Stars and Stripes is making stories on the coronavirus pandemic available free of charge. See other free reports here. Sign up for our daily coronavirus newsletter here. Please support our journalism with a subscription.

COLUMBUS, Ohio (Tribune News Service) — The National Veterans Memorial and Museum, which has been closed for two long stretches in the past year because of the COVID-19 pandemic, plans to reopen for weekend hours on Saturday.

The museum will be open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays in February and will be open for one day of free admission on President's Day, which is Feb. 15. Guests will have to register for the free tickets on the museum's website, NationalVMM.org.

Officials say if all goes as planned, the museum will return to its regular hours for in-person visitors on Wednesdays through Sundays beginning in March. Visitors, including veterans (who can visit for free), are encouraged to reserve advance tickets online at the museum's website.

“Our building is equipped with a medical-grade air filtration system, and a dedicated staff ensuring social distancing along with rigorous disinfecting practices," said retired Army Lt. Gen. Michael Ferriter, the museum's president and CEO. "We are excited to once again share veterans’ inspiring stories in person with those who are ready to visit.”

The museum, on West Broad Street, closed in March of last year under the state's pandemic guidelines. It reopened in late June but closed again on Nov. 20 amid a new surge of virus cases.

Since then, it has been hosting a robust series of online programming, which includes a regular series called " Rally Point." Even though the museum will reopen on Saturday for visits, Saturday's Rally Point will continue as a virtual event that will stream on the museum's Facebook page and YouTube channel at 10 a.m.

It will feature a conversation with former Tuskegee Airman and retired Lt. Col. Harold Brown, from northern Ohio.

(c)2021 The Columbus Dispatch (Columbus, Ohio)
Visit The Columbus Dispatch (Columbus, Ohio) at www.dispatch.com
Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

previous coverage

Debt collection goes on while VA ‘exploring options’ to reinstate pause

Same policy, different interpretations: Why some overseas bases share coronavirus data and others don't