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| VIRGINIA MUSEUM OF TRANSPORTATION |
June 2011 |
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Greetings!
June is a great month for sharing stories! We have a lot to tell, and we want to hear yours. This month marks our wonderful annual event, the African-American N&W Heritage Celebration, which preserves the stories of the significant contributions made by people in our community under difficult conditions. Later in the month, the automobile takes center stage during another great annual event, Star City Motor Madness. Car owners and aficionados alike pour out their stories of automotive nostalgia and passion for their cars. Some of Hollywood's best stories (that star cars) will spring to life at the end of the month with the cars themselves on display in our Advance Auto Parts Automotive Gallery. And through it all, we'll be looking for YOUR story--great transportation-related stories that can help us develop new exhibits. Look for the oral history booth during your next visit, or send us an email to set up an appointment. We look forward to hearing, and sharing, more stories! Beverly T. Fitzpatrick, Jr.  Executive Director |
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Celebrating Norfolk Southern and African-American Heritage on the N&W Railway June 11
The African-American N&W Heritage Celebration Group announces the 13th Annual African-American N&W Heritage Celebration, to be held on June 11, 2011 at the Virginia Museum of Transportation.
The museum is open as usual on June 11 from 10am to 5pm. In recognition of Norfolk Southern's outstanding record for safety, NS employees (with ID) and their immediate families will be admitted free for the day. The Roanoke Chapter, NRHS will be giving rides in a caboose and a tool car, pulled by the Chapter's restored Alco T-6 engine #41. Jennifer McDaid, NS Archivist, will be on hand with an historical display. A locomotive training simulator will be at the Museum and open for tours given by NS locomotive engineers, noon to 3pm.
 | | Want to ride a train? The Roanoke Chapter NRHS will be back giving train rides to our visitors on June 11! |
Special Heritage Celebration Program, 6:30 to 8:30pm. The evening's featured speaker is Mr. Charles W. "Wick" Moorman, Chairman, President and CEO, Norfolk Southern Corporation. Music will be provided by the True Praise Choir under the direction of Rev. Robert Walker, Sr., First Baptist Church, Cloverdale, VA. The group sponsors a scholarship at Virginia Western Community College and will honor the special contributions of several retirees in their nineties. Enjoy hors d'oeuvres and a silent auction of railroad photographs which are copies of historic prints in the NS Archives.
The evening program is free to the public, but seating is limited. Please call 540.342.5670 by June 8 to reserve your place. The event is sponsored by the African-American N&W Heritage Celebration Group, Norfolk Southern Corporation/ Virginia Division, and the Virginia Museum of Transportation. |
 Celebrating ten years of Star City Motor Madness!
Tens of thousands of car, truck, bus and motorcycle fans are expected in Roanoke this year for the Advance Auto Parts and Williamson Road Area Business Association Star City Motor Madness, one of the biggest annual automotive events in Virginia. The two-day event is a celebration of America's passion for the automobile and the love of cruising. New this year is a Celebration Party after the Car and Truck Show on Saturday!
Berglund Automotive and Coca-Cola Cruise Night
Friday, June 24, 6 to 10pm
The cruise on Williamson Road, Roanoke's main drag for cruising since the 1950s, is open to any "classic" or "special interest" car, truck or motorcycle that creates a feeling of nostalgia, stimulates a memory, or fulfills a fantasy. Spectators line both sides of Williamson Road to enjoy the cruise expected to be jammed with thousands of unique automobiles, trucks and motorcycles. There is music, food, displays and a parking area for the cruisers along the strip. This event is free to the public.
First Team Auto Mall, Lanford Brothers Construction and Grand Home Furnishings Car and Truck Show
Saturday, June 25, 10am to 4pm
The Car and Truck Show showcases hundreds of vehicles from antiques to hot rods. The 2011 featured automotive marque is the Mustang with many Mustangs expected to be displayed together in their own area. The show fills many downtown city blocks on Jefferson Street between Campbell Avenue and Elm Avenue as well as on Franklin Road between Jefferson Street and Williamson Road. Music, food and automotive displays will be on hand throughout the day. This event is free to the public.
 Star City Motor Madness 10th Anniversary Celebration Party
Saturday, June 25, doors open at 6pm, show starts at 7pm
Entertainment provided by Atlanta-based Departure, the Journey Tribute Band. Departure replicates the look, sound and feel of the original 80s rock super group Journey, delivering an incredible high energy stage show from start to finish. The 21 and over party will be held at the Virginia Museum of Transportation. Food and beverages will be available for purchase. Tickets are $10, with a buy one/get one free admission provided for each car registered for the Saturday car show. Proceeds benefit the Virginia Museum of Transportation and CHIP of Roanoke Valley.
 About Star City Motor Madness
Star City Motor Madness is a 501(c)(3) organization composed entirely of area car clubs which have banded together to raise funds for the Virginia Museum of Transportation and other non-profits. Advance Auto Parts and the Williamson Road Area Business Association (WRABA) are the premiere sponsors of the event, and are joined by numerous other area businesses. Proceeds from the event support the Virginia Museum of Transportation and other non-profits. |
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Don't miss this summer sizzler: Hollywood's Star Cars!
For a very limited time, the Virginia Museum of Transportation presents Hollywood's Star Cars, a never before seen exhibit of some of the baddest moonshine-running, bad-guy-chasing, paranormal-busting racing cars to ever scream across the screen. Come see this collection of unforgettable vehicles that opens with the Star City Motor Madness 10th Anniversary Celebration Party on Saturday, June 25 at 6pm and continues through July 31, 2011.
Special cars on display include:
 The moonshine-running General Lee, a 1969 Dodge Charger, driven by Duke cousins Johnny Knoxville and Seann William Scott, plus the
Boss Hogg, a Cadillac driven in hot pursuit of the Dukes by Burt Reynolds in the 2005 movie The Dukes of Hazzard. When not racing through Georgia, the General Lee also provided a perch for sexy cousin Daisy Duke (Jessica Simpson). Also featured in the movie are A.J. Foyt, IV, Willie Nelson, and Lynda Carter.
The tricked-out 2000 Ford Crown Victoria taxi driven by Queen Latifah and Jimmy Fallon as they recklessly chased criminals through the streets of New York in the 2004 movie Taxi. Jeff Gordon--married in real life to one of the actresses playing a sizzling Brazilian bank robber--also made an appearance.
 Jeff Gordon's 1993 Dupont-sponsored Chevrolet Monte Carlo (reproduction) featured in the 2003 movie Looney Tunes Back in Action. The live and animated cast included Brendan Fraser, Jenna Elfman, Steve Martin, Timothy Dalton, Heather Locklear, Joan Cusack, Roger Corman, Jeff Gordon, and the whole Looney Tunes gang on a mission to save a mythical diamond from the clutches of The Acme Corporation. The Monte Carlo is on loan from Warner Brothers Studios.
Sylvester Stallone pursued a serial killer with an army of psychopaths in a souped-up 1950 Mercury (featured in this email's header) in the 1986 Rambo-style movie Cobra. The ruthless, leather-jacketed LAPD lieutenant is the "strong arm of the law." Cobra also starred Brigitte Nielsen.
 The 1959 Cadillac ambulance Ecto 1 used in the promotion of the 1984 movie Ghost Busters. Dan Aykroyd and Bill Murray careen through the streets of New York in the Ectomobile in search of pesky poltergeists, ghosts, and other spirits. They save not only the desperate metropolis, but also Sigourney Weaver, Rick Moranis, Annie Potts, and William Atherton who also star.
 The distinctive red and white 1974 Ford Gran Torino from the second season of the crime-fighting TV drama "Starsky & Hutch," which premiered in 1975. The popularity of the two streetwise cops' signature ride led Ford to market 1,000 special edition Gran Torino hardtops with the Starsky & Hutch paint job during the 1976 model year. In addition to the Gran Torino, David Soul, Paul Michael Glaser, Bernie Hamilton, and Antonio Fargas had starring roles.
The exhibit is courtesy of The Lindisfarne Collection and is sponsored by Grand Home Furnishings. |
Active duty military families welcomed free this summer
The Virginia Museum of Transportation will offer free admission to all active duty military personnel and their immediate families through Labor Day, September 5, 2011.
 The Blue Star Museums free admission program is available to active-duty military and their immediate family members (military ID holder and five immediate family members). Active duty military include Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard, and active duty National Guard and active duty Reserve members. Military personnel or their families must present a CAC Geneva Conventions ID or a DD 1173 active duty military family ID to receive free admission for the bearer and up to five family members.
Since World War I, the Blue Star has been used to designate families which have a member who is serving in active duty during a time of combat. The Blue Star Museums program is a partnership of the National Endowment for the Arts, Blue Star Families, and more than 1,300 museums across America.
In Roanoke, the History Museum of Western Virginia, O. Winston Link Museum, Taubman Museum of Art, and Eleanor D. Wilson Museum at Hollins University are also participating Blue Star Museums. Click here for the national list of participating museums. |
 | | New! Exclusive, hand-thrown ceramic mugs by Sunset Hill Stoneware! |
Father's Day is coming up! Find gifts dad will love in our Museum Store
There is something in our store every dad will love, whether he prefers trains, cars, planes, trucks, or tractors!
Check out our great selection of DVDs, novelty signs, books, T-shirts and baseball caps. We have a wide selection of prints by Andy Fletcher, including new works created since he became the Museum's rail artist in residence. We've got great rail photography too.
Maybe dad would enjoy a gift of books or toys to share his love of transportation with the children or grandchildren in his life? Our quality wooden trains, toys, and puzzles by Melissa and Doug are a hard-to-find family favorite.
We make it easy! Online, dads can make a wish list and share it by email. Order from our Online Store by June 10 to assure delivery. Please note that matted prints and photographs cannot be shipped, but can be ordered online and picked up at the Museum. Our Museum Store is open seven days a week. You don't have to pay admission to shop, and parking is free!
And if you just can't decide, get dad a gift membership so he can visit for free all year long! |
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More great things to do in Virginia's Rail Heritage Region!
June 8: The Blue Ridge Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society holds its monthly meeting at 6pm at Charley's restaurant in Lynchburg.
June 9-12: The Norfolk & Western Historical Society Archives Committee holds its next work session. To participate, email the NWHS archives committee.
June15-19: The C&O Historical Society holds its Summer Archives Work Session.
June 16: The Roanoke Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society holds its monthly meeting at 7:30pm at the O. Winston Link Museum.
June 17-18: The C&O Heritage Center presents Steam Under the Stars, a night photo shoot opportunity with the C&O 614. Shoot only: $40; Cookout at 6pm and Shoot: $50. Call 540-862-2210 for reservations.
June 21: Join the O. Winston Link Museum for its Photographic Preservation and Presentation workshop and get the tools to help you hang and exhibit photographs in your home. The workshop includes lighting, environment, and image selections as well as framing and hanging techniques. 6-8pm. $10 (free to Link Museum members and volunteers) To register, call 540-982-5465 or email Leah Gardner.
June 22-26: The Norfolk & Western Historical Society presents its 2011 Convention: Where Rails Meet Sails in Norfolk, VA. The convention schedule is packed with tours (including a visit to the first of Roanoke's Lost Engines to be restored), clinics, displays and presentations, banquet, and an evening harbor cruise! Wick Moorman, Norfolk Southern Chairman, President and CEO, will be the keynote speaker. Click here for more information and online registration.
Upcoming, August 3-7: The C&O Historical Society's 42nd Annual Conference will be held at the Marriott Cincinnati at River Center in Covington, KY, just across the river from Cincinnati. The conference will celebrate the C&O in Cincinnati and Ohio, and there will be many interesting presentations.
Upcoming, August 13: "All aboard" for this year's Lynchburg Rail Day, presented by the Blue Ridge Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society. This annual model train show with operating trains is a Lynchburg tradition well attended by newcomers and veteran modelers alike. Enjoy the trains, browse the vendor tables, and stay for lunch! 9am-4pm at the Boonsboro Ruritan Club, just off of U.S. 501 North. Admission: $6/person; $10/family; children 12 and under free with a paying adult.
Upcoming, November 5-6: Mark your calendars for Fall Amtrak Excursions to Abingdon, VA and Bluefield, WV sponsored by the Roanoke Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society.
Ongoing, Tuesdays: The Roanoke Valley Model Engineers work on their ON3, HO, and N scale layouts each week in the basement of the Museum. The entrance is on the back of the Museum around the corner from the Jupiter Rocket. 6:30-8pm. New members welcome. For information, call Rick Anderson at Rick's Hobby Shop: 540-362-7033.
Ongoing, Second and Fourth Thursdays: The International Plastic Modelers' Society, Roanoke Valley Chapter hosts building and business meetings at the Museum each month, and competes in area shows. The entrance is on the back of the Museum just off the Rail Walk and around the corner from the Jupiter Rocket. 7pm. For information, email Tim Ward, Chapter President.
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