Public Rushes In for First Look at Reagan Library

After waiting for a week of invitation-only celebrations to end, Caroline Hair of Simi Valley was not to be deterred from touring the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library moments after it opened its doors to the public Wednesday.

“This is where I wanted to celebrate my birthday,” said Hair, who just turned 40, as she pushed her 2-year-old in a stroller through the museum portion of the complex. She said her adoration of Reagan began when she was a Goldwater Girl in the seventh grade, supporting the presidential candidacy of former Sen. Barry Goldwater (R-Ariz.) in 1964.

Reagan had shown up at a campaign event and signed a white felt hat she wore as part of her Western costume. “I think Ronald Reagan will be the greatest President we’ve every had,” Hair said. “The museum confirms it.”

Hair was one of nearly 600 people who pressed into the Reagan library and museum within its first hour.

A steady stream of cars snaked up Presidential Drive throughout the day, carrying admirers of the former President and others who were not invited to Monday’s formal dedication of the library or Tuesday’s Community Appreciation Day for local leaders and their friends.

By closing time, 2,636 visitors has passed through the museum.

The gift shop was mobbed with souvenir hunters immediately after the doors opened. Jamie Zinn of Agoura Hills led a mad dash for the store before seeing the museum’s exhibits.

She and her husband, Dwight, arrived at the cash register triumphant, after scooping up six autographed copies of Ronald and Nancy Reagan’s biographies and a collection of Reagan’s speeches. “We collect these things, we have them on display,” Jamie Zinn said.

Not all of the first-day visitors were admirers of the ex-President.

“You don’t have to be a Reagan fan to be curious,” said Burleigh Wilkins, a UC Santa Barbara philosophy professor who lives in Moorpark. “I think he should have been impeached, but that’s ancient history now.”

Said Breck Petrick of Newbury Park: “We may live in Reagan Country, but we are not Reagan fans. The truth of the matter is, we would never pay to come here.”

As a way to thank the surrounding community for its warm reception, library officials decided to waive the usual $2 admission fee through Sunday for Ventura County residents. Regular admission is $2 for visitors ages 16 to 61, $1 for those 62 and older and free for children 15 and under.

The library, off Madera Road between Simi Valley and Thousand Oaks, is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday and noon to 5 p.m. on Sundays.