New Civil War exhibit to open at Camp Ripley

The staff of the Minnesota Military Museum at Camp Ripley, Minn. is announcing the grand opening of its newest exhibit July 9.

"We are pleased to announce the opening of our Civil War exhibit," said

Jeff Thielen, executive director of the museum.

The ribbon cutting for the exhibit will take place at 11 a.m. and the

public is invited to participate in the day's festivities and celebrate

this unique event, said Thielen.

"Our curator, Doug Bekke, has had this idea for more than ten years and

has been working on it over the past two years after the museum board

approved the project and found funding for it," said Thielen.

There will be much more than just an exhibit opening taking place on

July 9, said Thielen "We will have music, food, guest speakers and a

large group of Civil War reenactors taking part in events including the

firing of a Civil War cannon."

This will be the largest Civil War exhibit in Minnesota celebrating the

Civil War Sesquicentennial and will be open to the public over the next

four years, said Thielen.

"Museum Board Member, Steven Osman, played an instrumental role in

helping us get this exhibit opened," said Thielen. "He has put in

several thousand hours in design and development of the display. He

along with several others have also loaned us several rare pieces from

their own collections."

More information about the exhibit and the Minnesota Military Museum is

available by visiting its website at www.mnmilitarymuseum.org.

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