Contact: Mark Foynes
mark.foynes@wrightmuseum.org
July 9, 2007
Ride in a WWII Vehicle at the Wright Museum
10th Annual Family Day Set for Sunday, July 15
Photo courtesy of the Wright Museum
WOLFEBORO–Youngsters and the young at heart will enjoy a day of special activities, food, and gallery tours at the Wright Museum’s annual Family Day, which will take place on Sunday, July 15 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. The museum, whose brick facade prominently features a WWII tank, is a local Wolfeboro (NH) landmark, located at 77 Center St. (Route 28).
While uniformed re-enactors, face painting, balloons, special lectures, and a barbeque lunch make the event enjoyable, the real draw is the unique opportunity to ride in one of the Wright Museum’s vintage WWII vehicles.
Photo courtesy of the Wright Museum
“Family Day at the Wright Museum gives visitors of all ages a chance to experience American history in a way that is both educational and a whole lot of fun,” said museum director Mark Foynes.
Foynes, who has worked in museums for the past 11 years, notes that this kind of an event is truly unique since most kinds of artifacts are, by necessity, hands-off, “Unlike many kinds of traditional museum collections, vehicles need to be driven periodically, or else they begin to slowly die–think about what would happen if you didn’t start your car for a couple of years and you’ll know what I mean.”
Foynes notes that this is a happy coincidence since it gives the Wright Museum a chance to make history come alive in a way that traditional exhibits and school textbooks cannot. Another feature of Family Day that brings the past to life is the chance to enjoy demonstrations by uniformed re-enactors who discuss their authentic WWII equipment.
Visitors will also meet “Rosie the Riveter,” and learn about the contributions of women on the home front. During WWII, the unprecedented demand for men to fight on the frontlines required that women often fill the jobs their husbands and brothers left behind. The composite “Rosie” character came to be emblematic of all women’s efforts in the wartime economy.
Admission to the Wright Museum’s Family Day event is $10 per person and includes a barbeque lunch and two vehicle rides around Wolfeboro; children under five are admitted free. Additional Family Day activities include: 1940s music and a live remote broadcast by WASR; book signings by local authors; and a pair of special lectures by museum librarian David Warren on Old Time Radio and the sinking of the Oriskany. Family Day will also kick off a book sale whose proceeds will benefit Wright Museum programs. This special event is made possible, in part, through the donations of local businesses including Wolfetrap, Irving Oil, Pronto Market, Hunter’s IGA, and Bradley’s Hardware. For more information or directions call (603) 569-1212, or visit www.wrightmuseum.org
The Wright Museum is a one-of-a-kind non-profit institution dedicated to preserving and sharing the stories of America’s Greatest Generation. with its vast collection of fully-operational military vehicles and extensive exhibits relating to the American Home Front, the Wright Museum is a member-supported national treasure located right here in New Hampshire. In the words of Senator Bob Dole, “The Wright Museum tells the story of (a) great national achievement, a story that, more than ever, today’s generation of Americans–and especially our young people–need to understand and appreciate.
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