NFL, MLB, NHL, NBA, CFL stats



 Mississippi RiverKings

RiverKings Game Supports DeSoto County Museum

February 5, 2009 - Central Hockey League (CHL)
Mississippi RiverKings News Release


(Southaven, MS) -- While the RiverKings hockey team's presence is historic in DeSoto County as the first professional sports team in residence, the team will go way back in history on Friday, February 6th, when it hosts the DeSoto County Museum as the featured nonprofit organization during the game against the Odessa Jackalopes.

"As a native of this area who went away and came back with a family, I appreciate the history of DeSoto County even more now," Museum Director Brian Hicks said. "This area of the country has so much to contribute to this country's development, but extends even further than that to prehistoric times. We have chosen to focus on more modern times, but we continue to discover all kinds of great artifacts from all time periods."

The DeSoto County Museum features the history and development of DeSoto County, Mississippi, from 1541 to the present.

Artifacts and displays begin with the arrival of Hernando DeSoto and his contact with the native inhabitants of Mississippi. Displays continue through the riverboat days with a working model of a paddlewheel boat. Other exhibits feature the parlor of an antebellum mansion and artifacts from the Civil War, including letters, uniforms, guns and artillery from the time period.

Key events in the agricultural, recreational, and social development of DeSoto County are also on display. Events in the African-American community are featured in the museum, including civil rights exhibits.

Exhibits from current times include the RiverKings, the DeSoto Civic Center, the Economic Council, local artwork and entertainment, and stories of the growing communities of Horn Lake, Olive Branch, Southaven, and Hernando.

The Desoto County Museum provides education programs in Geology, Archaeology, and Community Education through a grant provided by the United Way.

The museum also provides rotating art exhibits and traveling exhibits from other museums, outreach programs to the community, in which museum staff takes artifacts and multi-media presentations to clubs, schools, and community events. Topics covered include Native American history in the area, fossils, dinosaurs, civil rights, the history of the county courthouse murals and more.

Along with the antebellum mansion parlor, permanent exhibits at the DeSoto County Museum include an authentic log cabin, one of the early churches built in Hernando, and other artifacts from DeSoto County's history.

The museum also serves as a hub for community activity. Every Thursday night, bluegrass musicians and appreciative listeners congregate for an extended jam session. In the summer, this takes place on the porch of the log cabin, and in the winter in the adjoining historic church building, with sometimes up to 200 folks coming to enjoy the festivities.

The museum is available for rent to clubs and community groups, and includes a meeting room. Admission is free to the museum, which is open to the public from10 a.m. - 5 p.m. School tours are available upon request.

"Our mission is to preserve DeSoto County history and educate folks about it," Hicks said. "There is a real need to preserve it, as that history is continuously slipping away as this area expands and grows. We're here to educate folks of all age groups, from the very young to the very old, so that history is not lost and forgotten."

For more information on the Museum, call 662.429.8852 or visit www.desotomuseum.org.

The Mississippi RiverKings are supported by their community partners, season ticket holders, fans, and by program-related investments of Maddox Foundation, an independent private foundation based in Hernando, Miss., to lessen the burden of the Desoto County government by increasing the viability of the Desoto Civic Center and promoting the long-term economic development of the community. The Foundation now uses the team in a variety of programs that increase investments in area charities and their causes.

Upcoming RiverKings home games include February 6th (DeSoto County Museum), 8, 10, 20, 21 and 28.

• Discuss this story on the Central Hockey League message board...

Central Hockey League Stories from February 5, 2009


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

Other Recent Mississippi RiverKings Stories



Sports Statistics from the Stats Crew
OurSports Central