screen as the Arch airs the St. Louis Cardinals vs. Chicago Cubs game live on the concert stage video screens.
And at 8:00 p.m., the 2009 Major League Baseball All-Star Charity Concert featuring Sheryl Crow will begin under the Arch. For more information visit Jefferson National Expansion Memorial's website.
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© 2012 Jefferson National Parks Association. |
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