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For Immediate Release - May 25, 2010
Contact: Kim Schuette, 614.297.2314 or 800-340-6131 or by email at kschuette@ohiohistory.org.
Ohio Historical Society Sites To Offer Free Admission to Military Families This Summer
More than 600 Museums To Participate in Blue Star Museums Nationwide
(COLUMBUS, Ohio)- The Ohio Historical Society will offer free admission to all active duty military personnel and their families from Memorial Day through Labor Day 2010 as a part of Blue Star Museums. The program is a partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts, Blue Star Families and more than 600 museums across America.
Participating Ohio Historical Society historic sites and museums include: Armstrong Air & Space Museum in Wapakoneta, Campus Martius Museum and Ohio River Museum in Marietta, Cedar Bog near Urbana, Flint Ridge near Brownsville, Fort Meigs in Perrysburg, Harding Home in Marion, Indian Mill near Upper Sandusky, Johnston Farm & Indian Agency in Piqua, Museum of Ceramics in East Liverpool, National Afro-American Museum and Cultural Center in Wilberforce, National Road/Zane Grey Museum near Norwich, Ohio Historical Center in Columbus, Harriet Beecher Stowe House in Cincinnati and Wahkeena Nature Preserve near Lancaster. Families can visit www.ohiohistory.org/places for museum hours.
“The Ohio Historical Society is proud to join the Blue Star Museums in thanking our military personnel and their families for their service and sacrifice,” said Burt Logan, executive director and CEO of the Ohio Historical Society. “We want to welcome them in to explore and enjoy Ohio’s historic sites and museums in every region of the state this summer.”
“There have always been wonderful examples of partnerships between museums and military installations, but the scale of this gift from the museum communities to military families is thrilling,” said Blue Star Families Chairman Kathy Roth-Douquet. “Military families work hard for this country, and it is gratifying for us to be recognized for that. We anticipate that thousands of military families will participate in the program and visit museums this summer – many of them for the first time. Blue Star Families will work hard to help our military families make the most of these opportunities.”
Blue Star Museums runs from Memorial Day, May 31 through to Labor Day, Sept. 6, 2010, and applies to admission to participating museums and historic sites. The free admission program is available to active duty military and their immediate family members (military ID holder and five immediate family members), which includes active duty Reserve and active duty National Guard. For participating Ohio Historical Society sites some special events are not included in the Blue Stars Museums free admission program. For questions, please contact the particular historic site or museum directly.
To find out which museums nationally are participating, visit www.arts.gov/bluestarmuseums. The site includes a complete list of participating museums and a map to help with visit planning.
About Blue Star Families
Blue Star Families is a national, non-partisan, non-profit network of military families from all ranks and services including guard and reserve, with a mission to support, connect and empower military families. In addition to morale and empowerment programs, Blue Star Families raises awareness of the challenges and strengths of military family life with civilian community and leaders. Membership includes spouses, kids, parents, service members, veterans and civilians.
Operation Appreciation is an initiative of Blue Star Families that seeks to connect military families to the larger community. Blue Star Families 2009 annual survey shows that 94 percent of military families feel that the larger community doesn’t truly understand or appreciate the sacrifices we make for the country. Through initiatives such as Blue Star Museums, Blue Star Families provides avenues for the larger community to show that they do understand, in meaningful ways that enrich the lives of military service members, spouses, children and parents. For more information, please visit
http://bluestarfam.org/drupal/.
About the National Endowment for the Arts
The NEA is a public agency dedicated to supporting excellence in the arts – both new and established – bringing the arts to all Americans, and providing leadership in arts education. Established by Congress in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal government, the Arts Endowment is the largest annual national funder of the arts, bringing great art to all 50 states, including rural areas, inner cities, and military bases. For more information, please visit
http://www.nea.gov/.
About the Ohio Historical Society
Established in 1885, the Ohio Historical Society is a nonprofit organization that serves as the state’s partner in preserving and interpreting Ohio’s history, archaeology, natural history and architecture. For more information about programs and events, call 614.297.2300/800.686.6124 or go online at
www.ohiohistory.org.
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