World of Little League to Participate in Blue Star Museums

World of Little League: Peter J. McGovern Museum and Official Store is among the more than 2,000 museums across America offering free admission to military personnel and their families this summer in collaboration with the National Endowment for the Arts, Blue Star Families, and the Department of Defense

When it re-opens to the public on Saturday, June 15, 2013, World of Little League: Peter J. McGovern Museum and Official Store, located in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, will join forces with 2,000 other museums across America as part of the Blue Star Museums program.

Blue Star Museums offer free admission to the nation’s active duty military personnel including National Guard and Reserve and their families from Memorial Day through Labor Day, Sept. 2, 2013. Some special or limited-time museum exhibits aren’t included in the free admission program.

Although the Blue Star Museum Program began on Memorial Day, World of Little League, 525 Route 15 Highway, South Williamsport, will officially launch its program on Saturday, June 15, as part of the festivities surrounding the reopening of the museum, which has been closed since September 2012.  There will be a brief ceremony at 9 a.m. on the Viewing Plaza, weather permitting. As part of the reopening event, special guests who donated or loaned artifacts for the new displays will share their Little League® experiences.

The museum will be open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., daily.

“World of Little League is pleased to be part of the Blue Star Program for the last four years,” said Lance Van Auken, Vice President and Executive Director of the World of Little League: Peter J. McGovern Museum and Official Store. “Military families have played a role in the expansion of the Little League program since its early years. The program is a way to recognize the military men and women who have helped Little League and honor those who continue to support the United States of America.”

“Blue Star Museums is collaboration between the arts and military communities," said Joan Shigekawa, National Endowment for the Arts Acting Chairman. “Our work with Blue Star Families and with more than 2,000 museums ensures that we can reach out to military families and thank them for their service and sacrifice.”

“Blue Star Museums is something that service members and their families look forward to every year and we are thrilled with the continued growth of the program,” said Kathy Roth-Douquet, Blue Star Families CEO. “Through this distinctive collaboration between Blue Star Families, the National Endowment for the Arts and more than 2,000 museums across the United States, service members and their families can connect with our national treasures with this unparalleled opportunity to visit some of the country’s finest museums for free.”

This year, at least 2,000 museums in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and American Samoa are taking part in the initiative, including more than 450 new museums this year. Museums are welcome to join Blue Star Museums throughout the summer. The complete list of participating museums is available at www.arts.gov/bluestarmuseums.

The effort to recruit museums has involved partnerships with the American Alliance of Museums, the Association of Art Museum Directors, the Association of Children’s Museums, the American Association of State and Local History and the Association of Science-Technology Centers. This year’s Blue Star Museums represent not just fine arts museums, but also science museums, history museums, nature centers, and 75 children’s museums.

The program is a collaboration among the National Endowment for the Arts, Blue Star Families, the Department of Defense and the museums. It provides families an opportunity to enjoy the nation's cultural heritage and learn more about their new communities after completing a military move.

The free admission program is available to any bearer of a Geneva Convention common access card, a DD Form 1173 ID card, or a DD Form 1173-1 ID card, which includes active duty U.S. military - Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard, as well as members of the National Guard and Reserve, U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, NOAA Commissioned Corps - and up to five family members.

Blue Star Museums is the latest NEA program to bring quality arts programs to the military, veterans and their families. Other NEA programs for the military include the NEA/Walter Reed Healing Arts Partnership; Great American Voices Military Base Tour and Shakespeare in American Communities Military Base Tour.

More information about the World of Little League’s programming is available by contacting Lance Van Auken, Vice President and Executive Director of the World of Little League: Peter J. McGovern Museum and Official Store, at (570) 326-3607.

For those who do not qualify for the Blue Star Museum program, admission to the museum is $5 for those 13 and older; $2 for children ages 5-13; and $3 for senior citizens (62 and over). Children age 4 and younger are admitted free of charge.

About the World of Little League: Peter J. McGovern Museum and Official Store: The store and museum will reopen to the public on June 15. It closed for a $4.3 million renovation project in September 2012. The new museum will contain nearly 300 artifacts, of which more than 200 have never been on display. More information about the World of Little League: Peter J. McGovern and Official Store is available at Little League’s® website: www.LittleLeagueMuseum.org.

About Blue Star Families: Blue Star Families is a national, nonprofit network of military families from all ranks and services, including guard and reserve, dedicated to supporting, connecting and empowering military families. With our partners, Blue Star Families hosts a robust array of morale and empowerment programs, including Books on Bases, Blue Star Museums, Operation Honor Corps, Blue Star Careers and Operation Appreciation. Blue Star

Families also works directly with the Department of Defense and senior members of local, State and Federal government to bring the most important military family issues to light. Working in concert with fellow nonprofits, community advocates, and public officials, Blue Star Families raises awareness of the challenges and strengths of military family life and works to make military life more sustainable. Our worldwide membership includes military spouses, children, parents, and friends, as well as service members, veterans and civilians. To learn more about Blue Star Families, visit www.bluestarfam.org.

About the National Endowment for the Arts: The National Endowment for the Arts was established by Congress in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal government. To date, the NEA has awarded more than $4 billion to support artistic excellence, creativity, and innovation for the benefit of individuals and communities. The NEA extends its work through partnerships with state arts agencies, local leaders, other federal agencies, and the philanthropic sector. To join the discussion on how art works, visit the NEA at www.arts.gov.