NCMC Events From Around the State… December 5, 2011

1). N.C. Aquarium at Fort Fisher Santa spends a festive evening at the N.C. Aquarium at Fort Fisher and you’re invited to join him. “Santa’s SEAcret Supper” features a kid-friendly dinner with Saint Nick from 6 to 8:30 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 17. SEAcret Supper guests will enjoy a SEAcret Scavenger hunt, holiday crafts, cookie-decorating, touch-tank fun, and, of course, dinner with the Jolly Old Elf himself. As a highlight of the evening, Santa will dive with sharks, stingrays and green moray eels inside the Cape Fear Shoals exhibit. Tickets will be $12 per person, but children 2 and younger are free. Children must be accompanied by at least one adult. Reservations are required and will be taken until December 11.

2). Cape Fear Museum launched a series of four community conversations entitled “Making Choices, Taking Sides: Life in North Carolina during the Civil War and Reconstruction” in October. The next part of the series is “The Combatants” on Tuesday, December 13th, from 6:30 – 8:30 PM. Dr. Joseph Glatthaar, author and professor at University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, and Dr. Chris Fonvielle, author and professor at University of North Carolina Wilmington, discuss how Southerners of both races made the choice to fight, and what their experiences were in the Confederate Army and in the U.S. Army.

3). Textile Heritage Museum presents “A Mill Village Christmas” on Saturday December 10, 2011 from 1:00 to 5:00 pm. Instead of being a fund-raiser, the Textile Heritage Museum is open for a FREE tour as a holiday gift to you. Refreshments will be served at the museum, and we’ll have a special exhibit for you to enjoy. Ann Hobgood will have her house on tour, decked out with LOTS of decorations, vintage wreaths, and trees – even a new one! She is creating lots of art these days, so you will be able to see the latest and tour her studio and working areas.

4). Fort Dobbs State Historic Site Fifty soldiers of the Royal Colony of North Carolina arrived on a hilltop near present-day Statesville in 1755. By the next spring, they had completed a three-story log barracks that would be known as Fort Dobbs. Visit Fort Dobbs on Dec. 10 for a glimpse into the daily lives of the provincial soldiers as they prepare for the first winter at their new post. Living history interpreters will present musket and cannon firing demonstrations, as well as on-going demonstrations of 18th-century military camp life. Free programs run from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

5). Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum Cookies and caroling will be among the delights of the first annual “Christmas Open House” on Saturday, Dec. 10, from noon until 4 p.m. Vintage Santa Claus displays, twinkling lights and a holiday village will make for festive times at the free family-friendly event. Even the animatronic dog and bear and a snowman or two will be part of the fun. Children will enjoy making nautical bracelets and stencils. A variety of homemade soups will warm the soul, and door prizes will be given. All donations brought for the food bank will earn a 5-percent discount in the gift shop and also a special holiday bag.

6). Tryon Palace presents “Christmas Candlelight” on Saturdays, December 10th and 17th from 5-9pm. Experience an 18th-century candlelit Christmas celebration! The evening program includes a tour through the Palace (and perhaps a word or two with the Governor), performances by Tryon Palace's Fife and Drum Corps and Jonkonnu, and a variety of 18th-century entertainments. The evening ends with a grand illumination over the South Lawn. Call 252-639-3524 for reservations and group bookings.

7). Cameron Art Museum presents Wilmington Choral Society: “Christmas @ CAM V” on Thursday, Dec. 8, 7:30 pm - 8:30 pm and Sunday, Dec. 11, 3:00 pm - 4:00 pm. CAM Members and Students: $5.00 Non-Members: $10.00. Ring in the season with family and friends and enjoy holiday music with the Wilmington Choral Society. This popular seasonal concert is in its fifth year at CAM and continues to delight and play to large audiences for each of the two performances. Ensure you have your seats, purchase on CAM’s website.

8). Asheville Art Museum presents Film Screenings @ the Museum: “Women In Boxes” on Saturday, December 10 and Sunday, December 11 (2:00 p.m. daily). Free with Membership or Museum Admission. The magic world’s silent partners—magicians’ assistants—speak up in this candid documentary revealing that while they may be mute onstage, they are brimming with opinions after the curtain falls. Much like the art of Josef Albers, which often creates optical illusions and conveys a sense of containment, magician assistants’ work relies entirely on their ability to create visually perceived images that do not exist in reality, often utilizing boxes and other forms of containment on stage. Held in conjunction with the exhibition “Homage2”.

9). SciWorks presents “SciWorks Annual Holiday Open House!” on Friday, December 9th from 4-8pm. Join us for a "warm and toasty" evening at SciWorks! Santa promised to stop by! Holiday laser shows in the Planetarium, make an ornament for SciWorks' tree - and make one to take home! Take a stroll to the barnyard on the path lit with luminaries! (Barnyard open until 7pm.) Enjoy live holiday music with the Winston-Salem Suzuki Guitar Ensemble and the Twin City Tuba Band! Light refreshments will be served! Bring friends – free admission for all!

10). Bennett Place State Historic Site The smells and tastes of seasonal delights of smoked ham, potato and sausage soup, biscuits, mincemeat pie, and other period pleasures will greet you at the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources' Bennett Place State Historic Site. The “Christmas in the Carolinas During the Civil War” program on Saturday, Dec. 10. 10 a.m.-4 p.m., and Sunday, Dec. 11, 10 a.m.-3 p.m., will showcase a traditional Christmas observance of North Carolina farm families in the 1860s.

11). Mount Airy Museum of Regional History Sunday December 11: Free Holiday Open House 1 – 4pm Tour four floors of museum exhibits, view our themed Christmas trees, shop for holiday gifts, plus enjoy light refreshments and holiday music provided by Almost Irish. This event is Free to the public.

12). Fort Fisher State Historic Site Tap into the Christmas spirit and share holiday cheer as Fort Fisher State Historic Site in Kure Beach sponsors its “Holiday Open House” on Tuesday, Dec. 6, from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. Enjoy seasonal refreshments, decorations, and entertainment throughout the day!

13). Hickory Museum of Art presents a gallery talk on Sunday, December 11 at 2 PM by Sandy Rusak, Director of Education at the North Carolina Museum of Art (NCMA). Learn more about “Rembrandt in America”, currently on exhibit at NCMA. Also on December 11, the Museum welcomes doll-maker Louis Nunnery at 3 PM. Louis will share a few words about his work which is currently on exhibit at the Museum. Light refreshments will be served.

14). N.C. Maritime Museum at Beaufort presents Civil War Lecture Series: “One Good Port: Beaufort Harbor, 1862-1865” on December 10th 3:00 pm. Historian Dan Blair will outline the Union Navy’s development and use of the Beaufort Harbor during the war, describing normal operations in Beaufort and how the area was tied into the broader war effort.