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Lunar Rover Walk: Mayor Battle to escort Lunar Rover Replica from VBC to Courthouse Square July 19

Published on July 16, 2019

Lunar Rover Walk: Mayor Battle to escort Lunar Rover Replica from VBC to Courthouse Square July 19

Fifty years ago, Huntsvillians gathered on the steps of the Madison County Courthouse to celebrate an American achievement unlike any other. America landed men on the moon safely, and Huntsville played a leading role in the historic journey.

To commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon mission, Mayor Battle will join U.S. Space & Rocket Center CEO Deborah Barnhart, representatives from Polaris, Huntsville businesses and members of the public on the Lunar Rover Walk, happening Friday, July 19, at 5 p.m.

The walk will begin on the patio at the Von Braun Center arena and conclude at the Madison County Courthouse, paying homage to lunar celebrations of Huntsville’s past.

In preparation for the Lunar Rover Walk, Polaris, an all-terrain vehicle manufacturer located in Huntsville, built a replica of the 1960s era Lunar Rover that will be escorted on the walk by Mayor Battle. The one-mile Lunar Rover Walk will be live-streamed as participants make their way to the courthouse.


WATCH LIVE: The walk will be live-streamed from the City of Huntsville and Office of the Mayor Facebook pages.


“Huntsville has always been a city on the cutting edge,” Mayor Battle said. “It was NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville that developed the Lunar Rover and the propulsion systems that carried Americans to the moon. Our community continues to develop the technology of the future, and we look forward to paying tribute to humankind’s historic journey to the heavens at the Lunar Rover Walk this Friday.”

After arriving at the Courthouse Square, festivities will continue with “Dancing in the Streets,” a Downtown Huntsville, Inc. event, which includes a digital lightshow depicting Huntsville’s role in the race to the moon, food trucks, exhibits from NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center, music and more.

Decades ago, Dr. Wernher von Braun, the German rocket scientist who led Huntsville’s NASA team, spoke of the indelible Huntsville spirit in recognizing these significant milestones of human accomplishment, “My friends, there was dancing here in the streets of Huntsville when our first satellite orbited the Earth, and there was dancing again when the first Americans landed on the moon.”

Von Braun left Huntsville with a challenge, of sorts, saying: “I’d like to ask you don’t hang up your dancing slippers.”

“I think it’s safe to say Huntsville has never taken off its dancing slippers,” Battle said. “And, when it comes to space exploration and pushing the boundaries of innovation, we’re not leaving the dance floor any time soon.”

To register a company for the Lunar Rover Walk, e-mail Beverly Lowe, Special Events Coordinator for the City of Huntsville, at Beverly.Lowe@HuntsvilleAL.gov. Members of the public do not need to register to participate in the walk and are encouraged to join the festivities.

Follow along with all Apollo 11 anniversary events via the Huntsville-Madison County Convention & Visitors Bureau event calendar.


City Parking Map for Lunar Rover Walk and Dancing in the Streets