Alabama sports memories to live on in library's exhibit

The exhibit examines the social and cultural role of sports and athletics in small-town America throughout the country's history.

The unit is equipped with high-tech video and sound recorders, and allows people to tell their stories in privacy.

Participants first responded to questions from the center representatives, which ranged from the importance of winning, safety issues, the participation of girls and women in sports and the amount of pressure placed on athletes these days, to "Who are your heroes" and "Why is Gadsden a good sports town?"

Bill Browning talked of sailboat racing in New York — he's written a book about those experiences — and about bike riding as part of Team Brooklyn and competing against Greg Lemond, three-time Tour de France champion; Eric Heiden, also an Olympic gold medalist in speed skating; and Jonathan Boyer, the first American to ride in the Tour de France.

"Museum on Main Street is a scaled-down exhibit designed by Smithsonian Institute curators and staff that tours smaller cities and rural communities throughout the nation, giving everyone a chance to see an actual Smithsonian exhibit up close and personal," Library Director Amanda Jackson said in a news release.