World War II Days
Schedule
Sat Sep 18 2021 at 10:00 am to Sun Sep 19 2021 at 04:00 pm
Location
Midway Village Museum | Rockford, IL
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World War II Days25th Anniversary
at Midway Village Museum
6799 Guilford Road
Rockford IL
Visitors may purchase admission at the gates both Saturday and Sunday for World War II Days. Online ticket sales ended at 7 am Saturday, September 18. The museum is located on a 148-acre campus with parking off of Guilford Road and Perryville Roads. Parking is free.
A detailed program map is available online at http://midwayvillage.com/program.html.
Visitors to World War II Days engage in elaborate 1940s displays in historical buildings on the museum’s 148-acre campus, which becomes the back drop of a European village during World War II. This military re-enactment is known to be the largest in the Midwest and draws thousands of visitors yearly to the Rockford region and the museum grounds.
New in 2021!
All Veterans & Active Duty Military
Free Admission
Sponsored by Dady Law Group
New in 2021!
Victory Beer Garden
Partnering With Pig Minds Brewing Co. Beer and Vegan brats available for purchase!
Midway Village Museum requires face masks in indoor settings, regardless of COVID vaccination status.
The museum is required to follow all State of Illinois mandates regarding COVID-19. All staff and guests attending are required to abide by the state guidelines for social distancing at the time of the event.
Saturday, September 18
10 am to 5 pm
Sunday, September 19
10 am to 4 pm
Costs
$16 Adults
$9 Children (ages 3-17)
Event Schedules
Saturday, September 18, 2021
9 am Early Entry for All Veterans
Family member may accompany Veterans. All Veterans admission is free. Regular admission applies for family members. THIS IS SATURDAY ONLY!
10 am Event Opens to the General Public
10:30 am Opening Ceremony along with a special recognition Veteran thank you and narrated Battle on Main Battlefield
11 am "A Day That Will Live In Infamy: The Attack On Pearl Harbor" By Historian Kim Ortega of the National Museum of the American Sailor in the Lakeview Room inside the Main Museum Center
11:30 am Woods Battle* Limited Space, $3 Ticket onsite purchase at the event
12:00 pm Andrew's Sisters Tribute Concert:
at the Gazebo
12:30 pm D-Day Presentation By Historian Bob Carlson in the Lakeview Room inside the Main Museum Center
1 pm Model Airplane Flying Demonstration at the Main Battlefield presented by the Rock Valley R/C Flying Club
1 pm Woods Battle* Limited Space, $3 Ticket onsite purchase at the event
1:30 pm USO Show of 1940s-style music at the Gazebo
1:30 pm "Rockford Holocaust Survivors" By Goldie Pekarsky and "What Americans Knew" By Barbara Brown in the Lakeview Room inside the Main Museum Center
1:30 pm The General Patton Show
in Village Green Commons
1:45 pm Narrated Uniform Fashion Show at the Main Battlefield leading up to the Battle
2 pm Narrated Battle on Main Battlefield
3:30 pm Smoky the War Dog Presentation by Historian Adrian Brigham in the Lakeview Room inside the Main Museum Center
3:30 pm The General Patton Show
in Village Green Commons
4 pm Woods Battle* Limited Space, $3 Ticket onsite purchase at the event
5 pm Event Closes
Sunday, September 19
10 am Event Opens to the General Public
11 am Woods Battle* Limited Space, $3 Ticket onsite purchase at the event
11 am Smoky the War Dog Presentation in the Lakeview Room inside the Main Museum Center
12:00 pm Andrew's Sisters Tribute Concert:
at the Gazebo
12:00 pm Meet & Greet with the Rockford
Peaches Reenactment Group
12:30 pm 12:30 pm D-Day Presentation By Historian Bob Carlson in the Lakeview Room inside the Main Museum Center
1 pm Model Airplane Flying Demonstration at the Main Battlefield presented by the Rock Valley R/C Flying Club
1 pm Woods Battle* Limited Space, $3 Ticket onsite purchase at the event
1:30 pm USO Show of 1940s-style music at the Gazebo
1:30 pm "Rockford Holocaust Survivors" By Goldie Pekarsky and "What Americas Knew" By Barbara Brown in the Lakeview Room inside the Main Museum Center
1:30 pm The General Patton Show
in the Village Green Commons
2:15 pm Narrated Uniform Fashion Show at the Main Battlefield leading up to the Battle
2:30 pm Battle on Main Battlefield with the finale a closing ceremony
4 pm Event Closes
Holocaust Exhibit Entitled
"Shoah: How Was it Humanly Possible?"
Lakeview Rooms - Both Days
This is a photo exhibit from Yad Vashem, the World Holocaust Remembrance Center, Jerusalem.
The Holocaust was an unprecedented genocide perpetrated in Europe from 1933 to 1945 by Nazi Germany with the aim of annihilating the Jewish people from the face of the Earth. This exhibit deals with major historical aspects of the Holocaust, beginning with Jewish life in pre-Holocaust Europe and ending with the liberation of Nazi concentration and extermination camps across the continent and the remarkable return to life of the survivors.
Free Admission: All Veterans, Active Duty Military, Midway Village Museum Members and Children ages 0-2.
Midway Village Museum Members are Free!
Member Members may receive advance tickets by calling the museum and speaking to a Front Desk representative at 815-397-9112. Advance tickets are not required to attend, however Members should bring their membership card to the event to show upon arrival for entry/admission.
Visitors may purchase tickets in-advance online or at the Museum Gift Store. Tickets are available for purchase at the gates the days of the military re-enactment. The event opens at 10 am both days for the general public.
Festivities include encampments of Allied and Axis troops in the Midway Village woods. World War II Days includes elaborate and realistic battles complete with tanks, artillery, armored vehicles, and exciting pyrotechnic displays.
uniformed re-enactors representing soldiers from the United States, Great Britain, France, Poland, Ukraine, Russia, Japan, Italy, and Germany along with 70 to 80 vintage tanks, half tracks and other 1940s military vehicles make this a not-to-miss special event.
Event Highlights
. Narrated half-hour field battles with pyrotechnics (two on Saturday and one on Sunday)
. Realistic encampments of Allied and Axis troops
. An Andrew Sisters musical tribute by "Sweet Reminder"
. More than 40 handcrafted World War II Model Airplanes with representatives from the Rock Valley R/C Flyers Club highlighting the aircraft history
. Spontaneous historical vignettes throughout the historic village
. Expanded half-hour skirmishes in the woods portraying battles at an additional $3 cost
Other Highlights:
. Authentic World War II military vehicles and tanks on display
. Axis and Allied military represented in exhibits and displays
. Elaborate Demonstrations & Displays with narration of impressions by costumed re-enactors representing civilian and military life
. Militaria Sales Vendors from the Midwest
. Affordable Local Food Vendors
. VETANK available for individuals with limited mobility
. Golf Cart Shuttles available for guests with special needs and limited mobility
New in 2021!
*Expanded Woods Experience: $3
The half-hour woods skirmish experiences highlight details about the war from the perspective of different military units including United States Paratroopers and Marines, German, Australian, Yugoslavian, Polish, Imperial Japanese Army and the British.
The Woods Experience is different from the large main battles because each of the woods skirmishes are more intimate in nature for an up-close more personal viewing. The re-enactors will present information about the history of the units, the weapons and tactics used in the battle and take questions from the visitors.
There will be three on Saturday and two on Sunday with pre-sales available on the event site only.
Visitors will purchase tickets at a location on the event site on Main Street next to the Bank (white tent) and proceed to the woods battle location which is a roped off entrance on the southwest side of the Victorian Village in the Woods. Attendance is limited with entry for viewing by ticket only and visitors should start to assemble 15 minutes before the starting times.
2021 Sponsors & Partners
Dady Law Group
Pig Minds
WIPFLI
Midland States Bank
Midland Wealth Management
International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers
Beth & Rudnicki Insurance Agency
Anderson Toyota
Woodward
Check back regularly for updated details about the special event. Full schedules of the daily activities will be available closer to the event date(s).
Members are free to attend World War II Days. With your membership, there's many other benefits you receive, as well as supporting the mission of history preservation and education at Midway Village Museum! To become a member or for details go to: http://midwayvillage.com/midway-membership.html.
If you are a Veteran or Active Duty Military Personnel simply show proof of military service with your Military ID card, Veterans Affairs card or Discharge papers when arriving to the event gates to receive free admission. NO pre-registration is required.
This is a rain or shine event. No refunds.
There are three bicycle racks for those riding bicycles to the special event.
Questions? Call 815-397-9112.
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Where is it happening?
Midway Village Museum, 6799 Guilford Rd, Rockford, United StatesEvent Location & Nearby Stays:
