FIRST ON FOX â is partnering with the to showcase some of the sets and props from the biopic.
The materials from the movie about President Ronald Reagans life will become permanent exhibits at the new museum in Dixon, Ill., complementing YAFs stewardship of Reagans Boyhood Home in Dixon and the historic Reagan Ranch, also known as “Rancho del Cielo,” in Santa Barbara, California. The collection includes a full-scale replica of the Oval Office, the Situation Room, the office of the Soviet leader, the wall of the Hilton Hotel where Reagan was shot, along with hundreds of artifacts from the film. It is expected to open in 2028.
YAF President and former Wisconsin Gov. said its been meaningful to bring students and families to Dixon over the years to learn about President Reagan, and said the movie museum will help guests discover even more about the beloved actor-turned-president.
NEW DIRECTOR’S CUT OF 2024 REAGAN BIOPIC WILL RETURN TO THEATERS FOR AMERICAS 250TH ANNIVERSARY
“Theres a great series of stories about what he learned in the Midwest and how that impacted the rest of his public life,” Walker told . “And our hope now is with the connection with the Reagan movie, we helped them film a number of the things, particularly at the ranch, created this bond, and then after the movie was done, I thought how cool would it be to connect [with] things like the Oval Office, and have students and families and other guests come in and have a chance not only to take a picture and see what it was like, but then ask questions about, What did he learn here in the Midwest, what impact, what influences, what books, what life experiences shaped not just him becoming President of the United States, but one of the greatest leaders of the 20th century in the entire world?”Â
“Bringing down communism, bringing patriotism back to America, and revitalizing our economy,” Walker added of Reagan. “So those will be a part of, taking not just the sets, but then tying them in with virtual and photographic and video images of President Reagan so that young people in the end will feel a connection to Ronald Reagan, but more importantly to his ideas.”
“Young Americas Foundation has done extraordinary work preserving Ronald Reagans physical legacy,” “Reagan” producer Mark Joseph said in a press release. “By bringing these artifacts from our film to them, we are ensuring that visitors to Dixon can experience the story of Reagans humble beginnings. We hope this museum will be a place where fans of the movie can gather and enjoy the sets that our team worked so hard to build.”
When Dixon hosted its own premiere of “Reagan” in 2024, it seemed like nearly the entire town had turned out to celebrate. It didnt hurt that lead actor Dennis Quaid had showed up, too. In an interview with Fox Digital before the premiere, Quaid said he was happy to brush shoulders with the locals because Hollywood “forgot” about small towns.
Walker expects the turnout for the museum will also be “huge.”
“You saw how the hometown came out in force,” Walker said of the movie premiere. “And I love how Dennis Quaid could have just done the Hollywood premiere, but he was so connected to Ronald Reagan in that movie, he personally said he wanted to come and join us in Dixon â not only to do the tour of the boyhood home, but then to come over and do an interview in front of the crowd before the movie premiered.
“I just think its a tremendous story, not only for Dixon and that county and that area, but I think its an Americ
