South Bend, IN – August 26, 2026 —The Studebaker National Museum and The History Museum invite families to a day of hands-on fun and discovery at their second annual Touch-A-Truck event, presented by Whiteford Kenworth, on Saturday, August 29, from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.  The Oscar Mayer Wienermobile will be on display for visitors to see as well!

This family-friendly event transforms the Museums’ shared parking lot and Thomas Street into an interactive vehicle showcase, featuring a wide variety of first-responders, big rigs, service trucks and utility vehicles. Some vehicles on display include fire trucks, dump trucks, squad cars and the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile!  Curious kids will have the chance to explore the vehicles up close, meet the people who operate them, and even climb inside and honk the horn.

The Museums will have special hands-on history displays that will include for the first ever Navarre Homestead public Cabin Days program with live interpreters, activities, and demonstrations. Kids will also be able to enjoy the Driven to Design LEGO racetrack and much more. Community partners such as the South Bend Children’s Museum, La Casa de Amistad, and the St. Joseph County Library will also have exciting activities on-site. To ensure the event is welcoming to all, a sensory-friendly hour will be offered from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m., during which flashing lights and loud noises will be minimized to support guests with sensory sensitivities.

Admission is free and includes full access to both The History Museum and the Studebaker National Museum all day. Families can enjoy food truck options from Travelin’ Tom’s Coffee, Kona Ice, Junbuggies and Holy Smokes Pizza. Family-focused exhibits include the Kidsfirst Children’s Museum and the Tire Rack Service Center. With engaging exhibits inside and exciting vehicles outside, it’s the perfect way to spend a summer Saturday with the whole family.

The Museums are located at 897 Thomas Street, just west of downtown South Bend. Regular campus hours are Monday–Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from Noon to 5 p.m. For more details, call the Museum at (574) 235-9714 or toll-free at (888) 391-5600, or visit www.studebakermuseum.org / www.historymuseumsb.org.

For Immediate Release

Jo McCoy, Assistant Director

Studebaker National Museum

201 Chapin Street

South Bend, IN  46601

574.235.9714

jmccoy@studebakermuseum.org

South Bend, IN – August 29, 2026 —The Studebaker National Museum and The History Museum invite families to a day of hands-on fun and discovery at their second annual Touch-A-Truck event, presented by Whiteford Kenworth, on Saturday, August 29, from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

This family-friendly event transforms the Museums’ shared parking lot and Thomas Street into an interactive vehicle showcase, featuring a wide variety of first-responders, big rigs, service trucks and utility vehicles. Some vehicles on display include fire trucks, dump trucks, squad cars and the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile!  Curious kids will have the chance to explore the vehicles up close, meet the people who operate them, and even climb inside and honk the horn.

The Museums will have special hands-on history displays that will include for the first ever Navarre Homestead public Cabin Days program with live interpreters, activities, and demonstrations. Kids will also be able to enjoy the Driven to Design LEGO racetrack and much more. Community partners such as the South Bend Children’s Museum, La Casa de Amistad, and the St. Joseph County Library will also have exciting activities on-site. To ensure the event is welcoming to all, a sensory-friendly hour will be offered from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m., during which flashing lights and loud noises will be minimized to support guests with sensory sensitivities.

Admission is free and includes full access to both The History Museum and the Studebaker National Museum all day. Families can enjoy food truck options from Travelin’ Tom’s Coffee, Kona Ice, Junbuggies and Holy Smokes Pizza. Family-focused exhibits include the Kidsfirst Children’s Museum and the Tire Rack Service Center. With engaging exhibits inside and exciting vehicles outside, it’s the perfect way to spend a summer Saturday with the whole family.

The Museums are located at 897 Thomas Street, just west of downtown South Bend. Regular campus hours are Monday–Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from Noon to 5 p.m. For more details, call the Museum at (574) 235-9714 or toll-free at (888) 391-5600, or visit www.studebakermuseum.org / www.historymuseumsb.org.

For Immediate Release

Jo McCoy, Assistant Director

Studebaker National Museum

201 Chapin Street

South Bend, IN  46601

574.235.9714

jmccoy@studebakermuseum.org

Presented by Kyle Sater, Curator, Studebaker National Museum

As Americans mark the nation’s 250th anniversary in 2026, communities across the country are reflecting on their history, identity, and future. In this presentation, Kyle Sater, Curator at the Studebaker National Museum, explores how earlier generations celebrated major national milestones—from the excitement of the Centennial Exposition in 1876 to the patriotic festivities surrounding the nation’s Bicentennial in 1976 and beyond. Using South Bend as a case study, the program examines how local communities commemorated these anniversaries through parades, pageants, monuments, and civic celebrations. Attendees will also discover how companies like Studebaker utilized its own important milestones—and national anniversaries—to showcase innovation, craftsmanship, and community pride. Featuring historic photographs, artifacts, stories from the museum’s collections, this presentation places the semiquincentennial within a broader historical tradition, revealing how generations of Americans have used anniversaries to honor the past, celebrate the present, and imagine the future.

ABOUT SPEAKER SERIES

The Studebaker Museum Speaker Series, presented by the Campisi Family Education Fund, is held in the Wiekamp Auditorium. Regular Speaker Series admission is $2. Regular admission fees apply to tour the Studebaker National Museum and The History Museum. Studebaker National Museum and Campus members are admitted free!

Presented by Donovan Hawkes State Farm Agency

Join fellow car enthusiasts for delicious donuts and coffee on Saturday, August 1, 2026, from 8am to 10am. This month’s featured clubs: the Hoosier Model A Club and Michiana Mustangs, however, we welcome all marques, models, and years of vehicles!

This event is free and open to the public and includes free admission to both the Studebaker National Museum and The History Museum galleries throughout the event. Coffee and donuts while supplies last.  This year, Cars & Coffee will be held in May, July, August, September and October on the first Saturday of the month. This is a rain or shine event.

The Studebaker National Museum is located at 201 Chapin St., just west of downtown South Bend.  It is open Mon.-Sat., 10am-5pm, and Sun. Noon–5pm.   Admission is $13 for adults, $11 for seniors over 60, and $9 for youth ages 6-18; children 5 and under are free.  For more information, please call the Museum at (574) 235-9714 or toll free at (888) 391-5600 or visit our website at www.studebakermuseum.org.

SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Step into the past and experience history like never before with Wheels of Time, an immersive new program at the Studebaker National Museum that transforms more than a century of American innovation into an unforgettable, interactive adventure.

Designed to spark curiosity and engage the senses, Wheels of Time takes guests on an extraordinary, 75-minute journey through more than 100 years of American history. Blending theatrical storytelling, live performance, and the remarkable setting of the Studebaker National Museum, the experience features costumed interpreters who bring history vividly to life through the voices of the people who shaped one of America’s longest-lived vehicle manufacturers.

As visitors move through the Museum’s world-class collection, they will encounter historic vehicles and compelling characters whose personal stories reveal the ambitions, triumphs, setbacks, and resilience that defined Studebaker’s remarkable legacy. Rather than simply viewing historic vehicles and artifacts, participants become immersed in the human stories behind them, discovering how innovation, craftsmanship, and determination helped shape both an iconic American company and the community it called home. Participants will meet characters like J.M. Studebaker, who—with his brothers—transformed a humble blacksmith shop into one of America’s greatest industrial success stories; Bob Bourke, the visionary designer behind some of Studebaker’s most celebrated postwar automobiles; Martha Fleener, an executive assistant who witnessed the company’s final years firsthand and offers a poignant perspective on Studebaker’s enduring legacy, and more!

Guests will leave with more than memories of remarkable automobiles—they’ll gain a lasting appreciation for the people, ideas, and community that drove Studebaker’s success and helped shape the region, the nation, and the world.

Whether you’re a lifelong history enthusiast, an automobile aficionado, or discovering the Studebaker story for the first time, Wheels of Time offers a one-of-a-kind immersive journey for guests of all ages through more than 100 years of history. Perfect for family reunions, motorcoach and tour groups, clubs, corporate outings, and lifelong learners, this engaging program brings history to life through unforgettable characters and stories, revealing Studebaker’s lasting influence on transportation, design, manufacturing, and American culture.

Experience must be booked at least two weeks prior to chosen date.  Cost is $40/per person children 12 and under $20; Member cost is $15.  Bookings for the Wheels of Time experience include admission to the Studebaker National Museum.  For tour schedules, admission information, group rates, and tickets, visit studebakermuseum.org/wheels-of-time/ or contact the Museum at (574) 235-9714 for more information.

The Studebaker National Museum is located at 201 Chapin St., just west of downtown South Bend.  It is open Mon.-Sat., 10am-5pm, and Sun. Noon–5pm.  Admission is $13 for adults, $11 for seniors over 60, and $9 for youth ages 6-18.  For more information, please call the Museum at (574) 235-9714 or toll free at (888) 391-5600 or visit our website at www.studebakermuseum.org. For an additional cost, visitors can tour The History Museum, which adjoins the Studebaker National Museum.

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Presented by Travis Boley from the Oregon-California Trails Assoc. and former Exec. Director of the Pony Express National Museum

Wednesday, July 15, 2026, at 1:30pm in the Wiekamp Auditorium

$2 admission / FREE to Studebaker National Museum members & Campus members, refreshments to follow

During the California Gold Rush, five brothers—Henry, Clement, John Mohler, Peter Everst, and Jacob Franklin Studebaker—traveled west and built wealth, first as blacksmiths, and then by building wheelbarrows and wagons. In 1868, they formally united their enterprises as the Studebaker Brothers Manufacturing Company. Although their manufacturing operations were in South Bend, their primary market lay along the famous westering trails that originated in the Missouri River Valley and headed to points west — primarily California, Oregon, Utah, and Santa Fe. This brought them to St. Joseph, Missouri, one of America’s greatest “Jumping Off” towns and the self-proclaimed “King of the Trails.” The Studebaker family would quickly become one of America’s most successful wagon-making dynasties.

In 1865, the brothers sent Peter Everst Studebaker to St. Joseph to open the company’s first dealership there. Following the incorporation of the business, the Studebaker Brothers established a “manufactory and repository” at Fourth and James (now 4th and Patee). The company quickly earned a reputation for quality, regularly exhibiting its vehicles at the Buchanan County Fair in St. Joseph and the Missouri State Fair, which was then held in St. Louis. Studebaker wagons and carriages regularly won top awards, including for best two-horse carriage, best single-top buggy, and best sleigh.

Join us as Travis Boley, who has ran the Oregon-California Trails Association from their headquarters building in Independence, Missouri, over the past 23 years and was formerly the Executive Director of the Pony Express National Museum in St. Joseph, tells us about the Studebaker operations in 19^th century Missouri and their impact on the California gold rush, Oregon emigration, and Santa Fe Trail trade.

ABOUT SPEAKER SERIES

The Studebaker Museum Speaker Series, presented by the Campisi Family Education Fund, is held in the Wiekamp Auditorium. Regular Speaker Series admission is $2. Regular admission fees apply to tour the Studebaker National Museum and The History Museum. Studebaker National Museum and Campus members are admitted free!

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Presented by Ryan L. Cole, author and historian

Thursday, June 11, 2026, doors open at 5:30pm in the Wiekamp Auditorium

Admission is FREE but reservations are highly encouraged

Please register on our website: https://studebakermuseum.app.neoncrm.com/nx/portal/neonevents/events?path=%2Fportal%2Fevents%2F41554%2Fstorefront%2F203399

Refreshments will follow the lecture.

The Studebaker National Museum is thrilled to welcome author and historian Ryan L. Cole for an engaging evening celebrating his new book, The Last Adieu: Lafayette’s Triumphant Return, the Echoes of Revolution, and the Gratitude of the Republic. Join us on Thursday, June 11 as Cole will take the stage to bring to life the remarkable 1824–1825 grand tour in which the Marquis de Lafayette — the last living major general of the Continental Army — journeyed through all twenty-four states of the young republic, inspiring hundreds of celebrations, parades and events in his honor. Arriving on American shores, Lafayette himself wrote that “memories of the Revolution have come back to life” — a sentiment that feels just as resonant today as America prepares to mark its 250th anniversary. Lafayette’s tour, and the outpouring of gratitude it inspired, offers a powerful lens through which we can shape our own celebration of America 250.

The evening will then move to one of the Museum’s most extraordinary artifacts, as Curator Kyle Sater shares the fascinating story behind one of the carriages Lafayette used during his celebrated tour of the United States, a permanent part of the Museum’s collection. Following both talks, guests are invited to enjoy a Q&A session, light refreshments, and the chance to explore the rest of the Museum at their leisure.

Doors will open at 5:30 p.m. and the program will run from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. 

About Ryan Cole

Ryan L. Cole is the author of Light-Horse Harry Lee: Rise and Fall of a Revolutionary Hero and The Last Adieu: Lafayette’s Triumphant Return, the Echoes of Revolution, and the Gratitude of the Republic. Mr. Cole has delivered lectures around the country including George Washington’s Mount Vernon, the Indiana Historical Society, and the Library of Congress.  His writing has appeared in the Wall Street Journal, American Heritage, Civil War Journal, Indy Star, among other publications. He lives in Indiana. 

Program Sponsors

This program has been made possible through a grant from Indiana Humanities and the National Endowment for the Humanities.

 

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