Denison Pequotsepos Nature Center to Participate in Blue Star Museums Program

Mystic, CT – The Denison Pequotsepos Nature Center is one of more than 2,000 museums across America to offer 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. 

The program offers free admission to the nation’s active duty military personnel including National Guard and Reserve and their families from Memorial Day through Labor Day 2016. Leadership support for Blue Star Families programming and promotional materials has been provided by MetLife Foundation. The program also provides families an opportunity to enjoy the nation's cultural heritage and learn more about their new communities after a military move. The complete list of participating museums is available at arts.gov/bluestarmuseums. 

“We are pleased to be part of the Blue Star Museums program 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 go an extra step for active military during the summer vacation season. It is particularly fitting for us to do this in 2016, when southeastern Connecticut is celebrating the 100th anniversary of submarines being in Connecticut.”   

The Nature Center is located at 109 Pequotsepos Road, Mystic. It is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday-Saturday and 10 a.m. to 4 pm.. 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.

“The Blue Star Museums program is a fun, free activity for military families to enjoy during the summer months,” said NEA Chairman Jane Chu. “The program is also a great way for service member families to connect to their new communities, and it can provide a meaningful way for families to reconnect after deployment. The Blue Star Museums program is also a perfect way for the arts community to say ‘thank you’ to our servicemembers and their families for the sacrifices they make on our behalf, every day.”

“Blue Star Museums has grown into a nationally recognized program that servicemembers and their families look forward to each year,” said Blue Star Families Chief Executive Officer Kathy Roth-Douquet. “It helps bring our local military and civilian communities together, and offers families fun and enriching activities in their home towns. We are thrilled with the continued growth of the program and the unparalleled opportunities it offers.”

This year, more than 2,000 (and counting) museums in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and American Samoa are taking part in the initiative. Museums are welcome to join Blue Star Museums throughout the summer.

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.

* * *

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 Memorial Day, May 30, 2016 through Labor Day, September 5, 2016.