Denison Pequotsepos Nature Center to Participate in Blue Star Museums

Mystic, CT – Denison Pequotsepos Nature Center announced its participation in the ninth annual Blue Star Museums, a collaboration among the National Endowment for the Arts, Blue Star Families, the Department of Defense, and more than 2,000 museums across America to offer free admission to the nation’s active duty military personnel and their families from Memorial Day through Labor Day 2018. A list of participating museums nationwide is available at arts.gov/bluestarmuseums.
 
“We are pleased to be part of the Blue Star Museums program again this summer,” said DPNC Executive Director Maggie Jones. “Year round, the Nature Center offers a military discount, and we are glad to be able to give something more for active military during the summer season to say ‘thank you’ to our service members and their families for the sacrifices they make on our behalf, each and every day.”
 
The Nature Center is located at 109 Pequotsepos Road, Mystic. It is open from 9 am to 5 pm Monday-Saturday and 10 am to 4 pm on Sunday. Admission includes the natural history museum, Night in the Museum theater, interactive exhibits and our live birds of prey, reptiles and amphibians. There are more than 10 miles of hiking trails at the center, which are open dawn to dusk.
 
“Visiting a museum is a great way to get to know a community—whether it’s in your hometown or a stop on a road trip,” said NEA Chairman Jane Chu. “We appreciate the enthusiasm of museums all across the country who open their doors for military and their families to spend time together and have new arts experiences.”
 
This year’s participating Blue Star Museums represent not just fine arts museums, but also science museums, history museums, zoos, nature centers, and children’s museums. Museums are welcome to sign up for Blue Star Museums throughout the summer by emailing bluestarmuseums@arts.gov.
 
“As many military families spend the summer months moving from one duty station to another, or reconnecting with a parent who has returned from deployment, Blue Star Museums helps service members and their families create memories,” said Blue Star Families Chief Executive Officer Kathy Roth-Douquet. “Blue Star Families has great appreciation for the generosity of the museums across the country who roll out the red carpet for the families who serve alongside their service members. We are thrilled with the continued growth of the program and the unparalleled opportunities it offers.”

About Blue Star Museums
Blue Star Museums is a collaboration among the National Endowment for the Arts, Blue Star Families, the Department of Defense, and more than 2,000 museums across America. The program runs from the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend, May 26, 2018 through Labor Day, September 3, 2018.
 
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 Active Duty and Reservists, National Guardsman (regardless of status), 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 Denison Pequotsepos Nature Center:
Since 1946, the Denison Pequotsepos Nature Center in Mystic has provided visitors and the greater Mystic community the opportunity to experience nature first hand, whether it be on over 10 miles of trails, in the natural museum, Nature Store, or as part of one of their many programs. The addition of Coogan Farm in 2013 has added further layers of education, history, and ecology to DPNC’s offerings. Our mission is to inspire an understanding of the natural world and ourselves as part of it – past, present and future. It is our hope that through DPNC and Coogan Farm that we will help our visitors foster a personal environmental ethic.
 
About the National Endowment for the Arts
Established by Congress in 1965, the NEA 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 NEA 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 NEA.
 
About Blue Star Families
Blue Star Families builds communities that support military families by connecting research and data to programs and solutions, including career development tools, local community events for families, and caregiver support. Since its inception in 2009, Blue Star Families has engaged tens of thousands of volunteers and serves more than 1.5 million military family members. With Blue Star Families, military families can find answers to their challenges anywhere they are. For more information, visit bluestarfam.org.