FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Eileen Conte

727.341.7901

Cuban Missile Crisis Closes May 1 st

at Florida International Museum

Last Chance to See Popular Exhibit Focusing on Events of October 1962

St. Petersburg, FL (April 8, 2005) Florida International Museum (FIM) announces the closing of The Cuban Missile Crisis, When the Cold War Got Hot on May 1, 2005. The Cuban Missile Crisis opened in December, 2000 in conjunction with the acclaimed Kevin Costner film Thirteen Days , to complement FIM's The Kennedy Collection. Patrons now have a last chance to re-live 1962 in several retro rooms including a number of living rooms where they can see President John Kennedy's speech and newsreels from October, 1962 and experience the 13 hottest days of the Cold War.

The exhibition includes over 300 articles from the October, 1962 period and features galleries that give visitors a feeling of traveling back in time. Visitors walk through a retro living room, kitchen, school room and a realistic fallout shelter complete with CONELRAD alert and sirens re-created for the exhibit. Throughout the exhibition, visitors follow a series of day-by-day panels and timeline of events.

Because FIM is closing at its current location on May 15 and the new location will not allow for an 8,000 square foot permanent exhibit, the museum is negotiating with another museum to purchase the exhibit so that the artifacts can remain on display.

“The Cuban Missile Crisis has been a wonderful anchor for FIM these past four years,” said FIM Executive Director Kathy Oathout. “Our visitors consistently share that the exhibit evokes memories of the 1960's and the exhibit is also a favorite of our volunteers. For all those reasons, plus the time the FIM staff invested in the exhibit, we think it is important to find another location for this exhibit.”

Florida International Museum will move from its current downtown location on May 15, 2005, with the closing of international award-winning Diana – A Celebration , and then reopen in September, 2005 within the new St. Petersburg College Downtown Center at 244 Second Avenue North.

Established in 1994 and a Smithsonian Affiliate since 1999, FIM's mission has been to bring the world to you through diverse national and international traveling exhibitions. FIM's focus on popular themes, including collections from the Smithsonian, provide a unique look at history through exciting presentations. For more information please contact Michele Money at 727-822-3693, extension 265 or visit www.floridamuseum.org.

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The Florida International Museum is a non-profit educational institution supported, in part, by the Florida Arts Council, State of Florida, Division of Cultural Affairs, St. Petersburg/Clearwater Area Convention & Visitors Bureau, Pinellas County and the City of St. Petersburg. Other major sponsors include Starbucks Coffee, Crown Jaguar, Ernst & Young, the Institute of Museum & Library Services, Progress Energy, Renaissance Vinoy Resort & Golf Club, and the St. Petersburg Times .