Two metro museums are hosting events commemorating soldiers over Memorial Day weekend and 10 are participating in a national program offering free admission to active duty military personnel and their families throughout the summer.
Here's a quick rundown:
- The Atlanta History Center will observe Veterans Remembrance Day from noon to 5 p.m. Sunday.
Veterans and authentically dressed living history interpreters representing the branches of the United States Armed Forces will share stories about battles and military strategies with visitors. World War II vehicles and other wartime memorabilia will be displayed.
The singing group Vintage Vocals, which has performed in USO shows abroad, will belt out patriotic tunes including "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy" and "God Bless America."
Visitors can also check out the History Center's permanent exhibit "Turning Point: The American Civil War," including more than 1,500 original artifacts, photographs, dioramas, videos and interactive components as well as the temporary exhibit (through Oct. 7) "War in Our Backyards: Discovering Atlanta, 1861-1865."
The Veterans Remembrance program is free with Atlanta History Center admission ($16.50 adults, $13 ages 65 and up and students 13 and up, $11 ages 4 to 12). Visitors with military ID admitted free. 130 W. Paces Ferry Road N.W., Atlanta. 404-814-4000, www.atlantahistorycenter.com.
- On Saturday, the Southern Museum of Civil War and Locomotive History opens a history exhibit about the Atlanta Gate City Guard, with objects including medals, swords, pikes, a masthead lantern and a LeMat revolver. Many members of this quasi-military group established in 1857 were early volunteers for the War Between the States. The exhibit continues through Oct. 16.
The Southern Museum's permanent exhibits include one on the Great Locomotive Chase and "Railroads: Lifelines of the Civil War." 2829 Cherokee St., Kennesaw. Admission: $7.50, $6.50 ages 60 and over, $5.50 ages 4–12. 770-427-2117, www.southernmuseum.org.
- The number of metro museums participating in the Blue Star Museums initiative, offering free admission to active duty military personnel and their families from Memorial Day through Labor Day, has more than doubled since last year's launch.
Local participants this year include the Atlanta History Center, William Breman Jewish Heritage and Holocaust Museum, the CDC's Global Health Odyssey Museum, Center for Puppetry Arts, Heritage Sandy Springs Museum, High Museum of Art, Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum, Margaret Mitchell House, Emory University's Michael C. Carlos Museum and Museum of Contemporary Art of Georgia (MOCA GA).
Information: www.arts.gov/national/bluestarmuseums.
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