Did you miss the opening of the Making Sports History exhibit in October? Been meaning to visit your local museum, but just haven’t gotten there? The Making Sports History exhibit will close on April 15, but not before one last push to the finish line. The exhibit, a cooperative venture of the New River Heritage Coalition, features the history of sports in the New River Valley over the last 200 years. Glencoe Museum in Radford, Historic Smithfield Plantation in Blacksburg, Giles County Historical Society in Pearisburg, Montgomery Museum and Lewis Miller Regional Art Center in Christiansburg, Raymond Ratcliffe Memorial Museum in Pulaski, and Blacksburg Museum are participating in the exhibit.

Those who visit 4 of the participating museums prior to April 15 and have their sports passports stamped will be entered in a drawing for the second round of great sports-related prizes to be awarded after the exhibit closes including golf passes, a canoe trip, race passes, and gift certificates.

The New River Heritage Coalition was formed in 2004 by the leadership of local heritage sites in order to improve the cooperation and collaboration between the member sites. The goal is to bring a cohesive picture of the cultural heritage that thrives along the New River. The Native Americans, the early explorers, the European settlers, and even the push of industrial development followed the river, and so does our present day search for that heritage.

Please visit newriverheritage.org or call the individual museums for more information including hours of operation. Historic Smithfield Plantation will open for the 2008 season on April 5. The Blacksburg Museum exhibit has closed.