Serving O'Brien & Clay Counties
Serving O'Brien & Clay Counties
Wine and cheese to kick off opening
The exhibit features a variety of photos of women's athletics in Iowa dating back to the 1890s.
The Everly Heritage Museum is playing host to a traveling exhibit highlighting a unique period in women's sports.
The museum recently announced that "6-on-6 Basketball and the Legacy of Girls' and Women's Sport in Iowa" will be calling the facility home now through June 5. The exhibit is on loan from the University of Iowa Women's Archives and has previously made stops in much larger cities like Ames, Ottumwa, Iowa City and Mount Vernon.
"It was very serendipitous that we ended up with this and how it worked out," said Connie Goeken, chair of the museum steering committee. "We're thrilled to have it."
The steering committee stumbled on the university's 6-on-6 exhibit while doing their own research for a piece on legendary Cattlefeeder 6-on-6 teams.
"Just out of whim, we called the women's archives to just kind of question them about any information that they could share," recalled Goeken. "We started talking, and we asked if there was anyway that they could make it available to us. One of their main researchers was scheduled to speak in Cherokee, and they said you know what? Maybe she can bring it then."
The 6-on-6 display is the first traveling exhibit to make a stop at the Everly Heritage Museum since it opened in November of 2021. It will complement the museum's permanent display highlighting famous Everly Cattlefeeders girls' basketball teams and their 10 trips to the state tournament.
According to the University of Iowa, the traveling exhibit traces the journey of women's sports in Iowa from 1891 to the present day through photos and stories. Both 6-on-6 and 5-on-5 basketball are featured.
On the final day of the exhibit's stay in Everly, the museum plans to host a dessert luncheon and reunion for all former Everly girls' basketball players, coaches, managers and cheerleaders. The featured speaker will be Dr. Jennifer Sterling, University of Iowa professor and sports historian. Dr. Sterling was part of the team that designed the 6-on-6 exhibit and will talk about the history of the 6-on-6 game in Iowa.
More information about reservations for the luncheon will be made available in the coming weeks. In the meantime, the museum will host a wine and cheese reception to mark the opening of the exhibit on Tuesday, March 22 from 5:30-7 p.m.
"Everyone is invited," said Goeken. "We are really excited to have this and are eager to show it off."
