The Museum will officially reopen to the public on the morning of Friday, Nov. 21, with a ribbon-cutting ceremony (available via live webcast). A procession of historical characters will bring history back to the museum, kicking off a three-day festival that celebrates the new home of the Star-Spangled Banner. Be one of the first visitors welcomed to the dramatically transformed National Museum of American History with musical entertainment, refreshments, giveaways, and more.

Museum Director Brent Glass, Smithsonian Secretary G. Wayne Clough and other special guests will officially reopen the Museum. Visitors will enjoy the sounds of American music performed by the Children’s Chorus of Washington and the Federal City Brass Band. Other entertainment includes the firing of an authentic War of 1812 cannon and a reading of the Gettysburg Address, a copy of which is on temporary loan from the White House, by General Colin L. Powell, USA (Ret).

Following the ribbon-cutting, the Museum will welcome history back to the National Mall as a procession of historical characters lead visitors into the building. Free seasonal refreshments are available before the ceremony.

The first 1,814 visitors to the ribbon cutting and through the Museum doors will receive a special gift in honor of 1814, the year of the Battle of Baltimore when the Star-Spangled Banner waving at "dawn's early light" inspired Francis Scott Key to pen his famous lyrics; all visitors will be able to take home a first-day souvenir (while supplies last).

The Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History reopens after two years of architectural renovations to shed new light on American history, literally and figuratively. The Museum has been dramatically transformed and will engage audiences of all ages. Visitors walk into a five-story skylit atrium, surrounded by artifact displays showcasing the breadth of the Museum’s three million objects from the cultural, social, technological and political history of the United States. A grand staircase now links the Museum’s first and second floors and six landmark objects located in the wings of each of the three exhibition floors help orient visitors. New galleries such as the Jerome and Dorothy Lemelson Hall of Invention, presenting "Invention at Play," join old favorites including "The American Presidency: A Glorious Burden" and "America on the Move." At the heart of the Museum, the Star-Spangled Banner—one of the most recognized symbols of the nation—has been given a new state-of-the-art gallery and fresh interpretation. The grand reopening kicks off a year of new exhibitions and programming throughout 2009.