The Illinois Association of Museums (IAM) recently announced that the Livingston County War Museum and Dal Estes Education Center has been awarded the distinction of being the IAM’s Volunteer Institution of the Year for 2015. The presentation of the award will take place at the Annual Fall Conference for the IAM to be held September 24-25, 2015 in Springfield.

The Livingston County War Museum was created through the efforts of Dal and Betty Estes in May of 2005, and is visited by thousands of adults and children throughout the year. The all-volunteer staff not only manages the displays and media at the museum, they provide background information, personal recollections, and generally assist each visitor to the museum, assuring that the visitor understands and appreciates the patriotism and the sacrifice of each of the men and women from the area who served in the nation’s armed forces.

Pontiac Tourism Specialist, Liz Vincent, nominated the War Museum for this honor. According to Vincent, “The volunteers at the War Museum are wonderful. They each add something intangible to the experience of visiting the museum. It is wonderful to know that those great volunteers will be recognized for all that they do. ” Tourism Director Ellie Alexander recently stated that the War Museum is one of the city’s treasured assets. “We have visitors from around the world every day in Pontiac,” Alexander said, “and the War Museum’s volunteers have always welcomed every single person to their facility. The City of Pontiac is proud to have this institution and its special volunteers here.”

The Livingston County War Museum and Dal Estes Education Center is open Monday - Saturday 10 am - 4 pm, and open on Sunday afternoons 12 - 4 pm. For more information about the War Museum, or to arrange group tours, contact David Estes at (815) 842-0301.