Events commemorate 50 years since the Apollo 11 moon landing

To commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing, communities and organizations across the region are celebrating the historic moment.

Here are some of the special events near Dayton planned in honor of the Apollo 11 mission to the moon.

Wapakoneta

Wapakoneta, hometown to Neil Armstrong, the first man to step on the moon, is kicking off 10 days of celebration with the Summer Moon Festival, July 12-21.

A hot-air balloon rally will be held July 12-13 at the Auglaize County Fairgrounds.

A 50th-anniversary parade will follow on Sunday, July 14, starting at the fairgrounds and ending in downtown Wapakoneta. A picnic dinner and 1960s concert will be held afterward at the Armstrong Air & Space Museum, 500 Apollo Drive.

The museum will also host a weekend of special exhibits, interactive science experiments and visiting NASA astronauts July 19-21 and NASA will broadcast from the museum on NASA Television on July 19.

A schedule of events can be found at www.firstonthemoon.org.

Dayton Art Institute

The Dayton Art Institute, 456 Belmonte Park N., Dayton, will mark the Apollo 11 lunar landing anniversary with the story of the first art on the moon.

The DAI will recognize the achievements of the Apollo program by showcasing the strange and intriguing story of the Moon Museum, which combines art and space.

The title refers to a peculiar piece of art history and lunar lore. Captivated by Apollo 11, conceptual artist Forrest Myers, with the aid of Bell Telephone Laboratories, created a tiny ceramic tile in editions, featuring drawings by leading contemporary artists John Chamberlain, Myers himself, David Novros, Claes Oldenburg, Robert Rauschenberg and Andy Warhol.

 

With the covert help of NASA employees, one tile was allegedly attached to the landing module of Apollo 12. The tile presumably remains on the moon today, secured to the detached landing gear.

Admission to the Moon Museum is included in the museum’s general admission. General admission is: $15 adults; $10 seniors (60+), active military and groups (10 or more); $5 students (18+ w/ID) and youth (ages 7-17); free for children (ages 6 & younger). Admission is also free for museum members.

The DAI is open Wednesday-Saturday: 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Sunday: noon to 5 p.m. Extended hours until 8 p.m. on Thursday. Closed Mondays and Tuesdays.

Admission is Adults: $15; Seniors (60+), Active Military, Groups (10 or more): $10.

College Students (18+ with ID) & Youth (ages 7-17): $5 Children (ages 6 & younger): Free.

Museum Members: Free.

Boonshoft Museum of Discovery

The Boonshoft Museum of Discovery, 2600 Deweese Pkwy. in Dayton, is celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the Apollo lunar landing with an exhibition called Apollo Redux.

Apollo Redux shares the story of the unsung men and women of NASA Mission Control who created the magic that resulted in the historic achievement that stunned the world 50 years ago. Visitors can sit at an actual mission control console from NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Texas.

On the anniversary, Saturday, July 20, beginning at 10:30 a.m., a day of programs including rocket demonstrations and gravity experiments will take place.

Hours are Monday-Saturday: 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. and Sunday, noon to 5 p.m.

Admission is adults, $14.50, seniors (60+) $12.50, Children (3-17) $11.50. Children under three and museum members are free.

National Museum of the United States Air Force

To commemorate the moon landing the U.S. Air Force Museum, 1100 Spaatz St., is offering visitors an “out of this world” experience including an opportunity to meet an astronaut; build and launch rockets; interact with Star Wars characters and much more during Family Day on Saturday, July 20, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Visitors can also build rockets in the second building and launch them on museum grounds from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. (or while supplies last, weather permitting).

Astronaut Mark Brown will meet with the public and sign autographs on the Space Shuttle Exhibit from 10 a.m. to noon. Brown served as a mission specialist on both Space Shuttle Columbia in 1989, and on Space Shuttle Discovery in 1991.

The Air Force Museum Foundation will offer several space-related films in the Air Force Museum Theatre including “Apollo 11: First Steps 2D,” which plays daily at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m.; “Armstrong” on July 19 at 6:30 p.m. as part of the Living History Series; and “First Man” on July 28 at 4 p.m. as part of the Hollywood Film Series.

The museum’s Space Gallery is also home to the Apollo 15 lunar module, a moon rock and many other spacecraft, satellites, rockets and equipment.

The museum is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. seven days a week. Admission to the museum is free.

There is a charge for the Air Force Museum Theatre and flight simulators. Please visit the Air Force Museum Foundation website or call (937) 253-4629 for show times and prices.

COMING SOON: Cincinnati Museum Center

Planned for late September, the Cincinnati Museum Center, 1301 Western Ave., will be the final stop of “Destination Moon: The Apollo 11 Mission,” the National Air and Space Museum’s traveling exhibit of Apollo 11 artifacts.

The astronaut’s command module, Columbia, the only part of Apollo 11 spacecraft to return intact, is the highlight of the exhibit. It also showcases Buzz Aldrin’s gold-plated extra-vehicular helmet visor and thermal insulated gloves and the star chart that helped Armstrong, Aldrin and Michael Collins navigate the journey and the Columbia command module.

The exhibit will be on view Sept. 28 to Feb. 17, 2020. More information can be found at www.cincymuseum.org.

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