Chevrolet Fireball Run Brings National Search for Missing Children to Bowling Green, KY

Next Thursday, September 29 the National Corvette Museum will play host to a very special group of people.

The Chevrolet Fireball Run is an eight-day adventure rally race to raise awareness in the search for missing children, including Amy Lyn Haueter, from Fern Creek, KY. The entire Chevrolet Fireball Run fleet and team members will make a stop in Bowling Green where they will be greeted by the folks from the National Corvette Museum and treated to a light lunch.

Over 40+ teams are participating in this excursion which began in Melbourne, Fla., and will conclude in Gulfport, Miss. On the fifth-day of their journey, all Fireball Run teams, including Daytona 500 Winner and NASCAR legend Geoff Bodine and Astronaut Winston Scott, will make their way to the National Corvette Museum to continue their mission of distributing flyers announcing the search of their designated missing child.

As one of America’s most popular motoring events and largest awareness campaigns, Chevrolet Fireball Run has aided in the recovery of 35 missing children to-date. The teams will be driving a fleet of exotic vehicles, which includes an Angel-1, a specially designed 2011 Chevrolet Camaro dedicated to the more than 1,000 first responders who lost their lives on 9/11 and since Sept. 11. The fleet also features famous vehicles.

Fireball Run participants will distribute more than 50,000 flyers during their journey to aid in the recovery of missing children. Teams will also face-off in motorsport challenges and solve clues during the competition.

Media and spectators are invited to come out from 2-4pm to visit with the group and send them off in style! Learn more about the Fireball Run at http://www.fireballrun.com.

Smithsonian Magazine's 7th Annual Museum Day Offers Free Admission to Area Museums

On Saturday, September 24, 2011, the Historic Railpark and Train Museum, National Corvette Museum, and Riverview at Hobson Grove will participate in the seventh annual Smithsonian Magazine Museum Day. The Museums will join other participating museums and cultural institutions nationwide to open their doors free of charge to all visitors who download the Museum Day Ticket from Smithsonian.com. A journey to celebrate our world’s dynamic heritage and cultural life, participating Museum Day venues emulate the free admission policy of the Smithsonian Institution’s Washington, D.C.-based facilities.

The Historic RailPark & Train Museum takes a step back in time to the golden era of passenger service. A guided tour of vintage railcars showcases the workings of a Post Office Car, Dining Car and Sleeper Car. The self-guided tour of the two story museum immerses visitors into the cultural story of the railroad including two new exhibits. "Hobo Times explores the life of the Hobo with the secret language interpreted into quilts by Creative Quilters Guild," said Sharon Tabor, Executive Director of the Railpark. "The Civil War and the Railroad includes personal stories, models and antique photography," she added.

Visitors to the National Corvette Museum will view 14 examples of Chevrolet models through the decades as part of the special 100 Years of Chevrolet Exhibit. The Museum also offers a new display of NASCAR race suits worn by Jimmy Johnson, Dale Earnhardt, Jr., Jeff Gordon and Mark Martin - on loan from Hendrick Motorsports. "We are an ever-changing Museum and no two visits with us are the same," said Katie Frassinelli, Corvette Museum Marketing Manager. "We are more than just Corvette, offering a little something for everyone!"

Riverview at Hobson Grove is celebrating the 150th Anniversary of the Civil War in Kentucky with a juried art show with a Civil War theme. The home is listed in the National Register of Historic Places and an official site on the Civil War Discovery Trail.

Other participating Kentucky museums include: Kentucky Historical Society (Frankfort), Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory (Louisville), My Old Kentucky Home (Bardstown), Owensboro Museum of Science and History, The National Quilt Museum (Paducah), Kentucky Derby Museum (Louisville) and International Museum of the Horse at the Kentucky Horse Park (Lexington).

The Museum Day Ticket is available to download at www.smithsonian.com/museumday. Visitors who present the official pass will gain free admission for two people to one participating museum or cultural venue of their choice. One ticket is permitted per household, per email address. Listings and links to participating museums’ and sponsors’ sites can be found at www.smithsonian.com/museumday.

About Historic RailPark & Train Museum
Located off I-65 at exit 28, The Historic RailPark & Train Museum is open 9-5 Monday – Saturday and 1-4 on Sunday. For more information visit http://www.historicrailpark.com/ or call 270-745-7317.

About National Corvette Museum
The National Corvette Museum is the ‘Gateway to all things Corvette’ and is open daily from 8am to 5pm Central Time. It is located at I-65 exit 28 and more information can be found by calling 800-538-3883 or online at http://www.corvettemuseum.org/.

About Riverview at Hobson Grove
Open daily, 10am-4pm, Riverview is located at 110 W. Main Avenue and can be reached at 270-843-5565 or online at www.bgky.org/riverview.

About Smithsonian Media
Smithsonian Media comprises Smithsonian magazine, Air & Space, goSmithsonian, Smithsonian Media Digital Network and the Smithsonian Channel. Smithsonian Media’s flagship publication, Smithsonian magazine, is one of the nation’s largest magazines with a circulation of more than 2 million and nearly 7 million readers. Smithsonian Media is a division of Smithsonian Enterprises, the revenue-generating business unit of the Smithsonian Institution. The Smithsonian Institution is the world’s largest museum and research complex consisting of 19 museums and galleries, the National Zoological Park and nine research facilities. Approximately 30 million people from around the world visited the Smithsonian in 2009.