Active-duty military personnel and their families can visit two of Southeast Tennessee’s museums this summer free.
The McMinn County Living Heritage Museum in Athens and the Museum Center at Five Points in Cleveland are taking part in Blue Star Museums. The national program is funded by the National Endowment for the Arts and organized by Blue Star Families, a national advocacy group for the family of military personnel.
The offer continues until Labor Day.
“With two permanent military-themed exhibits, the Living Heritage Museum has a long-standing tradition of honoring the military service of our community members,” said Executive Director Diane Hutsell. “Offering free admission this summer is just one more way to thank these brave men and women, as well as their supportive families.”
The Museum Center at Five Points “is so pleased to honor our active-duty military personnel and their families and thank them for their service,” said Lisa Simpson Lutts, executive director.
Both museums have strong connections to local military service and traditions.
The Living Heritage Museum’s permanent collection includes an exhibit dedicated to soldiers from the Civil War through Operation Desert Storm. Uniforms, armaments and personal mementos all are on display.
A section of the Living Heritage Museum is dedicated to the USS Charles R. Ware and its namesake, a native of Athens, Tenn.
The section opened in 2002 to honor Lt. Charles R. Ware, a naval aviator who died during the Battle of Midway on June 4, 1942. In 1945, the U.S. Navy named a destroyer for him that was in service for 29 years, including during the Vietnam War.
The Museum Center at Five Points also has medals, uniforms and equipment from the Civil War to the Gulf War in its collection.
More than 650 museums are taking part nationwide, according to Kathy Roth-Douquet, chairwoman for Blue Star Families.
Free admission to Blue Star museums is available for those showing a military identification plus five immediate family members.
Participating Museums
Tennessee
Gray: ETSU & General Sahle Brick Natural History Museum
Harrogate: Lincoln Memorial University
Athens: McMinn County Living Heritage
Memphis: Brooks Art Museum
Cleveland: Museum Center at Five Points
Collierville: Museum of Biblical History
Georgia
Atlanta: CDC/Global Health Odyssey Museum, Center for Puppetry Arts and High Museum of Art
Rome: Chieftains Museum
Athens: Georgia Museum of Art
Sandy Springs: Heritage Sandy Springs Museum
Thomson: Hickory Hill
Madison: Madison Museum of Fine Art
Alabama
Birmingham: Birmingham Museum of Art
Huntsville: Museum of Art
Mobile: Museum of Mobile.
Source: National Endowment for the Arts, www.arts.gov