Mobile museum parks in Asbury for the weekend
Exhibit described as 'New Jersey pride on wheels'
A 53 foot double-expandable trailer that houses a museum-like display of notable Jersey natives is en route to the boardwalk outside of Convention Hall.
On Friday and Saturday, the Asbury Park boardwalk will host the “mobile museum” [photo at right] — an extension of The New Jersey Hall of Fame [NJHOF] — as it kicks off its Jersey shore tour, according to a press release from the Asbury Park Chamber of Commerce.
The mobile museum contains images, artifacts, film, and interactive elements [photo above]. Based on the theme “make a difference,” visitors will explore the ways that New Jersey Hall of Fame inductees have changed the state and the world: as innovators, as leaders, and as voices for the voiceless — often against overwhelming odds — according to a fact sheet from the hall of fame website.
Displays will rotate on an ongoing basis to highlight new Hall of Fame inductees, according to the chamber press release.
“We’re excited to be coming to Asbury Park. We think the shore community will see our exhibit as New Jersey pride on wheels, and a symbol of how strong the people of this state are,” said Steve Edwards, president of the NJHOF board.
“Asbury Park is also an exciting fit for the mobile museum. NJHOF inductees such as Bruce Springsteen, Frankie Valli, Jon Bon Jovi and Tony Bennett have performed numerous times in Asbury Park’s iconic venues, and inductees Danny DeVito and Bud Abbott were born and raised here,” Edwards said.
“The Asbury Park Boardwalk is also recognized for both a rich history and for being forward thinking in design and new initiatives similar to this mobile museum; It’s an exciting match,” he said.
The museum was designed by famed architect and NJHOF inductee Michael Graves and museum exhibition designer Ralph Appelbaum Associates, the release said.
“We all know that New Jersey is our greatest state, and the New Jersey Hall of Fame and its amazing new mobile exhibit just proves this, said Gary Mottola, president of investments for boardwalk redeveloper Madison Marquette. “We’re proud that Asbury Park is among the first venues to host the mobile museum and we know that everyone who comes to visit the exhibit will share that pride in our City and our State.”
The hours of the display are 1 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Friday and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday. Admission is free.
[Photos of the interior and exterior of the mobile museum courtesy of The New Jersey Hall of Fame.]
————————————————————
Follow the Asbury Park Sun on Facebook and Twitter.
