THE FOLLOWING IS A VERMILION COUNTY WAR MUSEUM RELEASE
The Vermilion County War Museum invites the public to join them for two events this weekend. The Museum’s classic military Jeep will be a part of the monthly “First Friday” event in downtown Danville from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m. on September 4th. You can visit with Museum volunteers, get a picture with the Jeep and living history presenter Don Smith who will be portraying a World War II combat officer, pick up free brochures and plan a visit to the Museum. The first one-hundred visitors will receive free admission to the War Museum.
The Museum’s First Saturday event, which commemorates Vermilion County’s 200th Birthday and America’s 250th started with “Pearl Harbor Day in Vermilion County,” on December 7th of last year, and continues monthly at 1:00 p.m. Admission is free, thanks to a grant by Danville native Michael Eberhardt. The September program is “From the Factory to the Front: A Walking Tour of World War II.” War Museum President and Executive Director Larry Weatherford says that “Five stops will be featured, including the “Rosie the Riveter” display focusing on women in the World War II workforce. The program at that exhibit will be presented by Marilyn Smith and fits nicely with Labor Day weekend.” Weatherford will talk about the display featuring a collection of artifacts from World War II B-17 pilot William Whitaker. Whitaker later was a part of the NASA program during the era of the first Moon Landing. Don Smith will preview a new display under construction which honors two Georgetown “Tuskegee Airmen” pilots, Halbert and Harvey Alexander. The two pilots trained at Rantoul and went on to become two of the first pilots designated as Top Guns. Frank Lemezis will welcome visitors to the newly remodeled D-Day Room. He will exhibit artifacts and talk about June 6, 1944. The presentation will conclude with Bob Hous showing visitors a large display of captured enemy military artifacts from World War II. Following the program, full tours of the Museum will be available.
