Hometown sports exhibit

If you're in Ellicott City over the weekend, you should check out the Howard County Historical Society's exhibit, "Hometown Teams: How Sports Shape America," which runs through Nov. 7.

The exhibit, open Friday through Sunday from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., is part of the Smithsonian Institution's "Museum on Main Street" program and celebrates how sports have helped to mold communities across the country. Admission is free. The museum is at 8328 Court Ave. in Ellicott City.

Shawn Gladden, executive director of the Howard County Historical Society Museum, told the Howard County Times that the exhibit "will examine the rich traditions of Howard County high school sports, various organizations like the Soccer Association of Columbia and the Howard County Youth Program, and niche sports such as fox hunting."

"Visitors will be able to see how much sports uniforms have changed over the years, especially women's, which used to resemble school uniforms," he told the Times. "They also will note that the number of men's and women's sports was fairly balanced in Howard County, even long ago."

(In the photo above, Shawn Gladden, left, and legendary former Wilde Lake High School football coach Doug DuVall pose at a preview party for the exhibit.)