Extended hours and scaled back visitor flow will provide optimal viewing experience for attendees
Simi Valley, CA – The Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute will extend its weekend hours due to an overwhelming public response to the Reagan Library’s current exhibit, Auschwitz. Not long ago. Not far away. The exhibit has sold a record-breaking 67,000 tickets in its first weeks, more than any other exhibit in the Library’s history. By extending weekend hours and reducing the flow of patrons allowed in at a time, the Reagan Library aims to provide the most immersive viewing experience for everyone.
“We anticipated visitors would connect deeply with this powerful exhibit, however the response has been overwhelming,” said David Trulio, President and CEO of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute. “It is important that our guests be able to take their time to grapple with the shocking history of Auschwitz, which is why we are taking steps to ensure every visitor has an optimal viewing experience.”
To date, the Reagan Library has sold tickets to patrons from all 50 states and from overseas to view the hundreds of artifacts and photographs, and abundant information, on display in Auschwitz. Not long ago. Not far away. More than 170 public, private and home schools have registered, representing nearly 10,000 students. Among those, 26 needs-based schools and youth organizations supporting nearly 4,000 students have been awarded financial grants to cover travel and food expenses to visit the exhibition. In addition, 32 religious organizations have registered for tickets, amounting to 1,300 additional attendees.
Created by Spanish company Musealia together with the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum in Poland, and now being toured through North America by World Heritage Exhibitions, the exhibit displays the largest and most comprehensive collection of artifacts linked to the history of this German Nazi concentration and extermination camp. Among the collection of more than 700 original artifacts are personal items that belonged to Auschwitz victims, including eyeglasses, suitcases, and shoes, as well as a gas mask used by the SS and an original Model 2 freight train car used to deport Jews to ghettos and extermination camps in Poland during the war.
“In 1988, President Ronald Reagan spoke at the future site of the Holocaust Museum in Washington, DC,” said Trulio. “While there, he spoke of the importance of keeping fresh the memory of the 6 million murdered Jews, and he said of the Holocaust, ‘we must comprehend it. We have no choice; the future of mankind depends upon it.’” “Following his call,” continued Trulio, we must keep learning from history to ensure that a horror such as the Holocaust never comes again.”
To learn more about the Ronald Reagan Foundation and Institute and the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library, please visit: www.reaganfoundation.org.