WISCONSIN VETERANS MUSEUM ANNOUNCES LINEUP OF FALL 2014 EVENTS AND ACTIVITIES

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
SEPTEMBER 10, 2014

Contact: Carla Vigue
(608) 266-0517
Carla.Vigue@dva.wisconsin.gov 

WISCONSIN VETERANS MUSEUM ANNOUNCES LINEUP OF FALL 2014 EVENTS AND ACTIVITIES

MADISON, Wis. (Sept. 10, 2014) – Each season, the Wisconsin Veterans Museum in Madison offers a variety of events, activities and presentations to bring visitors even closer to the unique stories of Wisconsin’s past and present service men and women. Fall 2014 programs feature an exciting mix of educational and entertaining events, from guest lectures and book signings to a live bald eagle visit and talking spirits cemetery tour. All programs are free and hosted at the Wisconsin Veterans Museum second floor Education Center at 30 W. Mifflin St., unless otherwise noted below.

WHAT: September 11th Remembrance Ceremony

WHEN: Thursday, Sept. 11, 2014 – 11 a.m.

WHERE: Wisconsin Veterans Museum, 30 W. Mifflin St. (Museum’s 20th Century Gallery)

Please join the Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs and the Madison Fire Department as we commemorate the 13th anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks on the United States. During the ceremony, the Madison Fire Department’s Honor Bell will toll in memory of Wisconsinites lost on that fateful day.

WHAT: Faces of the Iron Brigade (Lecture and Discussion)

WHEN: Wednesday, Sept. 24, 2014 – Noon

WHERE: Mead Public Library, 710 N. 8th St., Sheboygan, WI

WHO: Kevin Hampton, Wisconsin Veterans Museum Curator of Research and Public Programs

Kevin Hampton, Curator of Research and Public Programs at the Wisconsin Veterans Museum, will present part one of a two-part series on Wisconsin veterans. Part one features one of the most famous aspects of Wisconsin’s involvement in the Civil War – the men of the “Iron Brigade.” Composed of men from 2nd, 6th and 7th Wisconsin Infantry Regiments as well as the 19th Indiana and the 24th Michigan, the Iron Brigade earned its reputation as one of the fiercest fighting units in the Union Army. Through artifacts, images and firsthand accounts, ‘Faces of the Iron Brigade’ sheds light on the humanity of the men who made history.

WHAT: Eagles on the Square

WHEN: Friday, Sept. 26, 2014 – 11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.

WHERE: Outside the Wisconsin Veterans Museum, corner of 30. W. Mifflin St.

On Sept. 26, 1864, “Old Abe,” the bald eagle mascot of the 8th Wisconsin, returned home after serving at the front for three years during the Civil War. To commemorate the 150th anniversary of this important event, the Wisconsin Veterans Museum welcomes a bald eagle from the National Eagle Center in Wabash, Minnesota. Get up close to our national emblem and enjoy an educational presentation about bald eagle care. Photo opportunities available.

WHAT: Talking Spirits Cemetery Tour XVI

WHEN: Sunday, Oct. 12, 2014 – Noon – 4 p.m.

WHERE: Forest Hill Cemetery, 1 Speedway Rd., Madison, WI

Join us for the 16th annual Talking Spirits Cemetery Tour, held at the beautiful Forest Hill Cemetery in Madison. During the 90-minute walking tour, local actors dressed in period attire portray four Civil War-era characters buried at Forest Hill. The tour also features discussions about the cemetery’s rich history and unique gravestone art. Tours leave every 20 minutes beginning at noon.

*Note: There is a cost for this event. Adults $5 / Children $2

*Note: In the event of inclement weather, the tour will be rescheduled for Sunday, Oct. 19.

WHAT:  A Wicked War: Polk, Clay, Lincoln, and the 1846 U.S. Invasion of Mexico (Lecture and Book Signing)

WHEN: Thursday, Oct. 16, 2014 – 7 p.m.

WHERE: Wisconsin Veterans Museum, 30. W. Mifflin St.

WHO: Dr. Amy Greenberg, professor of History at The Pennsylvania State University

Often overlooked, the U.S.-Mexican War featured false starts, atrocities and daring backchannel negotiations as it divided the nation, paved the way for the Civil War, and launched the career of Abraham Lincoln. Amy S. Greenberg’s definitive history of the 1846 conflict paints an intimate portrait of the major players and their world, including the birth of America’s first national antiwar movement and the Daughters of the American Revolution. This lecture and book signing is an official Wisconsin Book Festival Event, presented in partnership with the UW-Madison History Department.

WHAT:  The World War I Doughboy Experience and Writing Alamo Doughboy (Lecture and Book Signing)

WHEN: Saturday, Oct. 18, 2014 – 11 a.m.

WHERE: Wisconsin Veterans Museum, 30. W. Mifflin St.

WHO: Jennifer Rude Klett, author and historian

This year marks 100 years since the beginning of “The Great War” in Europe. Join us as former journalist Jennifer Rude Klett, author of “Alamo Doughboy: Marching into the Heart of Kaiser’s Germany During World War I,” discusses the contributions of the 4.8 million U.S. “doughboy” soldiers who served in the years following the outbreak of war. This lecture and book signing is an official Wisconsin Book Festival Event.

The Wisconsin Veterans Museum is an educational activity of the Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs and is located at 30 W. Mifflin St., across from the State Capitol.

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201 West Washington Avenue | Madison, Wisconsin 53707
1-800-WIS-VETS | WisVets@dva.wisconsin.gov | WisVets.com