WARREN, Ark. — A piece of local history from the mid-1960s has been added to the collection of the Bradley County Historical Museum, thanks to a recent donation from Susan Lee Pennington.
According to a post from the museum, Pennington donated a Lions Club midget cheerleader uniform in May 2022. The uniform, which she wore for three years, carries both personal and community significance, reflecting a bygone era of Warren’s youth activities.
In her own words shared by the museum, Pennington described the care and restoration of the uniform over the years:
“I donated my Lions Club midget cheerleader suit to Bradley County Historical Museum in May 2022. Susan Saunders, one of the board members accepted it in her office. My elderly mother-in-law, who is a wonderful seamstress, totally redid the hem of the skirt. Since I wore the uniform for three years, my mother (longtime Warren educator Mary Lee) just kept letting the hem out until there wasn’t much hem left! After repairing the hem, my mother-in-law washed and ironed the jumper. I had two shirts. This one is the original one; I still have the second one which is more of a yellow color. The buttons from this first one had been moved to the second one, so I took them off and sewed them back on the first shirt. I washed and ironed the shirt. The letter L had been taken off the suit when I was in junior high and spent many years on my bulletin board. I sewed it back on the suit using a blind stitch. Thank you to Mrs. Lucy Taylor for teaching me how to do a blind stitch and sew on buttons!”
The uniform, featuring a bright yellow shirt paired with a blue jumper and a prominent “L” emblem, is now preserved as part of the museum’s efforts to document and showcase Bradley County’s local heritage.
Museum officials highlighted the donation as a meaningful contribution that connects personal memories with the broader story of the community’s past.
