CRANE, Mo. — Crane is one of only a handful of towns in Missouri that got the chance to host a special Smithsonian exhibit.

“Well, they’re kind of amazed that this quality exhibit came to little old Crane and Stone County,” said Julie Green, President of the Stone County Historical/Genealogical Society (SCHGS). “Out of 26 recipients that submitted a grant, we were one of six that got it. ‘Meet Me on Main Street’ is for the small towns, so the bigger cities couldn’t even apply for this. It had to be, I think, under 5,000 people and we were the only one in southwest Missouri. They scattered it around through the state. A lot of the people don’t have the opportunity to go to the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C., so we’re bringing it to them.”

The exhibit, titled “Crossroads: Change in Rural America,” will be at the SCHGS Event Center in Crane through Dec. 12.

Designed to focus specifically on rural issues, the exhibit is on display for public viewing on Thursdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and on Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

“‘Museum on Main Street’ is a program that the Smithsonian offers across the nation,” said Chris Kempke, Program Coordinator of “Museum on Main Street.” “It’s a series of exhibits that are focused on rural issues specifically, and we select sites based on the kind of adjunct programming and story that a community is going to tell with that. So, it’s not just about setting up this exhibit and just leaving it static and just about changing rural America, but we challenge communities to think about how change is looked in their community and tell that story with activities, with adjacent exhibits.”

The SCHGS will specially open the exhibit for school students on Nov. 14, providing materials and questions to teachers to ask their students.

Those interested in taking a group to visit the “Crossroads” exhibit should contact the SCHGS in advance.