Rodgers Tavern Museum joins museums nationwide in the Blue Star Museums initiative, a program that provides free admission to currently-serving U.S. military personnel and their families this summer. The 2021 program begins today, May 15th, Armed Forces Day, and ends on Labor Day, Monday, September 6, 2021. Find the list of additional participating museums at arts.gov/bluestarmuseums.
Blue Star Museums is an initiative of the National Endowment for the Arts in collaboration with Blue Star Families, the Department of Defense, and participating museums nationwide.
"We are so happy to be a Blue Star Museum again and thrilled to be part of this important program providing military personnel and their families with a place to create special moments in their own family history," said Jennifer Pitts, Director of the Rodgers Tavern Museum.
"Like the resilience that military families demonstrate time and again the Rodgers Tavern Museum is an example of resiliency in the arts sector of the the past year," said Ann Eilers, acting chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts. "We are grateful to the Rodgers Tavern Museum for their leadership in strengthening community through their participation in the Blue Star Museums program this summer."
Blue Star Museums include children's museums, art, science, and history museums, zoos, gardens, lighthouses, and more, and hail from all 50 states, as well as the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The current list of participating museums will continue to develop over the summer as organizations are welcome to register to be a Blue Star Museum throughout the summer.
"We are thrilled to celebrate the launch of the Blue Star Museums 2021 program! Thank you to the Rodgers Tavern Museum for participating in this impactful and highly anticipated program," said Kathy Roth-Douquet, CEO Blue Star Families. Because of the Rodgers Tavern Museum and their counterparts in the arts community, military families have the opportunity to create special memories and experience the arts again!"
The free admission program is available for those currently-serving in the United States Military - Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, Coast Guard as well as members of the reserves, National Guard, U.S. Public Health Commissioned Corps, NOAA Commissioned Corps, and up to five family members. Qualified members must show a Geneva Convention common access card (CAC), DD Form 1173 ID card (dependent ID, or a DD Form 1173-1 ID card for entrance into a participating Blue Star Museum.
Follow Blue Star Museums on Twitter @NEAarts and @BlueStarFamily, #bluestarmuseums.
About the Rodgers Tavern Museum
Rodgers Tavern, a vital link along one of the most important roadways in America’s early history, preserves and shares the inimitable stories of the famous and not so famous who lived, worked, and visited the tavern through dynamic, engaging experiences that encourage exploration of our area’s rich cultural and natural legacy. The Town of Perryville owns and operates the Rodgers Tavern Museum seeking to continue to preserve the building and facilitate its usefulness as a historic center for cultural and community activities.
About the National Endowment for the Arts
Established by Congress in 1965, the National Endowment for the Arts is the independent federal agency whose funding and support gives Americans the opportunity to participate in the arts, exercise their imaginations, and develop their creative capacities. Through partnerships with state arts agencies, local leaders, other federal agencies, and the philanthropic sector, the Arts Endowment supports arts learning, affirms and celebrates America's rich and diverse cultural heritage, and extends its work to promote equal access to the arts in every community across America. Visit arts.gov to learn more.
About Blue Star Families
Blue Star Families is the nation's largest grass-roots military family support organization, with a mission to support military families to improve military readiness. Its distinctive approach builds stronger communities around military families though knowledge and programs that address the unique needs of those who serve. Blue Star Families' nationally recognized surveys and analysis give military families an important voice that informs policymakers and its military family programs. It uses the power of its collective resources and cross-sector collaborations to make a difference in the lives of hundreds of thousands of members of military families to strengthen the troops, their families, and our nation as a whole. For more information, visit bluestarfam.org.