LAKE PLACID, N.Y. – On Saturday, Sept. 27, the Lake Placid Olympic Museum, located in the Olympic Center, on Main Street, Lake Placid, N.Y., will open its doors free of charge, as part of Smithsonian magazine’s 10th annual Museum Day Live! A nationwide event, Museum Day Live! offers free admission to visitors presenting a Museum Day Live! ticket at a participating museum or cultural institution.
This event gives museums across all 50 states the opportunity to emulate the admission policy of the Smithsonian museums in Washington D.C. Last year’s event drew over 400,000 participants and this year’s event expects record-high participation.
Also, available for viewing at the Lake Placid Olympic Museum, on the Sept. 27, is a new temporary exhibit, entitled the Olympic Prison. The Olympic Prison is a look inside the Olympic Village used during the 1980 Winter Olympic Games. Also known as the Athlete’s Village, the complex was built with the forethought that it would be converted into a federal correctional facility after the Games. Once the temporary home for the finest athletes in the world, it now houses federal inmates from around the country as Federal Correctional Institution Ray Brook, N.Y. Museum visitors can view building layouts, athlete photographs and have their mug shot taken.
Museum Manager Alison Haas is very enthusiastic about the new exhibit and the chance for people to enjoy the museum free of charge. “This is a great opportunity to join other museums across the country and offer free admission. It gives everyone the chance to see our latest exhibit, The Olympic Prison and items from Sochi 2014 that have been recently added to our collection.”
The Museum Day Live! ticket will be available to download at Smithsonian.com/museumdaylive. Visitors who present the Museum Day Live! ticket will gain free entrance for two at participating venues for one day only. One ticket is permitted per household, per email address. For more information about Museum Day Live! 2014 and a list of participating museums and cultural institutions, please visit: Smithsonian.com/museumday/venues.
The Lake Placid Olympic Museum is located at the Olympic Center in Lake Placid, New York. It is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information, call 518-302-5326.