The Mob Museum Announces 13th Anniversary Free Day, Black History Month Program, More In February

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

L to R: Exterior of The Mob Museum; 13^th Anniversary Free Day.
(Photos courtesy of The Mob Museum)

THE MOB MUSEUM ANNOUNCES 13TH ANNIVERSARY FREE DAY, BLACK HISTORY MONTH PROGRAM, MORE IN FEBRUARY

For downloadable photos, click here
For downloadable b-roll, click here

LAS VEGAS (January 2025) – The Mob Museum, the National Museum of Organized Crime and Law Enforcement, announces its roster of February celebrations, public programs and promotions, including “First Lady of BMF: Tonesa Welch and the Rise and Fall of the Black Mafia Family.” Additionally, in honor of the Museum’s 13^th anniversary on Friday, Feb. 14, Nevada locals can enjoy FREE Museum admission while non-residents can take advantage of buy-one, get-one admission. More information about February’s lineup of compelling events follows.

13th Anniversary FREE Day: A One-Day Display of the Tommy Guns from the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre
Date: Friday, Feb. 14
Times:

The Museum will be open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.
The Tommy guns and other massacre-related artifacts will be on view from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department’s K-9 demonstration will take place from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. in the Museum’s Event Plaza followed by a meet and greet from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m., weather permitting.
Frank Calabrese Jr. will share his Family Secrets presentation from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Discounted food and beverages will be available from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. at The Underground and until 9 p.m. at concessions. Excludes souvenir moonshine.
Location: The Mob Museum
Cost: Free admission for Nevada residents with an I.D. and buy-one, get-one admission for non-residents.
Description: Guests are invited to the Museum’s 13th anniversary celebration with FREE admission for Nevada residents and buy-one, get-one admission for non-residents. Commemorating the event, the Museum will host a special single-day showcase of artifacts from the Feb. 14, 1929, St. Valentine’s Day Massacre, including the two Thompson submachine guns used in the gangland slaying. Believed to have been orchestrated by Chicago Outfit boss Al Capone on Valentine’s Day in 1929, seven members and associates of the North Side bootlegging gang were lined up against a wall and shot to death. For this anniversary free day event, members of the Berrien County, Michigan, Sheriff’s Department, which possesses the guns, will be on hand to discuss the historic firearms and answer questions. Additional massacre-related artifacts will include the blueprint of the Tommy gun, provided by the Auto-Ordnance Corporation to Dr. Calvin Goddard, and the only firearm found at the scene of the crime, victim Frank Gusenberg’s .38 revolver.

Offering a look at what the Chicago Outfit became after Capone’s reign, reformed mobster Frank Calabrese Jr. will be onsite to share the story of his life with the outfit and how he worked with federal law enforcement to take down the criminal organization, which included his own father, Frank Calabrese Sr. Outdoors at the Event Plaza, the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department’s K-9 unit will conduct a drug demonstration followed by a meet and greet.

Rounding out the anniversary celebration, guests can receive a 10% discount on all food and beverage at The Underground speakeasy and concessions. Excludes bottled moonshine.

First Lady of BMF: Tonesa Welch and the Rise and Fall of the Black Mafia Family
Date: Tuesday, Feb. 25
Time: 7 to 8 p.m.
Location: Inside the historic courtroom. To RSVP to attend, click here.
Cost: Free for Museum Members or with Museum admission.
Description: Tonesa Welch stood at the heart of a drug trafficking empire that spanned 11 states and had ties to Mexican drug cartels. In a rare public speaking appearance following the release of her acclaimed biographical film “First Lady of BMF: The Tonesa Welch Story,” she joins The Mob Museum to discuss her evolution as a teen mom from a middle-class family of automotive workers on Detroit’s west side to the queenpin of the Black Mafia Family, alongside the Flenory brothers. Twenty years in the game taught her power. Prison taught her purpose. Today, she channels what she learned into breaking cycles of domestic abuse and incarceration in Black communities.

Family Secrets with Frank Calabrese Jr.
Dates: Wednesdays through Sundays in February; special hours here
Time: Top of every hour from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Location: Organized Crime Today exhibition
Cost: Free with Museum admission.
Description: Reformed mobster Frank Calabrese Jr. had only ever hoped to escape the tumultuous and violent life he had been groomed for by his own father, notorious Chicago Outfit enforcer and hitman Frank Calabrese Sr. Knowing there was only one way out of the life – to ensure his father was never back on the street – Calabrese Jr. contacted the FBI from prison where he and his father were both serving multi-year sentences. To secure the evidence the FBI needed to charge and eventually convict Sr. for life, Calabrese Jr. agreed to wear a wire in the prison yard to capture intimate conversations with his dad. To further cement his father’s fate, Jr. convinced his uncle Nick Calabrese to also testify against Frank Sr. Nick’s testimony helped the FBI solve 18 murders, including that of enforcer Anthony Spilotro, whose death was depicted in Martin Scorsese’s 1995 movie “Casino.” Calabrese Jr. now appears weekly at The Mob Museum to speak and reflect on risking it all to escape the life he never asked to be a part of. Visitors are invited to join Calabrese Jr. Wednesdays-Sundays to hear his story of family, violence, addiction, greed and ultimately redemption. Calabrese Jr.’s telling of his life story leaves audiences stunned as he exemplifies the true cost of organized crime.

ABOUT THE MOB MUSEUM
The Mob Museum, the National Museum of Organized Crime and Law Enforcement, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, provides a world-class journey through true stories—from the birth of the Mob to today’s headlines. The Mob Museum offers a provocative, contemporary look at these topics through hundreds of artifacts and immersive storylines. Numerous interactive exhibits include a Crime Lab, Firearm Training Simulator and Organized Crime Today exhibit. The Museum is also home to The Underground, a Prohibition history exhibition featuring a speakeasy and distillery. The Mob Museum has accumulated numerous accolades, including being named one of Tripadvisor’s “Top 25 U.S. Museums” and a 2024 “Travelers’ Choice” Award recipient; one of Las Vegas Weekly’s “Twenty Greatest Attractions in Las Vegas History” and “Best Museum” of 2021, 2023 and 2024; Vegas Magazine’s “Best Historical Museum” of 2024; one of National Geographic’s “Top 10 Things to Do in Las Vegas;” USA Today’s “Best Museum in Nevada,” 10Best Readers’ Choice travel awards for “Best Las Vegas Attraction” in 2021 and 2022, “Top Five Best History Museums in the United States” in 2021 and one of its “12 Can’t Miss U.S. Museum Exhibits;” named “A Must for Travelers” by The New York Times and one of “20 Places Every American Should See” by FOX News. The Museum is a two-time winner of the Mayor’s Urban Design Award for Historic Preservation and Adaptive Reuse and is accredited by the American Alliance of Museums. The Museum is open daily; visit the website for admission rates and operating hours. For more information, call (702) 229-2734, visit themobmuseum.org, or download the Museum’s free mobile app.

SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS:
www.Facebook.com/themobmuseum
www.Twitter.com/themobmuseum
www.Instagram.com/themobmuseum

MEDIA CONTACTS:
Erika Pope/Vanessa Thill
The Vox Agency
erika@thevoxagency.com, vanessa@thevoxagency.com
(702) 249-2977, (469) 226-4723

# # #

Posted By

Vox Interns