The Mint Museums, Charlotte, issue a weekly update of events. To join their e-mailing list for the weekly update, e-mail Natasha Rider.

Get ready for the Halloween season with Trick or Train: Haunted Roundhouse Tours at the N.C. Transportation Museum, Spencer. This special spooky nighttime train ride will be offered October 26-28 at $8 per person (children under 3, free). Call 704-636-2889 for more information.

The NC Preservation Consortium is offering four $50 scholarships towards their conference, Nov. 17 in Preserving the Artifact: Book, Manuscript and Paper Document ConservationGreensboro at the Public Library (see the NCMC website and check "workshops" for more details on the workshop). Two will be granted to graduate students currently enrolled in Library and Information Science, Public History or Museum programs; the other two will be granted to current personnel in libraries, archives, historic sites, etc. For more information and application, visit the NC Preservation Consortium website. Applications are due by NOVEMBER 10.

Trinkets and Treasures: What's It Worth? will be held from 2-5 p.m. on Sunday, November 5 at the Gaston County Museum, Dallas. For a $5 fee per item, persons can have an appraisal of the estimated value of household objects (please note: no fine art, coins, stamps or weapons at this particular event). All proceeds from fees benefit the museum.

A host of programs ranging from Behind the Scenes Tours, surf fishing workshops and several different Children's Discovery Time topics to salt marsh explorations and making a shell wreath are part of the November calendar at the N.C. Aquarium at Fort Fisher. Visit the website for more information -- pre-registration is required for some activities.

Natural History Halloween is on tap at the N.C. Museum of Natural Sciences, Raleigh -- a unique holiday celebration for kids ages 2 to 12. It will be held on Saturday, October 28th from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. There will be a costume contest; food and drink will be available for a small fee, benefiting the Junior Curators program. For more information, call 919-733-7450 ext. 502, or visit their website.

On Saturday, October 28, Discovery Place, Charlotte will celebrate its 25th Anniversary from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., including a Happy Birthday! event at 1 p.m., Inventor's Day, an exhibit called Action! An Adventure in Moviemaking, and four films in The Charlotte Observer IMAX Dome Theatre.

The 16th Annual N.C. Maritime History Council Conference, with the theme of Underground and Underwater: Where One Finds History, will be held in Southport on October 26, 27 and 28. Registration is open to the public. Check out the agenda and registration information at their website.

The N.C. Museum of Forestry will present Wildlife Encounters from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, November 4 in Whiteville. This special program featuring eleven organizations from around the state, is part of the Pecan Harvest Festival and is free.

The Ingram Planetarium, Sunset Beach, will focus on the planet Mercury as it transits the sun -- on Wednesday, November 8 from 3 to 6 p.m. Information on this special program and fees is available at their website or by calling (910) 579-1016.

Upcoming events at the N.C. Museum of History, Raleigh, include a History Corner on A Proud People (ages 5-8 with adult) on Wed., Nov. 1 from 10-10:45 a.m.; a North Carolina Connections Concert at 2 p.m. on Saturday, November 4; an informal workshop on Preserving Your Family Textiles from 2-3:30 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 5; and a Time for Tots (ages 3-5, with adult) on Hoecakes & Roastin' Ears from 10-10:45 a.m. on November 7 and November 14.

Blandwood, in Greensboro will host Ghost Stories with local storyteller Cynthia Moore Brown at 7 p.m. on October 21 and October 28 -- $1 per attendee; children must be accompanied by an adult.

The exhibit What We Wore in North Carolina will continue through February 19, 2007, then reprise from March 13 to October 7, 2007, at the North Carolina Museum of History, Raleigh. Also on exhibit is The Columbus Code from the Mel Fisher Maritime Heritage Society, Key West, through January 7, 2007. Several upcoming programs include Artist at Work: Abad Banuelos (October 27-29, 1-3 p.m. each day); Pirates Ahoy! (October 28, 10-11:30; fee); and a Gallery Tour of What We Wore on October 29 at 1:30.

The Asheville Art Museum will open Having a Wonderful Time: Postcards of Asheville and Western North Carolina 1890-1960 on Friday, November 3, with an opening reception on Sunday, Nov. 5 at 2 p.m. The exhibit will remain through March 4, 2007. Then, Love, Live and Work: The Roycroft Legacy will open on November 10, with an opening reception to be held from 5-7 p.m. on that Friday. The show will remain through February 25, 2007.

Chemistry Day at the N.C. Museum of Natural Sciences, in conjunction with the American Chemical Society, is scheduled for this Saturday, October 21, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The event is free. For more information, see the website or call (919) 733-7450, extension 503.

The Weatherspoon Art Museum, Greensboro, will host Henry Ossawa Tanner: Painter of the Spirit from November 19 through February 25, 2007, along with an opening lecture and reception starting at 2 p.m. on the 19th and other related events during the run of the exhibit. Check out the website for the details.

The Gaston County Museum, Dallas, has two upcoming events: a family program on the Civil War (Sat., October 28 from 1-4 p.m.) and its regular Coffee with the Curator program (November 1, 10:30-11:30 a.m.).

The Southeastern Center for Contemporary Art (SECCA) will open five new exhibitions on Friday, October 27 from 7-9 p.m. with a reception ($10 non-members, free for members). An ArtTalk with Allan Wexler will precede the reception at 6 p.m. Exhibits are: Craft: Tradition and Use, Oct. 28-Jan. 7, 2007; Allan Wexler: Drawing Architecture (same dates); Gwen Bigham: Coil (same dates); Barbara Natoli Witt: Personal Vision (same dates); and the 2007 National Art Honor Society Statewide Traveling Exhibition (through November 12th). SECCA will also host three performances of The Scarlett O'Hara Complex by Wilkesboro playwright Karen Reynolds on November 10, 11 and 12 (admission fee).

The Greensboro Historical Museum has announced that it has been granted Affiliate status with the Smithsonian Institution. See their website for more details.

The Health Adventure, Asheville, has expanded the types of hands-on classes offered to school tours to Home-School Happenings (second Wednesday of every month at 1:30-2:30 p.m.) as well as a series of Fabulous Fridays for younger children, ages 3-6. Friday events are scheduled for November 3, December 1, January 5 and February 2 currently. To register and prepay for either, call (828) 254-6373, extension 329.

The North Carolina Transportation Museum, Spencer, will host an AACA Antique Car Show from 10-3 on Saturday, October 14. There will also be a dedication ceremony for the newly-restored 1939 Railway Express Agency Truck at 1:30.

An exhibit of Maps of the Holy Land, will be shown at the Rosenzweig Gallery from October 20 through January 2007. The opening reception and gallery talk will be held Sunday, October 29 from 3-5 p.m. The maps are a gift from Herb and Gayla Halbrecht.

The Greensboro Children's Museum is offering free admission for boys aged 7-11 to join a focus group on new exhibits. Pre-registration is required for the session, which will start at 4 p.m. on Friday, October 27 -- contact Stefani Hobbick at (336) 574-2898 x314 to register. The Museum is also planning a Family Slumber Party on Saturday, November 4, starting at 5:30-6 p.m. and running through 9 a.m. on the 5th. Pre-registration is required and children must be accompanied by an adult. Pre-registration and pre-payment are required. Visit the website for more.

While Western Carolina University and the Asheville Art Museum will celebrate the closing of the Mountain Heritage Center's run of Transformations: Cherokee Baskets in the Twentieth Century with a reception from 3-5 p.m., the exhibit will soon move on to other locations. From November 3 to December 31, the exhibit will be at the Louise Wells Cameron Art Museum, Wilmington; from August 1, 2007 to March 31, 2008, it will be at the N.C. Museum of History, Raleigh.

Three Japanese artists currently in residence at Davidson, as part of a broader project in North and South Carolina, will be the focus of a reception on Thursday, October 12, from 7-9 p.m. in the Belk Visual Arts Center. Their installations will be on exhibit in the Smith and Van Every Galleries, Davidson College, from October 13 to December 6. Visit the Forces of Nature website for more information.

The Asheville Art Museum will offer its annual Museum Shop Holiday Market from October 31 through November 5, with a special event from 5-8 p.m. on Friday, November 3, including refreshments and free gift wrapping at the Pack Place Front Gallery.

The North Carolina Collection Gallery will open a major exhibition on North Carolina maps on October 19, and host a conference in November to include presentations by map experts from multiple locations. The Defining A State: A Selection of Maps of North Carolina, 1776-1860 exhibit will remain through January 31, 2007. The conference (Nov. 3-4) will be held in the Louis Round Wilson Library. For more information, visit their website or call (919) 962-1172.

The Light Factory, Charlotte will honor Jonathan Taplin, movie producer and entertainment investment expert, with a Power of Image Award on October 25th, and Herman Stone, C.E.O of Consolidated Theatres, with the inaugural Pillar of Image Award. Current exhibits include (Id) An Exhibit of Self-Portraiture and Mexico: Between Life and Death.

Discovery Place, Charlotte, is holding the IMAX Festival through November 19, featuring Everest, Deep Sea, Forces of Nature and Lost Worlds: Life in the Balance. Visit their website for details.

The Third Thursday Family Fun Night (October 19) at Gaston County Museum, Dallas, will be a Victorian Halloween Party. Check their website or call (704) 922-7681 for more info.

The N.C. Aquarium at Fort Fisher is planning its Trick-or-Treat Under the Sea event from 5-8:30 p.m. on Thursday, October 26 -- ticket sales end at 7:45 p.m. the family friendly event special admission fee is $6; numerous special activities are planned. (910) 458-8257 for information.

Oconaluftee Indian Village, Cherokee, will wrap its 2006 season on Sunday, October 22. The replica of a 1700s-era village will reopen in May. Visitor details: call toll-free 866-554-4557; for general area information, visit their website.

The McColl Center for Visual Art will open the Design Made in Africa exhibit on November 17; it remains open through January 6, 2007. The opening reception and open house is set for November 17, 6-9 p.m. See their website or call (704) 332-5535 for more details.

North Carolina Historic Sites would like to announce its monthly podcast. It is still in beta (testing) and the producers welcome feedback. Call or email Chris Graham at (919) 733-7862 or chris.graham@ncmail.net