Opening June 6, experience the impressive manufacturing and weaponry innovations made in our own backyard - the Rock Island Arsenal!
About The Exhibit:
Discover all about the inventive and innovative spirit and impact of the Rock Island Arsenal! Beginning Saturday, June 6th and running through Sunday, November 15th, experience artifacts from the Rock Island Arsenal Museum collection that showcase the history of innovations made in manufacturing and weaponry through the years. Also get a sense of what the Rock Island Arsenal is, its history and impact on the Quad Cities Region.
Included in the exhibit are several hands-on areas, including:
- Crank Derrick: Find out how to build large structures without the use of motorized equipment.
- Target Practice: How do you train soldiers to shoot? Take aim at a target based on Arsenal design.
- Parachute Drop: Create your very own paracrate design and put your engineering skills to the test when it takes the plunge!
Many thanks to DynCorp International, Rock Island Arsenal Development Group and Regalia for their sponsorship of this exhibit.
Opening Day Events: The Putnam will be opening early on Saturday, June 6th for a Public Grand Opening event. Doors will open at 9:30 am with the ceremony beginning promptly at 10:00 am. A color guard, solder re-enactors, Arsenal military personnel and others will be present for the ribbon cutting fo the exhibit.
The Putnam is excited to announce that it is a Blue Star Museum.
Blue Star Museums is a collaboration among the National Endowment for the Arts, Blue Star Families, the Department of Defense, and more than 2,000 museums across America. The program runs from Memorial Day, May 25, 2015, through Labor Day, September 7, 2015. The free admission program is available to any bearer of a Geneva Convention common access card (CAC), a DD Form 1173 ID card (dependent ID), or a DD Form 1173-1 ID card, which includes active duty U.S. military - Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard, as well as members of the National Guard and Reserve, U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, NOAA Commissioned Corps - and up to five family members.
On opening weekend of the Arsenal of Innovation Exhibit, the Putnam is extending this offer to ALL veterans! All veterans must show Veterans ID cards to gain FREE Admission for themselves and up to five family members Saturday, June 6 and Sunday, June 7.
Looking to volunteer at the Putnam?
If you are interested in military history and invention, or simply like to meet and greet people, please consider donating a morning or afternoon of your time to serve as a docent or visitor guide for this exhibit. Weekend shifts (normally 3 hours a piece) are especially helpful. Weekend hours are Saturdays (10 AM - 5 PM) and Sundays (Noon - 5 PM).
Docents will engage the public to speak about the objects and ideas presented in the exhibit. Guides will be asked to meet and greet and/or assist our visitors as they make their way to and from the exhibit. The ideal volunteers for these positions are outgoing, comfortable with speaking with people and willing to engage visitors in conversation.
Accompanying Film: D-Day: Normandy 1944 3D
Launching on D-Day, Saturday, June 6th is the latest film to hit the National Geographic GIANT Screen: D-Day: Normandy 1944 3D.
Narrated by renowned journalist and author Tom Brokaw, D-Day 3D: Normandy 1944 provides a new, penetrating look at this defining moment in history in a truly unique manner. D-Day itself is well-known, yet few know in detail exactly why and how, from the end of 1943 through August 1944, this became the most important location in the world.
"What I was drawn to in this film is that it tells us the story of D-Day in a new way that gives such clarity to one of the most important events in the history of mankind," said Brokaw. "I originally thought this was going to be another traditional documentary featuring grainy black & white footage, but as soon as I saw the first minutes of this film on the giant screen in 3D, I found it irresistible."
