2026 Cold War Gala - SOLD OUT

Arkansas Aeroplex - Hangar 207 Blytheville, AR Saturday, November 7 at 6 p.m. Guest of Honor: Former Polish President Lech Wałęsa Dinner, drinks and dancing to support America’s Cold War Museum. Sponsorship opportunities are available. For more information, please contact [email protected] Lech Wałęsa is a Polish statesman, dissident and Nobel Peace Prize laureate who served as the president of Poland between 1990 and 1995. After winning the 1990 election, Wałęsa became the first democratically elected president of Poland since 1926 and the first-ever Polish president elected by popular vote. An electrician by trade, Wałęsa became the leader of the opposition Solidarity movement and led a successful pro-democratic effort, which in 1989 ended Communist rule in Poland and ushered in the end of the Cold War. The conversation will be led by best-selling author and Arkansas native John Grisham. FRIDAY, NOV. 6 @ 7 p.m. AT THE RITZ CIVIC CENTER HISTORIC DOWNTOWN BLYTHEVILLE Sponsorship opportunities are available. For more information, please contact [email protected] Lech Wałęsa - ©Richard Maack Casseroles, Can Openers, and Jell-O: American Food and the Early Cold War Presented by Pattern Energy Curator: Elizabeth Aldrich Explore how American food culture was shaped in the early years of the Cold War — when processed foods surged, mass marketing boomed and the kitchen became a stage for new ideas about family, suburbia and the promotion of capitalism and democracy. Drawing on images from cookbooks, government publications, and popular magazines, this exhibition offers a vivid look at what Americans ate and how food became a symbol of postwar national identity and power. Whether you’re curious about mid-twentieth-century culture or you grew up on TV dinners and Campbell’s tomato soup with grilled cheese, you’ll find an engaging and nostalgic window into the story of American cuisine during the early Cold War. Official exhibit opening at the BAFB Exhibition Tuesday, October 20. Ritz Civic Center - Blytheville, AR Wednesday, November 4 at 7 p.m. Pavel Palazhchenko, Mikhail Gorbachev’s translator who attended every Cold War summit, will be onstage to discuss the showing of The Brink of War, a Cold War-era movie that Tenaris will present on Wednesday, November 4 at the Ritz Civic Center. The currently running movie, starring Jeff Daniels, is based on the historic Reagan/Gorbachev Reykjavík Summit held in October 1986. "Pavel was present for every moment of this discussion," says Dr. Christian Ostermann, Executive Director of the National Cold War Center. "It will be fascinating to hear his recollections and insights about this pivotal moment in history." Dr. Ostermann will lead a Q&A with Mr. Palazhchenko immediately following the screening. This screening will begin at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, November 4 at the Ritz Civic Center at 306 West Main Street in Blytheville, AR. Admission is free to the public, thanks to Tenaris!