After being closed the past four months because of the COVID 19 pandemic, the Vermilion County War Museum re-opened Tuesday (July 21st, 2020). Jim Kouzmanoff, president of the museum’s board of directors, says visitors are welcome but precautions are being taken…
{‘’Facemasks are required, and we’re logging everyone when they come in – the time they come in, the time they leave. And we’re cleaning everything everyday – sometimes every hour – depending upon the number of visitors we have. And we’ll just keep at it until you and I don’t have to do it anymore,’’ said Kouzmanoff.}
Sheila Lewandowski of Covington, Indiana stopped by the War Museum Tuesday to donate some items…
{‘’I brought in my Uncle Bill’s stuff from World War II, Korea and Vietnam. He served 30 years in the Marines and was proud to do it,’’ said Lewandowski. ‘’And some of the things that I brought in were pictures of him and his men that served, and documents that showed his journey through his career.’’}
{Kouzmanoff and Lewandowski practice social distancing Tuesday as she drops off a donation.}
Kouzmanoff says this is the time of year the museum usually receives lots of donations of old military items. He noted one man in Monaco had something he felt should be in a museum….
{‘’So he went about trying to find a museum in the U.S.A. that would take it – and, of course, he found us. And it’s not usual. We’ve had many, many things. We’ve had things from people from the west coast – from the east coast – really neat items,’’ said Kouzmanoff.}
Asked why she had decided to donate her uncle’s military items from World War II, Korea and Vietnam to the Vermilion County War Museum – Lewandowski’s response was emotional. ‘’I know that our country is precious – and they didn’t fight for nothing, and should be honored,’’ she said during an interview with VermilionCountyFirst.com News.
{Some items on display portray early days of American history.}
Kouzmanoff says the War Museum will be open its regular hours now – depending upon what the State of Illinois does with Covid 19 rules. The museum will be closed the last week of July for roof repairs, and afterward it will only be open on Thursdays and Fridays from Noon until 4 p.m., and Saturday from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. The museum is located at 307 North Vermilion Street in Danville’s downtown area. It has been a favorite site for tourists since it opened in 1999 in the former Danville Public Library building.
