On Saturday, Sept. 29, the University of Iowa Pentacrest Museums will join more than 1,400 other participating venues for the eighth annual Museum Day Live!

As always, admission to the museums is free, but on this day, visitors can download a Museum Day Live! ticket at www.smithsonian.com/museumday and redeem it for a free gift at the Old Capitol Museum or the UI Museum of Natural History. One Museum Day Live! ticket is permitted per household, per email address.

The Museum Day Live! program, created by the Smithsonian Institution, highlights institutions passionate about encouraging learning and the spread of knowledge nationwide.

“Participation in this program is a perfect match for the UI Pentacrest Museums mission of inspiring and educating our university, local, and national communities,” says John Logsdon, director of the museums. Last year’s event drew over 350,000 museum visitors around the country, and this year’s Museum Day Live! is expected to attract close to 400,000 participants.

“We are excited to partner with Museum Day Live! It’s a chance for a new group of people to access the UI Pentacrest Museums,” says Sarah Horgen, education and outreach coordinator at the Museum of Natural History.

The Pentacrest Museums are among 18 Iowa museums participating in this year’s event. For more information about Museum Day Live! 2012 and a list of participating museums and cultural institutions, please visit Smithsonian.com/museumday.