Reno's National Automobile Museum turns 30 this month. To celebrate, there's an 80's themed party at the museum this Saturday! Admission is free. When the museum opened in 1989, it was ahead of its time.

"Back in the old days car museums used to just be the cars backed in like sardines in a warehouse," said Buddy Frank, the museum's Interim Executive Director. "You'll come here and you'll see wonderful street scenes, marvelous galleries, art, it's in a setting like no other.  A lot of museums have copied this style but this was the first and it is wonderful."

Guests on Saturday are encouraged to wear their favorite 80's threads for photo opportunities with the museum's DeLorean.

"This one is really unique," Frank said. "It's one of only two ever made, gold plated - it doesn't have a flux capacitor - but its solid gold plated and it was part of the American Express gift catalog in 1989 for $85,000."

The core of the museum's collection revolves around 200 cars from Bill Harrah's personal collection. A walk through the galleries follows the journey of the automobile from the beginning...

"The automobile is so special for most people," Frank said. "It's like the bird leaving the nest when the kid gets the car, breaks the links and goes into the world. So the automobile has been an incredible part of our culture."

The museum is a nonprofit and has been supported by a generous community for decades. This year's giving season is underway and they're always looking for new members.

"Even though this is a national museum, we get no federal support, no state support," Frank said. "And while the city was very generous giving us this land, they don't provide anything to our operating budget. So we'd love you to come down, take advantage of the free day, but also maybe become a member a support this museum."

The fun starts at 9:30 a.m. on Saturday, November 9th.

For more information, go to www.automuseum.org.  

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