On Saturday, June 15, 2019, the Broomfield Veterans Memorial Museum participated in the 1940’s Ball at the Boulder Municipal Airport, hosting a booth at the event.  

“We had probably the best location,” said Flint Whitlock, museum board member and a member of the museum’s Display and Exhibits Committee. “We were right inside the main entrance, so every one of the Ball’s 4,000 attendees had to pass our booth when they came in. We had numerous people stop by our booth, look at our exhibits and find out more about us.”

The theme of the museum’s booth was “Commemorating the 75th Anniversary of D-Day,” and it was decorated with posters and artifacts from that period. The 1940’s Ball is a combination of a costume party, dance, air show and military display that takes attendees—many of whom dress in uniforms and clothing—on a nostalgic trip back to that era. The Glenn Miller Orchestra and a girls’ singing group provided entertainment with songs from the Swing Era, while a 1940s military encampment with uniformed reenactors, military vehicles, a faux-French village dubbed “Liberty Street,” vintage automobiles and a separate dance hall that replicated Rick’s Cafe from the 1942 film Casablanca.

“It was the first time we have participated in the 1940s Ball,” said Whitlock, “but I’m sure we’ll be back for years to come.”