NCMC Events From Around the State… October 28, 2013

1). High Point Museum invites you to a special program on North Carolina’s Civil War Monuments on Sunday, November 3, 3:30 pm to 4:30 pm at the High Point Public Library, Morgan Room.  Dr. Douglas Butler presents a program on his research for his recent McFarland publication, North Carolina Civil War Monuments. Dr. Butler explores the origins of Confederate commemoration in the South, the problem of burying the dead, and coming up with the funding and public support to create the monuments. In the process, he comments on their design and artistic merit. Copies of the book will be available for sale. No preregistration required.

2). Bellamy Mansion presents a special lecture on African-American Life on the Bellamy Site on Thursday, November 7th at 6:30 p.m. Join former Bellamy museum Education Director and current Wrightsville Beach Museum Director Madeline Flagler for a discussion of the African-Americans who spent part of their lives at this site. Enslaved and free African-Americans built the slave building, main house and carriage house on this property. Enslaved African-Americans worked for the planter family here and on plantations elsewhere. Two years after the completion of the house the Emancipation Proclamation freed American slaves. This lecture discusses the people who lived and worked here and the huge shifts taking place in society around the time this site was completed.  This lecture is free and open to the public.

3). Cameron Art Museum invites you to the Jazz @ the Cam concert series, presented by the Cameron Art Museum and the Cape Fear Jazz Society, on Thursday, November 7^th from 6:30 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. in Weyerhaeuser Reception Hall.  Accomplished vocal interpreter of jazz and blues, singer-songwriter Barbara Martin performs with jazz guitarist Vince Lewis. Guitar Player magazine described Lewis‘s music as “silky-smooth hollow body jazz with fluid bebop lines, flawless technique and a Wes approved tone that’s lively and bright.”  Tickets are $8 for CAM/CFJS Members, $12 for Non-members, and $5 for Students with valid ID. Purchase seats on CAM’s website, by phone, or at the door.

4). Museum of the Albemarle will host a History for Lunch on November 6th at 12 p.m.  Robert Poole will present a lecture followed by a documentary he produced on J. Edgar ‘Punch’ Parker.  Parker, a resident of Elizabeth City and a U.S. Marine served in The Battle of Okinawa during World War II as a front line infantryman.  Parker’s original company of 250 marines took 90% casualties during the three month battle, but fortunately he was never wounded.  That experience inspired Poole to create a 30-minute documentary about Parker and his time with the Marine’s 6^th Division. Bring your lunch at noon and enjoy Poole’s discussion about Parker, then adjourn to the Gaither Auditorium to view the documentary. MOA will provide the beverages. For more information concerning the event call 252-335-1453.

5). The Maria V. Howard Arts Center in Rocky Mount is hosting "Peanuts...Naturally" through January 5, 2014. Visitors get a Peanuts-eye view of The Universe, "Web of Nature", Trees Beautiful Trees, Birds, The Elements (snow, wind, rain, and clouds), Gardening, and Charlie Brown's EPA escapade. Visitors will be delighted by the numerous interactive stations, videos, objects and Peanuts comic strips. Schedule a guided tour for your school or community group by contacting Jennifer Rankin at 252-972-1632 or jennifer.rankin@rockymountnc.gov. Admission to the galleries at the Imperial Centre is always free.

6). HandsOn!, the children’s museum in downtown Hendersonville, invites you to Kids Vote! A voter education & “hands on” voting experience taking place all day on Friday, November 1^st and Saturday, November 2^nd. Vote on the next Mayor of Hendersonville! The Hands On! Voting booth is made possible by Kids Voting Henderson County which is an affiliate of Kids Voting North Carolina and Kids Voting USA. Kids Voting is a private, non-partisan organization dedicated to engaging students from K-12 and their families in voting and other elements of effective civic engagement to foster an informed, participating electorate. Books on elections & voting designed for PreK-2nd grades are available to read at the Hands On! Front Desk. Free with $5 admission/free for members.

7). The Bascom invites you to a special screening of Bending Sticks, a feature-length documentary film showing how Patrick Dougherty, an internationally acclaimed environmental artist, creates his monumental, site-specific works. “Let the wild rumpus begin!” exclaims the artist as he begins another large-scale sculpture, using nothing but saplings. The Highlands Performing Arts Center (PAC) will be the location of the screening on Saturday, November 2^nd, at 7 p.m. Admission is free.

8). North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences invites you to visit them and watch the original film version of “Dracula” on First Friday, November 1^st at 7:00 p.m. In all the annals of living horror, one name stands out as the epitome of evil. Dracula. The very mention of the name brings to mind things so evil, so fantastic, so degrading, you wonder if it isn’t all a dream … a nightmare. But no. This is no dream. This is “Dracula,” showing at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences.  Free Admission.

9). Asheville Art Museum announces the opening of Cityscapes, an exhibition featuring works from artist Ben Aronson, on Saturday, November 2^nd.  The exhibition will be celebrated with an Opening Reception on Sunday, November 3 from 2:00 – 4:00 p.m. (free with membership or regular Museum admission). Cityscapes by Ben Aronson will remain on view through Sunday, March 9, 2014.  Perhaps best known today for depictions of men on Wall Street, American contemporary artist Ben Aronson also creates eloquently expressive cityscapes. This exhibition includes a mix of architectural and pedestrian scenes that capture the energy of rapid urban life in an elegant, painterly manner.  This exhibition was previously organized by and exhibited at the Georgia Museum of Art.

10). Cape Fear Museum is offering a fascinating look at military mail and communication in a special exhibit, Mail Call that opens on November 9^th.  The traveling version of the National Postal Museum’s permanent exhibition, Mail Call explores the history of America’s military postal system, and examines how even in today’s era of instant communication, troops overseas continue to treasure mail delivered from home.  Mail Call tells the fascinating story of military mail and communication—from the American Revolution to current wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The exhibition closes January 19, 2014.

11). Cherryville Historical Museum invites the public to a special veteran focused program on Sunday, November 10th at 3:00 p.m.  Dr. Bill Lowe will give a talk titled “If a Uniform Could Talk” at the museum. This program is free and open to the public.

12). Brunswick Town/Fort Anderson State Historic Site invites you to visit on November 2^nd for Colonial Day at Brunswick Town. Living historians, dressed in 18^th century attire, will demonstrate what life was once like in this early port town on the lower Cape Fear. Visitors will have the opportunity to learn about 18th century electrical experiments, visit with the colonial dentist, take a turn in the stocks and pillory, experience cannon fire, dip their own beeswax candle, and much, much more! This free public event will be held from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. For more information call (910) 371-6613, e-mail shannon.walker@ncdcr.gov or visit our website at www.nchistoricsites.org/brunswic. 

13). N.C. Aquarium at Fort Fisher invites you to their Surf Fishing Workshops on Saturdays, November 2, 9, 16, and 23 at 9:00 a.m.  This 3-hour workshop includes one hour of classroom discussion, then surf fishing on the beach nearby.  All equipment and bait provided.  Program is rain or shine, with extra activities added in event of bad weather (e.g., throwing a cast net).  Ages 10 and up.  Fee: $15 per participant. Aquarium admission is not included. PRE-REGISTRATION REQUIRED.

14). Matthews Heritage Museum will hold a special program “Wild and Wonderful Animals” which explores the animals that used to and still live in the area on Saturday, November 9th at 10 a.m. Please pre-register by calling the Museum at 704-708-4996. Cost is $2 per child (6 – 14).  This program will be held at the Museum.

15). Kings Mountain Historical Museum invites you to “Toys, Games & TRAINS” November 16^th - January 4^th.   Back by popular demand, this exhibit fills the museum with model train displays, railroad memorabilia, and antique toys and games.  An extensive interactive model train track provides hands-on fun for all ages.  Open Tues.-Sat. 10am-4pm & Sun. 1pm-4pm.

NCMC Events From Around the State… October 14, 2013

1). Historic Wilmington Foundation’s (www.historicwilmington.org) ‘Vintage’ event returns on Friday, October 25th at 6:30 p.m.  The ‘Vintage’ Event will be held again at the elegantly restored Brooklyn Arts Center.  Our live and silent auctions will feature vacation packages and amazing experience packages, vintage finds and wine.  Guests will enjoy signature items from the area’s finest restaurants and caterers and live music.  This year we will again have the option of smartphone bidding for the silent auction.  Tickets are $100 per person, $175 per couple or special $50 pricing for those under 35. Tables of 8 are available for $640.  To purchase tickets or for additional information call 762-2511 or e-mail trivett@historicwilmington.org.  All proceeds go towards our mission at HWF to protect and preserve the irreplaceable resources in Wilmington and the Lower Cape Fear region.

2). Port O’ Plymouth Museum (www.livinghistoryweekend.com) invites you to their Civil War Foodways: Munch & Learn on Thursday, October 24^th at 6:00 p.m.  Take your stomach back in time!  Learn about the role that food played in the Civil War while tickling your taste buds. Enjoy a sampling of homemade dishes representing typical northern, southern, slave and soldier cuisine from the 1860s.  Event Location:  Cooperative Extension Office -  128 E. Water St., Plymouth, NC.  Tickets: $10 per person.  Must reserve in advance (by Oct. 22).  Call or email Kim McCray at the Port O’ Plymouth Museum at (252) 793-1377 / headquarters@livinghistoryweekend.com.  Sponsors:  Washington County Historical Society & Washington County Cooperative Extension.

3). Bellamy Mansion (www.bellamymansion.org) invites you to “A Touch of Cape Fear History – with Harry Warren” on Thursday, Oct. 24th, 6:30 p.m. Long-time Bellamy favorite, Harry Warren of the NC Museum of Forestry, is presenting "A Touch of Cape Fear History" at the mansion. Mark your calendars and join us to learn more of this region's history from a most enjoyable and entertaining speaker. This is a free event but seating is limited so reserve your spot early by emailing info@bellamymansion.org. Harry Warren went to UNCW and worked as a CETA worker for Underwater Archaeology. He then got his MA in history from East Carolina and was the assistant director at Cape Fear Museum.

4). Battleship North Carolina (www.battleshipnc.com) launched the first digital initiative to share its extensive collections online. Ever wonder what unique treasures are behind the steel walls of the Battleship NORTH CAROLINA?  The Interpretation and Collections Department and the Friends of the Battleship are giving everyone the opportunity to find out and it is at no cost to the public.The ship has been cataloging the collections into a database for more than 15 years, therefore the database represents years of work by staff, volunteers and college interns. Through dedication, perseverance and funding by the Friends of the Battleship, the free online catalog gives the internet community an insider’s look to rare artifacts.  You can access the catalog from a link at http://www.battleshipnc.com/friends.

5).  N.C. Maritime Museum in Beaufort (http://www.ncmaritimemuseums.com/beaufort.html) and the Museum Small Craft Association invites you to attend their annual meeting to be held October 21^st through the 23^rd in Beaufort. The Museum Small Craft Association is a national organization of museum professionals and others including amateurs who share an interest in small boat conservation and restoration, the preservation of traditional skills, scholarly research and historic boat documentation. Individual membership is free, institutional membership is $50/year. For more information on this year’s meeting visit the Maritime Museums website and click on the ‘What’s Happening’ tab to the left, then click ‘MSCA’. Hope to see you there!

6). Gov. Charles B. Aycock Birthplace (http://www.nchistoricsites.org/aycock/aycock.htm) to hold Reading, Writing, and Remembering Program to commemorate the 120th anniversary of Oak Plain school, on Saturday, October 26 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. at the Governor Charles B. Aycock Birthplace State Historic Site. Spend the day with a school marm, practice writing with a quill pen dipped in ink, take a ride in a wagon, meet “Gov. Aycock” and enjoy cake and ice cream while listening to the Bluegrass sounds of Sapony Creek. Learn about early education from guest speaker Dr. James L. Leloudis, Professor, Associate Dean of Honors, and Director of the James M. Johnson Center for Undergraduate Excellence at UNC Chapel Hill.

7). Waterworks Visual Arts Center (www.waterworks.org) invites you to register for a unique 2-day workshop with an award-winning fiber artist.  Acclaimed textile and book artist, Peg Gignoux, will visit from Raleigh for this special 2-day workshop.  Students will create one-of-a-kind sculptural handmade books from start to finish using the Coptic stitch binding method.  On Friday, students will create a variety of handmade papers to use in their book.  On Saturday, students will construct the cover, create the sections of their book using the handmade papers, and learn the Coptic stitching process.  This is a unique opportunity to learn these techniques to make more books at home to use personally or give as gifts!  Workshop is on Friday, October 25, 6-8pm and Saturday, October 26, 10am-4pm (bring a bag lunch!). Participants must attend both days. Tuition is $200.

8). North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences (www.naturalsciences.org) gets creepy for Natural History Halloween! Don’t like spiders and snakes? Meet some up close and turn your fears to fascination when the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences hosts Natural History Halloween on Saturday, October 26 from 9am to 4 pm. Free. Visitors can face their fears at educational stations featuring live animals including snakes, spiders and lizards from the Museum’s Living Collections. Kids 12 and under can participate in the annual costume contest with categories that include “Creepy and Crawly,” “One of a Kind,” “Fantastically Fictional,” “I Belong in a Museum” and “Creatures of the Night.” Contestants must enter by 3pm; prizes will be awarded at 4pm. There will also be a Halloween-themed game and kids can make a spooky craft to take home. Natural History Halloween is an annual fundraiser for the Museum’s teenage volunteer group, the Junior Curators. Sales of pizza, beverages and Halloween-themed home-baked goodies help raise money to support field experiences led by Museum researchers and staff. Come out and support this highly motivated group of teens! For more information, visit naturalsciences.org or call 919-707-9882.

9). Cameron Art Museum (www.cameronartmuseum.com) presents Rural Academy Theater on Friday, October 25, 7:00 to 8:30 p.m.  This is theater like no other, at a much slower pace, 2.5 mph slow. As part of their circuit tour this fall, the Rural Academy Theater (http://ruralacademytheater.com/) will be hoofing its way through North Carolina with a batch of exciting new shows!  A team of four performers and four musicians will stage an original work combining live acting, puppetry, audience manipulated kinetic sculpture and a bicycle powered silent cinema accompanied by live klezmer and traditional Appalachian music. The fun family-oriented evening will begin with a large scale toy theater adaptation of an ancient French folktale presented outdoors on our horse drawn stage. Next, commedia dell’arte meets early film noir in a wordless whodunit romp, followed by a surprise silent film with live accompaniment by the Rural Academy Orkestar. All this brought to you courtesy of the Slow Theater Movement at 2.5 mph. See you there!  Cost: Children 12 and under: $5.00, Public: $10.00.  This event will be held on Museum grounds weather permitting, indoors if not. Purchase seats on CAM’s website www.cameronartmuseum.com, by phone or in person.

10). Hands On! (www.handsonwnc.org) the children’s museum in downtown Hendersonville, is hosting an educational craft in honor of Dios de los Muertos- Day of the Dead! The holiday focuses on gathering of family and friends to pray for and remember friends and family members who have died. This day is especially important in Mexico, where it is a national holiday. We will be offering a self-directed craft activity all day Friday, November 1^st for all ages. Craft is included with $5 admission/ free for members. Sponsored by Drs. Reid & Reid, Pediatric Dentistry & Orthodontics.

NCMC Events From Around the State… October 7, 2013

1). Hands On! the children’s museum in downtown Hendersonville, invites you to Mad Scientists Lab:  Glow in the Dark Putty on October 22nd from 10:30 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. Join Dr. Bunson & Dr. Beaker in the Mad Scientist Lab as they make crazy concoctions. $6 non-members (includes admission for child participating in class); free for members.  Limited spaces. Ages 3 yrs & up. Please call to 697-8333 register.

2). Historic Edenton State Historic Site invites you to Pirate Family Fun Day on Saturday, October 12th from 10:00 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. at the 1767 Chowan County Courthouse. Dress in your best pirate costume, tour the Queen Anne’s Revenge Traveling Exhibit, learn to fire a cannon, make pirate crafts, play colonial games and more!  Admission is $1 for adults and 25¢ for school age children.  Email Edenton@ncdcr.gov for more information.

3). Cape Fear Museum has an artifact looking for new home.  Due to storage and gallery space constraints, Cape Fear Museum has deaccessioned from its collections a Victorian-era freight elevator.  It was removed from the George R. French & Sons building at 30 North Front Street, Wilmington, when the building was being renovated.  Although patented in 1871 by James Bates of Baltimore, this particular elevator was installed in the French Building around 1898.  Platform, fly wheel, gears, frame, cable and weights are complete and all included. If you are interested in this object for your museum collection, please contact Barbara Rowe, Curator, Cape Fear Museum, at browe@nhcgov.com

4). Battleship North Carolina invites you to “Hidden Battleship” on Saturday, October 12th.  For the explorer at heart, bring a friend and join us for a unique, behind-the-scenes tour of un-restored areas of the Battleship. The four-hour tour consists of small groups with guides. Guests explore the bow (officers' country and boatswain locker), third deck (Radio II, brig, after gyro, storage rooms, ammunition handling, Engineer's office, torpedo area), Engine room #1, and climb inside the fire control tower to the top of the ship. The Azalea Coast Radio Club will be in Radio II to explain their work on the ship's radio transmitters. It’s the tour that brings out the “Indiana Jones” in all of us, without the snakes!  The tour is limited to ages 12 and older and limited to 40 participants per time slot. It is not appropriate for those who have difficulty climbing narrow ladders or over knee-high hatches. Wear warm, comfortable, washable clothing, sturdy, rubber-soled shoes and bring a camera! Choose between a morning (8:30 – 12:30) or afternoon (1:30 – 5:30) tour. Registration and payment are due by Thursday, October 10th. Tour is $50/$45for Friends of the Battleship or active military. Call 910-251-5797 for reservations.

5). Cameron Art Museum is providing an opportunity for local area educators in New Hanover and surrounding counties to learn about programs designed to support educators with their instructional requirements, museum educational initiatives, Museum School and the ways the museum works with educators to meet their school's focus and goals. During this free event, educators have an opportunity to explore engaging options open to them through the museum, whether the class they teach is math, science or even art. Learn what the museum has to offer while enjoying an evening among colleagues. Informational handouts and free passes will be given to educators.  The free Free Educator’s Night will take place on Wednesday, October 16th from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.

6). Country Doctor Museum brings “History Alive!” on Saturday, October 12th from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. Free activities will include museum tours and horse drawn carriage rides from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m. Traditional and popular music from the mid-19th century will be performed by The Huckleberry Brothers Band.  Civil War re-enactors from the 1st North Carolina Field Hospital will have a replica medical tent and ambulance on display. Braxton Overby, a historical interpreter from Mordecai Historic Park, will demonstrate hearth cooking.  Vendors including Ward’s Steak and Cheese of Wilson will be selling a variety of food including barbecue, turkey legs, hot dogs, funnel cakes, fried Oreos and more. The Aurora Fossil Museum, Bentonville Battlefield, Historic Yates Mill County Park, Imagination Station Science and History Museum, Joel Lane House, Pope House Museum, Rocky Mount Children's Museum and Science Center, Roma’s Clydesdale Farm and Sylvan Heights Bird Park will offer free activities and demonstrations for visitors.

7). Waterworks Visual Arts Center invites you to register for a unique 2-day workshop with an award-winning fiber artist.  Acclaimed textile and book artist, Peg Gignoux, will visit from Raleigh for this special 2-day workshop.  Students will create one-of-a-kind sculptural handmade books from start to finish using the Coptic stitch binding method.  On Friday, students will create a variety of handmade papers to use in their book.  On Saturday, students will construct the cover, create the sections of their book using the handmade papers, and learn the Coptic stitching process.  This is a unique opportunity to learn these techniques to make more books at home to use personally or give as gifts!  Workshop is on Friday, October 25, 6-8pm and Saturday, October 26, 10am-4pm (bring a bag lunch!). Participants must attend both days. Tuition is $200.

8). North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences and the North Carolina section of the American Chemical Society have teamed up once again to present Chemistry Day on Saturday, October 12 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Museum. At Chemistry Day, kids and adults discover that there is more to chemistry than just protons and neutrons as they participate in hands-on chemical experiments, and enjoy exhibits and special presentations. Some of those experiments include testing the density of liquids with water and recyclable plastics, identifying plastics that shrink in the oven, and using iodine and starch to test for Vitamin C.  All of the Chemistry Day activities will take place in the Main Museum. Free. This year’s theme is “Energy: Now and Forever.” 

9). N.C. Aquarium at Fort Fisher invites you to carve out a win at the aquarium. Pumpkin? Check. Creativity? Check. Looks like you've got what it takes to enter the N.C. Aquarium at Fort Fisher's inaugural Trick or Treat Under the Sea Pumpkin Carving Contest.  Get crafty this Halloween season and sculpt your best aquatic–themed jack-o-lantern to win!  Pumpkin entries will be judged based on originality, theme and craftsmanship. Winning entries receive scary good prizes including a $50 gift card and four tickets to Trick or Treat Under the Sea for the first place pumpkin.  All pumpkins will be displayed at the Aquarium’s annual pre-Halloween festival 5 to 8:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 24 and Friday, Oct. 25. Thousands of children and adults enjoy dressing up and prowling the Aquarium galleries for spooky good times each year. Besides collecting treats and looking at cool pumpkin carvings, this year’s guests can enjoy roving performers, magic shows, games, spooky divers and, of course, wild critters. The pumpkin carving contest is free to enter. Trick or Treat Under the Sea tickets are $8, children 2 and younger are free. Entry forms, contest rules and advance tickets are available online and at the Aquarium.

10). Reynolda House Museum of American Art invites you to a new exhibition that will explore art as form of protest against social injustice. “Partisans: Social Realism in American Art” will be on view Oct. 5, 2013 - March 16, 2014 in the museum’s west bedroom gallery in the historic house.  “Partisans” is one of several small exhibitions of the museum’s collections that rotate periodically in the museum’s historic house galleries. These exhibitions are included in the cost of admission to Reynolda House. Information on current and upcoming exhibitions and works of art currently on view is available at reynoldahouse.org. 

11). Historic Wilmington Foundation’s ‘Vintage’ event returns on Friday, October 25th at 6:30 p.m.  The ‘Vintage’ Event will be held again at the elegantly restored Brooklyn Arts Center.  Our live and silent auctions will feature vacation packages and amazing experience packages, vintage finds and wine.  Guests will enjoy signature items from the area’s finest restaurants and caterers and live music.  This year we will again have the option of smartphone bidding for the silent auction.  Tickets are $100 per person, $175 per couple or special $50 pricing for those under 35. Tables of 8 are available for $640.  To purchase tickets or for additional information call 762-2511 or e-mail trivett@historicwilmington.org.  All proceeds go towards our mission at HWF to protect and preserve the irreplaceable resources in Wilmington and the Lower Cape Fear region.