Armstrong Museum Turns 50 With Full Day of Festivities

Three years to the day after Neil Armstrong stepped onto the moon, the Armstrong Air & Space Museum opened its doors in Wapakoneta. Wednesday, July 20th marks the fiftieth anniversary of that grand opening, and to commemorate this special occasion, the museum will be hosting a full day of festive events and activities for guests and community members to enjoy.

To begin the day at 10:30 AM, the museum will virtually host Tom Crouch, Curator Emeritus of the Smithsonian's National Air & Space Museum, who will give a presentation on the history of the Armstrong Museum exhibits and his participation in acquiring the artifacts on display.

Beginning at 1:30 PM, the celebration will head to the museum's southwest lawn for the ribbon-cutting of the new Learjet 28 outdoor exhibit area. Guests will then move to the museum front entrance for the re-dedication ceremony which will take place at 2:00 PM, the exact time the museum opened its doors fifty years prior. Special guests will speak briefly at both events. Directly following, the ceremony will conclude with birthday cupcakes and a special Aeronca Champion fly-over.

At 3:30 PM, a panel of specialists who worked on the museum's construction will go into an in-depth discussion of designing, engineering, and constructing the famous lunar base architecture.

Other events happening throughout the day include a laser-light show in the museum's Astro-theater, the release of the new annual commemorative cancellation cover, a meet & greet session with former NASA astronaut Greg H. Johnson, and a live on-site broadcast from WGTE, who will also be interviewing special guests over the course of the show.

To finish the night, at 7:00 PM, the museum will host its fiftieth-anniversary gala. The guest of honor for the event is Axiom-1 astronaut Larry Connor, Ohio's newest astronaut. During the evening, Connor will discuss his historic space mission and be a part of the first all-private crew to the International Space Station. Connor will also hand over items flown into space on the museum's behalf.

A special speaker's series and a new exhibit on the museum's history will continue throughout 2022, so if you cannot attend on July 20th, be sure to come to the museum this year to help commemorate its fiftieth anniversary.

For more information on the museum's fiftieth anniversary or ticket availability for the gala, please visit the museum website at https://www.armstrongmuseum.org/ or call the museum at 419-738-8811.

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