MOSTHistory participates in Blue Star Museums program
EDINBURG, Texas — The Museum of South Texas History officially announces its participation in the nationwide Blue Star Museums initiative, a program that provides free admission to currently-serving U.S. military personnel and their families this summer.
The program began on Armed Forces Day, Saturday, May 21, 2022, and will end on Labor Day, Monday, Sept. 5, 2022. Blue Star Museums is a partnership between the National Endowment for the Arts and Blue Star Families, in collaboration with the Department of Defense and museums across America.
MOSTHistory will offer a variety of programs, special events and spotlight exhibits this summer for active military families to enjoy. Summer Saturdays at the Museum is schedule for June 25, July 2 and July 9 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. This program will bring history to life with demonstrations and activities through the museum’s signature Rio Grande Legacy exhibition.
Two spotlight exhibits feature “Bearing Witness: Stories from the Pandemic,” which ends July 31, and “Letters Home – Part of the Sgt. Freddy González Letters Collection,” ending its run Sunday, Sept. 4. A new temporary exhibit titled “Borderlands – An Illustrated History by José Cisneros” will open Tuesday, July 5. This exhibit will feature pen-and-ink illustrations by the late José Cisneros who was commissioned by MOSTHistory in the late 1980s to produce illustrations based on South Texas and northeastern Mexico history.
“Museums educate and inspire, cause us to wonder and imagine, dream and remember,” said Dr. Maria Rosario Jackson, chair of the National Endowment for the Arts. “By participating in the Blue Star Museums program, MOSTHistory is offering military personnel and their families an opportunity to feel connected to the South Texas community and to explore the world through the power of arts, culture and design, contributing to each person being able to live an artful life.”
The free admission program is available for those currently serving in the United States Military—Air Force, Army, Coast Guard, Marine Corps, Navy, and Space Force, members of the Reserves, National Guard, 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), DD Form 1173-1 ID card or the Next Generation Uniformed Services (Real) ID card for entrance into a participating Blue Star Museum.
About Museum of South Texas History
The Museum of South Texas History is accredited by the American Alliance of Museums. It is located downtown Edinburg at 200 North Closner Boulevard on the Hidalgo County Courthouse square. Founded in 1967 as the Hidalgo County Historical Museum in the 1910 Hidalgo County Jail, the museum has grown over the decades through a series of expansions to occupy a full city block. In 2003, following the completion of a 22,500 square foot expansion, the museum was renamed the Museum of South Texas History to better reflect its regional scope. Today, the museum preserves and presents the borderland heritage of South Texas and northeastern Mexico through its permanent collection and the Margaret H. McAllen Memorial Archives and exhibits spanning prehistory through the 20th century. For more information about MOSTHistory, including becoming a FRIEND, visit MOSTHistory.org, like us on Facebook and Instagram, follow on Twitter, find on YouTube or call +1-956-383-6911.