'Flu and Football' exhibition continues
High school and semi-professional teams canceled games from mid-October until the first week in November, when the city quarantine was lifted. In 2020 the season was truncated to six games, concluding traditionally with the Massillon-McKinley game.
The"Flu and Football" exhibition in the Paul Brown Museum within the Massillon Museum features images and information about the effects of the 1918 Spanish influenza and the 2020 COVID-19 pandemics on football in Massillon. It will continue through Jan. 9. Admission is free.
Massillon’s reactions to the two pandemics, a century apart, were similar. Both times Massillon shut down, except essential businesses, and football games were postponed or canceled.
Visitors see a comparison of the 1918 and 2020 Tiger schedules with their flu-related alterations. By early October 1918, influenza forced much of the city to shut down including football. High school and semi-professional teams canceled games from mid-October until the first week in November, when the city quarantine was lifted. In 2020 the season was truncated to six games, concluding traditionally with the Massillon-McKinley game.
Also in the Paul Brown Museum, guests can see the 30-by-8-foot football history time line, which is always on display, spotlighting Paul Brown’s fedora, his Hall of Fame jacket and a chronology of his career, as well as the signed 1940 Massillon-McKinley game ball and milestones of Massillon’s high school and professional squads.
Current MassMu exhibitions include the "Stark County Artists Exhibition" in the Aultman Health Foundation Gallery through Jan. 16, "Amy Swartelé: Supernormal" in Studio M through Dec. 1, "Artwork by Members of the Boys and Girls Club of Massillon" in the Fred F. Silk Community Room Gallery through Jan. 9, "Eterovich Contemporaries" in the Flex Gallery through Jan. 2, the "Immel Circus," and exhibitions in the Local History, Albert E. Hise Fine and Decorative Arts, and Photography galleries.
MassMu exhibitions may be seen during regular museum hours Tuesday through Saturday from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from 2-5 p.m.
The Massillon Museum receives operating support from the Ohio Arts Council and ArtsinStark, as well as marketing support from Visit Canton.
The Massillon Museum is located at 121 Lincoln Way E. in downtown Massillon. Call the Massillon Museum at 330-833-4061 or visit www.massillonmuseum.org.