A Morning at the Chautauqua Sports Hall of Fame

While the umpires were sitting around after Thursday night's games, they made the decision to do a late lunch together. Then they decided they should take the opportunity to check out the Babe Ruth World Series Display at the Chautauqua Sports Hall of Fame beforehand. It didn't matter if it was closed, one of the guys was on the board and had a key if need be.

The Chautauqua Sports Hall of Fame is located in Jamestown across the street from the Lucy and Desi Museum. It honors athletes that have ties to Chautauqua County..and it doesn't matter what sport -- roller skating, soap box derby, bowling, tennis, racing. The Hall of Fame covers them all.  The hubby says it is a treasure trove.

The artifacts and memorabilia in there is unbelievable. Just about every usable inch is covered with pictures, jerseys, signs, balls, and other sports equipment. There are soap box derby cars and go karts. Ever want to know how heavy a motor-cross suit is you can pick one up and see for yourself.

The Babe Ruth World Series display wasn't much. It was a table of past programs and a few other artifacts. The umpires enjoyed looking through the past programs to see if they knew any of the other umpires. They did have a bulletin board with pictures of Major Leaguers that played in a Babe Ruth World Series in Jamestown including two former Brewers.. Richie Sexton was one of them.

The hour or so we spent perusing the Hall of Fame was a great. The volunteer who showed us around was very knowledgeable. I would go back next time we're in Jamestown just to see what else they added to the museum.  It is strictly ran on volunteers and donations. I've been to the Football Hall of Fame in Canton, the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, and the Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield along with the NCAA Hall of Champions in Indianapolis and this by far is probably my favorite and I don't even know 98% of the people inducted. It is the random assortment of memorabilia that makes this one so unique.