Traveling display at Bel Air Library celebrates MPT’s 50 years of service to citizens across Maryland
Maryland Public Television (MPT) is displaying its MPT 50th Anniversary Traveling Exhibit at the Bel Air Library in August. The exhibit is being held at libraries across the state in celebration of the public broadcasting network’s 50 years of service to Marylanders.
The MPT 50th Anniversary Traveling Exhibit explores the network’s origins, signature programs, familiar faces, and evolution – all fulfilling MPT’s mission to enrich lives and strengthen communities through the power of media. Maryland’s public TV network first went on the air October 5, 1969.
The exhibit features 10 display panels guiding visitors chronologically through MPT’s five decades of service and includes a station where viewers of all ages can color their favorite PBS characters or submit a note of congratulations to be displayed later this year on MPT’s virtual Birthday Wish Wall at mpt.org/50th.
The Bel Air Library is open Monday through Thursday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., on Friday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and is closed on Sundays in August. It is located at 100 East Pennsylvania Avenue. The MPT traveling exhibit will be on display through August 29.
MPT produced two sets of the traveling exhibit to expand the display’s accessibility to communities across the state. The Talbot County Free Library branch in Easton also will host the exhibit this month. The schedule, to date, of traveling exhibit appearances is available at mpt.org/about/50th_exhibit/.
In addition to the traveling exhibit, MPT’s 50th anniversary commemorations include the two-hour documentary Made Possible By Viewers Like You: 50 Years of Maryland Public Television – premiering on MPT-HD on Monday, August 19, at 8 p.m. – and an 82-page history book “Made Possible By Viewers Like You: The History of Maryland Public Television, 1969-2019.” The history book is available for sale at the MPT Online Store: https://bit.ly/339fyai.
In October, MPT will also formally unveil a yearlong museum-quality exhibit at the University of Maryland’s Hornbake Library on the College Park campus.
More information about MPT’s 50th anniversary activities and observances may be found at mpt.org/50th.
The MPT 50th Anniversary Traveling Exhibit is made possible in part by the City of Hagerstown, the Hagerstown-Washington County Convention and Visitors Bureau, Leaders of Tomorrow Youth Center, the Maryland State Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped and the Institute of Museum and Library Services.
About MPT
Launched in 1969 and headquartered in Owings Mills, MD, Maryland Public Television is a nonprofit, state-licensed public television network and member of the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS). MPT’s six transmitters cover Maryland plus portions of contiguous states and the District of Columbia. Frequent winner of regional Emmy® awards, MPT creates local, regional and national television shows. Beyond broadcast, MPT’s commitment to professional educators, parents, caregivers and learners of all ages is delivered through year-round instructional events and the super-website Thinkport, which garners in excess of five million page views annually. MPT’s community engagement connects viewers with local resources on significant health, education and public interest topics through year-round outreach events, viewer forums, program screenings and phone bank call-in opportunities. For more information visit mpt.org.
