Opportunity knocked! A lifelong friend from Hebron, Connecticut called and he had something right up my alley for the VFW Post. He heard the towns of Columbia and Coventry canceled their Freedom 250 Truck Museum visits because of political opposition and the dates were now available to be requested. My friend then connected me with a gentleman from Columbia who had already done preparation for both towns, and he assisted me in initiating the request, as well as giving me ideas for advertising and promotion.
The Landry-Sic Post 9544 Veterans of Foreign Wars held a meeting to discuss the opportunity and how this free traveling exhibit would bring the story of America’s founding directly to our community to celebrate the 250th anniversary. We agreed to request the Freedom 250 Museum truck! It met many of our core values; to promote patriotism, honor military service, serve our communities and reflect a positive image of the VFW.
The one major hurdle we had to overcome was parking. The Freedom 250 organizers required a paved surface and the Post’s fancy new parking lot is actually recycled millings.
Several days later, after multiple emails with photos depicting the size of the lot and explaining the sturdiness of the ground to accommodate the truck, the program manager approved our request, and we began our promotional campaign through social media and press releases.
Our Post members were immediately excited about the unique opportunity, and we jumped into action to plan for the special event. Hosting the truck museum was an exciting opportunity to bring our post members together and to support our community.
This high tech museum having interactive and informative exhibits celebrating our nation’s 250th birthday is a sampling of the countless people who have shaped, fought and dedicated their lives to the preservation of the freedoms and liberties defined in our Founding documents. Additionally, coordination was made with our town’s emergency medical services, the police department for traffic and security, fire marshal and zoning for proper permit and safety requirements. On Thursday afternoon, many excited motorcycle and classic car enthusiasts escorted the Freedom 250 Truck through Suffield to the VFW Post on Sheldon Street. Over the course of three long days, more than 1,600 visitors from Suffield, neighboring towns and many people from the four towns in New England who cancelled their Freedom 250 truck events visited. We received many compliments on hosting the Freedom 250 Museum truck. It was a resounding success with so many Americans celebrating our nation’s rich history. Our country has had its challenges with victories and setbacks, triumphs and tragedies, but through it all, the American spirit continues to prevail.
We would like to thank all those who supported the event, including our members and volunteers who helped put together the Poppy Drive, Honor Flight sign-up, concessions and parking over three long warm days. Also, thanks to the museum staff and drivers who put in many long hours for our benefit.
I’d like to give a heartfelt thank you to all those who traveled near and far to see the Freedom 250 Museum truck as part of our nation’s semi quincentennial celebration.
Photo submitted by the author
L-R: VFW members Brian Benito, Bill Moryto, John Blake, John Gwiazdowski, Bill Arendt, Sal Covino, Lee Wilson, Fritz King, Paul Marin, Paul Haas, Jim Hunter pose in front of the mobile Freedom 250 museum.