Free Friday Admission At Higgins Armory

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Friday, July 20, 2012

GoLocalWorcester Features Team

Worcester gem, the Higgins Armory Museum will be free today as part of Free Fun Fridays, which are sponsored by the Highland Street Foundation.

The only museum devoted to armor in the entire western hemisphere, Higgins Armory contains approximately 4,000 pieces of armor from all over the world and many different time periods. Armor from places as distant in time and place as Renaissance Europe and ancient Greece and Rome to the Middle East, and other parts of Asia and Africa are on display. Knights' weapons are also on display.

During the day, the Armory will be holding a number of special events during the promotion hours such as live demonstrations of the armor in use held every hour, workshops where children can make their own shields, and staff and volunteers will be walking around the museum clad in armor.

The Armory enjoys a long and rich history. Open since 1931 and accredited officially as a museum in 1972, the museum was added to the National Registry of Historic Places in 1980.

Libbie Rowell, the Armory’s Communications Coordinator, said the overarching goal of the museum is to “excite peoples’ passion for learning about arms and armor.

”Armor pieces are important for providing information about the time and cultures in which they were created," Rowell said.

While Higgins Armory has offered a free Friday in the summer for the last several years, this is second straight year the Higgins Armory has been chosen to team up with the Highland Street Foundation in the Free Fun Friday promotion. "This is a great way to team up and broaden our reach”, Rowell said. The goal is to provide people “who normally can’t afford” a trip to the museum an opportunity to visit.

Noreen McMahon, Senior Director of Programs at the Highland Street Foundation, said the Higgins Armory is a perfect fit for their mission.

“We try to engage a diverse cross-section of people, both geographically and institutionally,” McMahon said. "The Higgins Armory is a one-of-a-kind institution that helps the Foundation reach and draw in new, unique and different audiences.”

McMahon said the Foundation hopes to increase access to all the treasured institutions of Massachusetts, especially for those in underprivileged communities through the Free Fun Friday program.  There are no fees, registrations, or tickets required. The promotion lasts from 10 am to 4 pm.

The Highland Street Foundation headquartered in Boston created Free Fun Fridays as a way to encourage and invite Massachusetts residents, especially those from underprivileged communities, to visit important cultural attractions across the state. Other Central Mass attractions participating in Free Fun Fridays include: Fruitlands Museum (August 10), Old Sturbridge Village (August 24) and Ecotarium (August 31). 

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