521 All-Stars Opening at BCAC
Based on the 1998 book The 521 All-Stars: A Championship Story of Baseball and Community, this exhibit depicts the game in its purest form: scrap metal base lines, rotten wood bleachers, teams made up of brothers, fathers and sons, and most importantly, fellowship within the community.
Until Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier in 1947, major league baseball was the pastime for white players and fans. Segregated and separated, black players were forced to form leagues of their own.
In 1996, author Frye Gaillard was driving north on Route 521 in Sumter County when he discovered a homemade ballpark and stopped to take pictures of the players. He and his partner, photographer Byron Baldwin, spent the next season and a half watching and studying the Gamecock baseball league of Rembert, S.C. The teams are comprised only of African-Americans.
The Black Creek Arts Center is located at 116 West College Avenue in Hartsville. For more information, visit blackcreekarts.org or call 843.332.6234.
Black Creek Arts Council is hosting an opening and reception for the 512 All-Stars Exhibit on Thursday, June 10 from 5:30 to 7:00.