Saluting service: Kennebunk museums offer free admission to military families

Special to Seacoastonline
·3 min read

KENNEBUNK — The Brick Store Museum and the Seashore Trolley Museum are joining museums nationwide as part of the Blue Star Museums initiative to provide free admission to serving U.S. military personnel and their families this summer.

The 2024 program will begin on Armed Forces Day, Saturday, May 18, and end on Labor Day, Monday, Sept. 2. Learn more and find the list of participating museums at arts.gov/BlueStarMuseums.

Both local museums were founded in the 1930s and have welcomed hundreds of thousands of visitors over ten decades.

The Seashore Trolley Museum opened for its 85th season on Saturday, May 4.
The Seashore Trolley Museum opened for its 85th season on Saturday, May 4.

The Brick Store Museum in Kennebunk is open Tuesday through Sunday with varied hours. The Trolley Museum in Kennebunkport is open weekends starting in May then Wednesday through Sunday beginning in June. To learn more about both local museums, their exhibitions and related activities, please visit their websites: www.trolleymuseum.org and www.brickstoremuseum.org.

“We’re honored that the Seashore Trolley Museum is participating as a Blue Star Museum for the fifth year,” said Seashore Executive Director Katie Orlando. “We recognize the sacrifices of our active service members and their families and are proud to provide this opportunity to help military families connect with transit history.”

“The Brick Store Museum has supported services for active duty, reserve and veteran servicemembers since World War II and we are happy to carry on this tradition to thank those who serve,” added Brick Store Museum Executive Director Cynthia Walker. “With two museums so close to each other it will make for a wonderful day out for military families to spend time exploring the area.”

The Brick Store Museum extends free admission to servicemembers and veterans year-round.

The Seashore Trolley Museum is offering free admission to serving U.S. military personnel and their families this summer.
The Seashore Trolley Museum is offering free admission to serving U.S. military personnel and their families this summer.

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 participating museums across America.

"Military families love Blue Star Museums, and we couldn’t run this program without the National Endowment for the Arts and the museums across the nation who show they care by participating,” said Blue Star Families CEO Kathy Roth-Douquet. “Access to museums enriches military families, creates wonderful family memories, and helps us feel connected to our communities so that we can thrive and do the hard job we have to do for the country. I am delighted for us to launch the 14th year of this very special program."

In addition to the museums of the Kennebunks, the Blue Star Museums program includes children’s museums, art, science, and history museums, zoos, gardens, lighthouses, and more, and hail from all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The current list of participating museums will continue to grow over the summer as organizations are welcome to register to be a Blue Star Museum throughout the summer.

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.

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Kennebunk museums offer free admission to military families