For Immediate Release: September 5, 2007

Sports and Entertainment in Emeryville: 1870-1970,

******************************************************************************************************************************************

(Oakland, CA)— For the better part of a century, the small East Bay town of Emeryville served as a top destination for fun, drawing residents throughout northern California. A new exhibition, Sports and Entertainment in Emeryville: 1870-1970, opening September 15 through December 15, 2007 in the Oakland History Room of the Oakland Main Library, vividly records that era. The Emeryville Historical Society draws from its growing collection of photographs and other materials to document the excitement of Pacific Coast League baseball games at Oaks Park, prize fights in the exposition building at Shellmound Park, world champion-level horse racing at the Oakland Trotting Park, along with dance marathons, theater productions, live music, air shows, auto races, rodeos, and a wide variety of other activities to attract visitors to Emeryville.

Many of the images in this exhibit have never been previously displayed. Some images have recently been discovered by society members, including many that have come in recent donations to the Oakland History Room. Boxers and entertainers of an earlier era will be well-represented, as will rare images of Oaks Park, the home field of the old Oakland Oaks of the Pacific Coast League.

The Oakland History Room is located on the second floor of the Oakland Main Library, 125 14th Street (between Oak and Madison Streets). For further information, please contact the Emeryville Historical Society, (510) 652-8276 or (510) 652-8276, or Steven Lavoie in the Oakland History Room, (510) 238-3222. You can also find information about the Oakland Public Library and the Oakland History Room at www.oaklandlibrary.org.

###

(Photographs available upon request.)