The Chattanooga Public Library is hosting an opening reception Friday, October 24, for its newest Local History & Genealogy exhibition, Home Runs & Home Teams: A History of the National Pastime in Tennessee.
This special event takes place 5:30 pm to 7:00 pm, and it is free and open to all ages. Guests will experience a first look at a companion display focused on Chattanooga’s baseball past, a guest appearance from The Lookouts’ mascot Looie and remarks and a Q&A session with longtime sportswriter Mark McCarter.
The opening reception will also debut a companion display featuring historical artifacts from the Library’s collection. While the traveling exhibition explores many iconic figures and moments from Tennessee’s past, this display will specifically highlight Chattanooga’s baseball legacy, including early amateur teams, The Lookouts, Satchel Paige, Joe Engel, our local fields and stadiums, and more.
Mark McCarter, a Chattanooga native, spent nearly 40 years as a newspaper sportswriter and columnist, including 17 years with the Chattanooga Times Free Press. He covered the return of professional baseball to the city in 1976 after a decade’s hiatus, and McCarter is a member of the Alabama Sports Writers Hall of Fame and inductee of the Greater Chattanooga Sports Hall of Fame in 2012.
McCarter is also the author of four books, including Never a Bad Game: Fifty Years of the Southern League, and he is currently writing his fifth book, a biography of baseball and Chattanooga legend Joe Engel, to be published in 2026.
Looie, the beloved mascot of The Lookouts, will also be there to help celebrate and greet attendees. Complementary refreshments will be available as well, generously donated by Coca-Cola United and MoonPie/Chattanooga Bakery.
Home Runs & Home Teams, created by the Museum of East Tennessee History, will be on view from October 4, 2025 - March 18, 2026 on the 3rd Floor of the Downtown Library. During this time, the Library will also be offering a variety of special programs, with its first one aimed towards younger fans.
The Story of Jackie Mitchell: The Girl Who Struck Out Babe Ruth will take place on Saturday, November 8, at 2:00 pm in the Downtown Library’s 1st Floor Auditorium. For ages 6-11, this interactive, hands-on storytelling program featuring Jean L.S. Patrick, author of The Girl Who Struck Out Babe Ruth. Patrick will dramatize the story of 17-year-old pitcher Jackie Mitchell (including Jackie's famous strikeouts) and provide a behind-the-scenes look at her research and writing process.
The Chattanooga Public Library is grateful to the Museum of East Tennessee History, operated by the East Tennessee Historical Society in Knoxville, Tennessee.
More information about the Chattanooga Public Library, other exhibits, events, locations, services and more can be found at chattlibrary.org.