With baseball season in full swing, the museum invites its guests to celebrate America’s pastime with special baseball themed activities and presentations on Saturday, July 22. Inspired by the museum’s current exhibition, The 521 All-Stars: A Championship Story of Baseball and Community, “Baseball Day at the State Museum” offers a fun escape from the summer heat and an opportunity to explore some of the sport’s history in South Carolina.

During this special daytime event, baseball fans of all ages are invited to take a photo with Mason, the Columbia Fireflies mascot, enjoy exclusive baseball-themed giveaways, participate in a hands-on-craft activity, purchase ballpark-themed treats from the Crescent Café by the Food Academy and enter a raffle to win the opportunity to throw the first pitch at a Columbia Fireflies game.

In addition to these activities, the State Museum will host panel discussions highlighting the history of baseball in Columbia and the Black baseball team featured in The 521 All-Stars: A Championship Story of Baseball and Community. This exhibition, based on the 1998 book of the same name, depicts baseball in its purest form through over 40 framed photographs taken during the team’s 1996-1997 season. During Baseball Day, on the 25th anniversary of their book, author Frye Gaillard, photographer Byron Baldwin and players from the team featured in the exhibition will re-unite for a special panel discussion. Guests are invited to join in on this reunion and meet with the players, author and photographer afterwards.

Baseball Day activities are included with museum general admission and membership. Find more information and a schedule of activities on scmuseum.org. 

About the South Carolina State Museum

As the state’s largest and most comprehensive museum, the South Carolina State Museum offers a unique, entertaining and educational experience to visitors throughout its 225,000-square-foot facility located in the heart of downtown Columbia’s Congaree Vista. The State Museum is housed in one of its greatest artifacts, an 1894 old textile mill full of character and charm. In addition to beautiful meeting spaces throughout the facility, guests can explore outer space in one of the largest planetariums in the Southeast, watch an interactive 4D movie and look through a vintage telescope in a one-of-a-kind observatory. These exciting opportunities are all in addition to the four floors of South Carolina art, cultural history, natural history and science/technology that guests can experience. For more information about the museum, visit scmuseum.org.