After two years of planning, the time has FINALLY come!! The “HomeTown Teams” exhibit opens this Saturday!!! Hometown Teams: How Sports Shape America is a traveling museum exhibition brought to you by the Georgia Humanities Council in partnership with Museum on Main Street, a division of the Smithsonian Institution.

The theme of the exhibition revolves around sports and teams in America: An unforgettable part of culture and community in towns all over the country. Sports reflect the American experience and have helped to shape our national character. The exhibition travels to 12 Georgia communities and it is finally our turn! Not only do we have the traveling Smithsonian exhibit but I have been working with several members of our athletic community to curate Colquitt County’s own local exhibit. We have had a wonderful turnout of athletes bringing in their memorabilia and sports history to share with our community. Connie Southwell is our spotlight artist exhibiting her amazing sports photography. This truly is a wonderful exhibit for everyone to enjoy and you might see yourself in some of these photographs!

You are not going to want to miss this Opening Ceremony hosted by the Moultrie Service League. The festivities are from 12pm to 1 pm this Saturday, April 22nd, on the front steps of the Arts Center with our Guest Speaker, Colquitt County native and former Head Coach of the Georgia Bulldogs, Ray Goff, giving a speech before our Mayor McIntosh cuts the ribbon to the Vereen Gallery. After touring the exhibit, you and your family are invited to join us for Dog World hotdogs and yard games, including cornhole, bowling, jumbo Jenga and more!

The celebration does not end with the Opening Ceremony! We have got a full schedule of events to celebrate our sports community for the whole six weeks the exhibit is here. The events begin this Tuesday, April 18th at 5pm with a Panel Discussion on Sports related injuries, sponsored by Vereen Rehabilitation Center and located at Vereen Rehabilitation Center. The panel consists of, Dr. Kent Posey (Neurologist), Jaclyn Donovan (Athletic Trainer), Britney Mobley and Scott Romanowski (Physical Therapists). From April 1st through 30th there is a “Home Town Teams” reading list on display at the Colquitt County Library. On Friday, April 21st, The Moultrie Junior Women’s Club will be hosting the 13th annual MOVIE UNDER THE STARS. “Sing” will be the feature presentation at the YMCA Soccer Field. Tickets are $6 and available from any MJWC member or at the gate. On Saturday, April 22nd from 12pm to 2pm is the “Home Town Teams” Opening Ceremony! The following  Saturday, April 29th, Elevate will be hosting the “E8 Showdown Throwdown”. Then on Saturday, May 6th from 10am to 12pm the Colquitt County Arts Center will be hosting ARTolympics, sponsored by Mobley Greenhouse, Inc. Come get your children interested and involved in the Summer Olympics by participating in ARTolympics at the Colquitt County Arts Center! Registration will begin at the “HomeTown Teams” Opening Ceremony on April 22nd. On Friday, May 11th the Special Olympics will be having their Opening Ceremonies starting at 9:30am at the Football Stadium. The Special Olympic Games will take place at the football stadium, practice field, rec department and YMCA. On Saturday, May 20th at 10:00 am is a Demo Diving at Moose Moss Farms followed by Pool Day at the Recreational Pool from 12:30-2:30. This event is sponsored by the Barbeque Pit! Come and join us at the Moose Moss Farms Diving Well for a special diving demonstration and then the Moultrie Recreational Pool will be open for you and your family to come enjoy a swim! Then on Thursday, May 25th at 2pm is the Sports Movie Matinee at the Arts Center. Come join us for an afternoon movie with popcorn! The Colquitt County Arts Center will be showing the movie “Slow Moe” on the big screen in our auditorium. All of these events are free and open to the public! For more information on these events please call the Arts Center at 229-985-1922 or you can e-mail Leah Garcia at learts@windstream.net! And to see what all is happening at the Arts Center you can visit our website at www.colquittcountyarts.com! “Where Creativity Finds Community!”