Starting last night, the World War II Museum has been celebrating the opening of its three new buildings big time, complete with celebrities, premieres and red carpet walks. Last night, Tom Hanks, Patricia Clarkson and James Cromwell attended a special screening of "Beyond All Boundaries," the 4-D movie that will be playing at the new Victory Theater. Hanks himself directed the film, and it features the voices of more than a dozen celebrities.
All this glitz and glamour is exciting for our small city, but the real fun starts tomorrow at 10 a.m., when the opening celebrations turn into a family affair.

"Tomorrow is a family fun day here on the museum campus," explained WWII Museum Marketing Manager, Alan Raphael, who has been planning this weekend's events for months. "There will be a gathering of all kinds of World War II-type activities: we'll have relay races, Who's on First contests, World War II karaoke. There will be a rock climbing wall and lots of activities for the kids, all totally free and open to the public."

The family fun will last until 4 p.m., and the weather should be perfect for the outdoor festivities. Because it's New Orleans, there will be music, and because it's a World War II Museum celebration, it will be swing. Linnzi Zaorski, Rocky's Hot Foxtrot Orchestra and the Navy Band New Orleans will be playing while swing dance instructors offer free lessons. The Victory Theater will also be up and running, selling tickets for the first public screenings of "Beyond All Boundaries." That's not all that the museum has in store for us. When the sun goes down, the real party will start. "Saturday night is The Victory Stomp," Raphael explained. "The line-up will include five bands. Ingrid Lucia and The Flying Neutrinos, and then on a separate stage we're calling the Porch Stage, we'll have The Victory Belles, three young ladies with War-era tunes like The Andrews Sisters or The Boswell Sisters. Then we'll go back to the mainstage with Irma Thomas, then back to The Victory Belles, then Deacon John and The Ivories. Finally, at about 10:50 p.m., there will be a fireworks display." Tickets for The Victory Stomp are still available at two price levels. General admission is $20 and will get you onto the campus where you can purchase food and drinks from booths operated by Chef John Besh. There are also a few $75 tickets left, which put you inside Victory Theater with limited food and drinks.

Last but not least, Sunday will end the celebratory weekend with a look back at one of the museum's founders, Stephen Ambrose. "It will be a scholarly retrospective," Raphael said, "with authors and colleagues of Stephen Ambrose. People who worked with him, taught with him, some of his students, people he mentored... they will all be talking for about four hours of a panel discussion, and there will be speeches and Q&A. After that is our General Mason Lecture, which is a regularly scheduled program. We do one of those about once a month, and Dr. Alan Brinkley will be speaking."

All of Sunday's events are also free, and they will be inside the main museum building.

If you're looking to bring history into the present this weekend - or be present while history is being made - you know where to go.