GRAND HAVEN, Mich. — Every summer, the Tri-Cities Historical Museum in Grand Haven unveils a blockbuster exhibit that highlights a unique theme for a limited time.
This summer, that theme is the history of sports in the local area.
"We’ve been collecting since 1959, so we have over 70,000 objects in the museum's collection," said Erica Layton, the museum's executive director. "But some of these items that were pulled from storage for this exhibit — this may be the first time they've ever been on display."
Play Ball! Sports History in the Tri-Cities celebrates the people, equipment, memorabilia and moments in time that make up the more than two centuries' worth of sports history in Grand Haven, Spring Lake and Ferrysburg.
It features interactive pieces, like the golf corner where you can attempt to make a few putts right next to some of the oldest clubs in the game, and the museum's first oral history station, where visitors can record their own memories and experiences related to the world of local sports.
The exhibit's curator, Kate Crosby, called the identity of sports in the Tri-Cities area "an unbridled enthusiasm."
"There's just so much participation," she said. "We've got the different baseball leagues; we've got bowling leagues; we've got all of these things, which are just so incredible when you think about the fact that, you know, you don't have to be a star athlete to enjoy and play sports and to have an impact on your local community through sports.”
The exhibit will be open until Sept. 24. Just like the museum itself, it is free to visit.
The museum is open Tuesday through Friday from 10 a.m.–5 p.m. and Saturday through Sunday from 12 p.m.–5 p.m.