A Big Band Concert and Dance by the 1st Infantry Division Army Band will be part of the celebration of the 70th anniversary of V-J Day at the Eisenhower Presidential Library in Abilene.

On August 14, 1945, it was announced that Japan had surrendered unconditionally to the Allies effectively ending World War II. Since then, both August 14 and August 15 have been known as “Victory over Japan Day,” or simply “V-J Day.”

The concert and dance will begin at 7 p.m. Saturday ( August 15 ) on the steps of the Library building. You can bring your dancing shoes and dress in your best 1940s attire as the band encourages dancing to their “big Band” selections from the 1940s. Tim Rives, Deputy Director of the Library, said, “We’re also going to offer visitors a chance to reenact that famous Times Square kiss where the sailor is bending the young woman over to celebrate the end of the war. ” Rives said there will also be a cutout life size photo where people can pose.

The activities will also include the movie, “Unbroken,” which will be shown at 3 p.m. in the Visitors Center auditorium. The movie tells the story of Olympian and WWII Veteran Louis Zampernini. After a near fatal plane crash in WWII, Zampernini spent a harrowing 47 days in a raft with two fellow crewmen before he was caught by the Japanese navy and sent to a prisoner-of-war camp.  The movie and the concert are both free and open to the public.

Rives said it’s hard to believe 70 years have passed since the end of World War II. “We’re trying to offer more programs about the Pacific Theater. Of course we tend to concentrate on the European Theater, because that’s where Ike was. But we want to recognize the service and sacrifice of everyone who served in the Pacific Theater as well.”

Rives also noted there are new exhibits on the Pacific Theater in World War II in the Museum located on the Presidential Library grounds.