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Cooperstown Museums to Host Community Day May 9 as Hall of Fame Debuts New Museum Store

2026-04-30

(COOPERSTOWN, NY) – The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum will join with Cooperstown institutions Fenimore Art Museum and Fenimore Farm and Country Village to celebrate the 2026 edition of Community Day on Saturday, May 9.

That same day, the Hall of Fame will also open its new Museum Store, featuring a front-facing entrance on Cooperstown’s beautiful Main Street as well as access through the Museum itself. With more than double the retail space of the previous location, the new store will become an unforgettable and educational part of the Museum experience, featuring a train theme, which harkens back to the historical connection between baseball and rail travel.

Presented in the shape of a baseball diamond – complete with basepaths and a dugout – the new Museum Store will offer a wider variety of product, greatly broadening the selection of headwear, women’s apparel, youth apparel and collectibles to support the Museum’s mission. The current Museum Store will transition into additional Museum space – beginning in 2027 – that will provide brand new experiences to Museum visitors.

A ribbon-cutting ceremony will be held at the Museum Store at 9 a.m. on May 9, with the store opening to the public at 9:30 a.m.

This expansion project is made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature and support from the Clark Foundation and the Scriven Foundation. Hall of Fame partners in the construction project include Canopy Team, DAIQ and Eastman Associates.

Residents of Otsego County will be provided with complimentary admission to the Baseball Hall of Fame, Fenimore Art Museum and Fenimore Farm and Country Village on Saturday, May 9, as Cooperstown looks forward to a historic 2026 summer season.

Residents of Otsego County and participants in the Museum’s Membership Program will also receive a 25-percent discount on all Museum Store purchases on May 9, and a commemorative pin will be given to the first 500 customers who make a purchase.

The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum will be open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on May 9, while the Fenimore Art Museum and the Fenimore Farm and Country Village will each be open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. that day.

The Hall of Fame will feature several Museum programs on Community Day, all of which are included with Museum admission:

  • 10:30 a.m.: Plaques of the Gallery Tour: Learn about the history of our Plaque Gallery, which first opened in 1958, was expanded in 1993 and now features 351 bronze plaques representing each of our Hall of Famers.  
  • 11:30 a.m.: Remembering June 12, 1939: The Birth of the Hall of Fame: Take a trip back to 1939, when the Hall of Fame and Museum officially opened its doors for the first time. This program looks back at the first Induction Ceremony, along with the Cavalcade of Baseball celebrating the centennial of the game and a special exhibition game at Doubleday Field.  
  • 1 p.m.: Explore the Baseball Discovery Zone: This interactive room provides families with a setting to try on baseball jerseys and sample artifacts from the Hall of Fame’s Education collection, including gloves, mitts, bats and balls from an array of time periods.  
  • 1:30 p.m.: Hall of Fame Trivia Game: Fans can test their knowledge of baseball and its history in this interactive trivia game.  
  • 2 p.m.: Explore the Baseball Discovery Zone: This interactive room provides families with a setting to try on baseball jerseys and sample artifacts from the Hall of Fame’s Education collection, including gloves, mitts, bats and balls from an array of time periods.  
  • 2:45 p.m.: Plaques of the Gallery Tour: Learn about the history of our Plaque Gallery, which first opened in 1958, was expanded in 1993 and now features 351 bronze plaques representing each of our Hall of Famers.

At the Fenimore Art Museum, visitors can explore the newly renovated Education & Regional History Center, located inside the Research Library with opportunities to tour select spaces, meet staff and learn more about the Museum’s expanded educational offerings while enjoying light refreshments. In addition, current exhibitions will be open to the public, including Young at Art, Pints & Paintings, and Faded Elegance, as well as our permanent collections including the Thaw Gallery and a selection of our Folk Art pieces, offering something for visitors of all ages and interests. Find more information at FenimoreArt.org.

At the Fenimore Farm and Country Village, Community Day offers a lively, hands-on experience celebrating rural life and history. Visitors can take part in a variety of engaging demonstrations and activities, including the firing of the baking oven at Lippitt House, bottle feeding calves, a milking demonstration, rope making, butter churning and demonstrations in the printing press and blacksmith shops. Guests are also encouraged to spend time with the Farm’s animals, interact with costumed interpreters throughout the historic village, and enjoy refreshments from Crossroads Café. Find more information at FenimoreFarm.org.

In order to gain free admission to each museum, visitors must present a government-issued identification with an Otsego County address at each museum’s main ticket booth.