NCMC Events From Around the State… March 31, 2014

1). The N.C. Office of Archives and History, N. C. Literary and Historical Association, Rowan Museum, and North Carolina Society of the Daughters of the War of 1812 (www.ncdcr.gov) will present the free program "The War of 1812 and the Backcountry" on Friday, April 4th at the Rowan Museum in Salisbury. The nation's foremost expert on the War of 1812, Donald Hickey of Wayne State College, Wayne, Neb., is the keynote speaker at the 10 a.m. program at the Rowan Museum, 202 N. Main Street, Salisbury. He will address "'What We Know that Ain't So':  Myths of the War of 1812." Gary Freeze, Catawba College, will discuss the role of local militia in the war. Howard Kittell, superintendent of The Hermitage, Andrew Jackson's Nashville home, will comment on the past and present of the historic site.  Partial funding is provided by the North Carolina Humanities Council, a statewide nonprofit and affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities. For more information please contact LeRae Umfleet, Office of Archives and History, (919) 807-7289, or Kay Hirst, Rowan Museum, (704) 633-5946. The Rowan Museum will sponsor its Annual Colonial Spring Frolic that weekend also, with tours of the 1766 Old Stone House, historical interpreters, crafts, egg dying and more.  The Office of Archives and History is leading the observance of the War of 1812, and is part of the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources.

2). The Mount Airy Museum of Regional History (www.northcarolinamuseum.org) invites you to learn the ancient method of decorating Easter eggs using simple, primitive tools to "write" intricate designs with beeswax at their Batik Egg Workshop on Saturday, April 5^th from 1 – 4 p.m. The Batik Method of decorating the egg is traditionally used to make the much admired Ukrainian Easter eggs.  This workshop for ages 12 through adult will be held from 1 - 4pm in the Museum's 2nd floor classroom.  A fee of $10 for Museum members and $15 for non-members will include supplies.  Limited to 15 participants ages 12 and up. Call 786-4478 by Friday, April 4th to reserve your spot.  These classes filled up and sold out quickly last year so make your reservation soon.  $20 pre-paid take home kits are available for participants and must be ordered at time of registration.

3). Blue Ridge Parkway Visitor Center       (www.blueridgeheritage.com/attractions-destinations/blue-ridge-parkway-visitor-center) in Asheville is hosting “Understanding our Past, Shaping our Future,” on view from March 15th through April 21st.  The exhibit focuses on Cherokee language and culture, using sound recordings as the basis for presenting a coherent story in words and text.  “Understanding our Past, Shaping our Future” was designed to include community input as a way to develop its content.  A community team held monthly discussions to develop the ideas and images that would make up the exhibit.  Major themes include Cherokee Homeland, Heritage Sites, Tourism, Family, and Community Celebrations.  The touring exhibit is sponsored by the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians in partnership with Cherokee Central Schools, Southwestern Community College, and Western Carolina University.  Funding was provided by the Institute of Museum and Library Services.  Slated to travel to ten sites in the region, the exhibit places cultural interpretation in locations frequented by the public.  “Understanding our Past, Shaping our Future” will later be on view at the Oconaluftee Visitor Center in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and the Cashiers Symposium and Historical Society in Cashiers.
For more information, contact: Curatorial.InSight@gmail.com

4). Bellamy Mansion Museum (www.bellamymansion.org) invites you to join them for an African American History Walking Tour with Beverly Tetterton on Sunday, April 27th from 2 p.m. – 4 p.m.  Historian and author Beverly Tetterton leads a tour based on the publication, 'A Guide to Wilmington's African American Heritage'. Wear comfortable shoes for a two hour stroll around historic Wilmington neighborhoods and discover sites integral to the City's history. This is free with a suggested $10 donation. To maintain numbers an RSVP is required and the tour is limited to 35 people. Call 910.762.2511.

5). The Joel Lane Museum House (www.joellane.org), “The Birthplace of North Carolina’s Capital City,” will present Lizzie Lane’s Colonial Tea on Sunday, April 27th from 3 to 5 pm with a rain date of Sunday, May 4, 2014. In the beautiful colonial style gardens at the Joel Lane Museum House, mothers, daughters, grandmothers, and granddaughters will learn the etiquette of taking tea and cakes in colonial times. After tea, they will have a chance to participate in early American crafts and games. The strains of live music will fill the air. As they sip on tea or lemonade and eat either 18th-century style or modern cakes, attendees will learn the history of tea and how colonial people took their tea. After tea, the girls can play games, dance, and participate in crafts. Admission is by advanced purchase only, and tickets have sold out early for the last two years.  Tickets may be obtained by calling 919-833-3431 payable with MasterCard or Visa or visiting the web site Eventbrite.com. Admission for the public is $30 for adults and $20 for children 12 and under; members of the Joel Lane Historical Society pay $25 for adults and $15 for children 12 and under.  Minimum age is 5 years old. Tickets are not refundable unless we must cancel the event.  Please include an email address so we can notify you of a change to the rain date. For more information: tel: (919) 833-3431; email: joellane@bellsouth.net

6). Museum of the Albemarle () will resume gallery talks for the exhibit, “Across Three Centuries: Art from the Edwin T. and Diana D. Hardison Collection” on Tuesday, April 8, at 1:30 p.m. On this occasion, owners of the pieces on loan will speak on “Genre Scenes and Illustration Art” and the specific examples of each in the collection. For those unfamiliar with the term, “genre” painting denotes images of everyday life. In the context of this exhibit, illustration refers to art created for book or magazine publication. Free Public Program. For More Information Call 252-335-1453.

7). Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum (www.ncmaritimemuseums.com) invites you to “Salty Dawgs: Preserving Your Family Treasures” on April 8^th at 2 p.m.  Outer Banks History Center Curator KaeLi Schurr provides a broad overview of the common do’s and don’ts of storing and handling family memorabilia such as letters, diaries, photographs and heirlooms.  Participants are invited to bring items for Schurr to assess as to best means of care; no financial appraisals will be provided. Free admission. E-mail maryellen.riddle@ncdcr.go or call 252-986-2995 for more information. 

8). Historic Edenton State Historic Site (www.edenton.nchistoricsites.org) invites you to explore the science of the 18th Century Home on Saturday, April 5th from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.  Tour the James Iredell House and learn how science impacted an 18th-century American family. Visit a colonial apothecary, as well as see other scientific and historic demonstrations. Play historic games, and make hands-on historic crafts such as a Thaumatrope, a fun optical illusion toy that kids played with in the past. The Historic Edenton State Historic Site staff is proud to offer this special series of tours as part of the 2014 NC Science Festival. The Historic Edenton Visitor Center and James Iredell House are located at 108 N. Broad Street, Edenton, NC.

9). North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences (www.naturalsciences.org) asks, are you looking to break up the monotony of your school or work week, acquire a new skill, or just learn something new about science and technology? If so, they are offering an array of unique and exciting science programs every Thursday night for children and adults. During Science Thursdays, the Museum’s Nature Research Center will stay open until 9 p.m. for Science Trivia, Science Cafés, classes, workshops and more! Kick back, relax, grab a drink and a bite to eat at our Science Cafés. These informal science presentations are held in our Daily Planet Café at 7 p.m. Q & A from the audience is encouraged. Visitors can also participate in Science Trivia in the Daily Planet Café every first Thursday of the month at 7 p.m., enjoy beginners science classes and science book club meetings, and try their hand at experiments in our Investigate Labs. They can also touch, feel and explore thousands of wildlife specimens in the Naturalist Center.  For parents that want to attend the Science Café, enjoy the late museum hours or just have a night off, take advantage of our Nature Explorer’s Drop-Off Program the last Thursday of every month. From 5:30 to 8:30 p.m., children ages 3 through 11 will have a chance to explore the museum together, make crafts out of recycled and natural materials and learn about fun science topics. The program fee is $30 for the first child and $15 dollars for each additional child. There is a $5 discount per child for Friends Members.

10). Greensboro Historical Museum (www.greensborohistory.org) announces two upcoming events.  “Poetry GSO: Flash Poetry for Museum Visitors” will take place April 1-30.  Nearly 70 years after The Howdy Doody Show made its debut on national television, you’re invited to pen a poem when you visit the Greensboro Historical Museum in April. Just take a look at the freckle-faced Howdy Doody Doll on exhibition, write a quick poem, and drop your entry in a contest box. Since all entries will reflect poetic talent, prize winners in youth and adult categories will be determined in a raffle on Thursday, May 1, 2014.  Also taking place in April, “Textiles, Teachers, and Troops: Greensboro 1881 -1945.” Join them Tuesday, April 8^th from 7 – 8 p.m. to celebrate the launch of a new local history online resource which will make material available from the Greensboro Historical Museum, Greensboro Public Library, UNC Greensboro, NC Agricultural & Technical State University, Bennett College, Greensboro College, and Guilford College. The event's guest speaker will be Dr. Kevin Cherry, Deputy Secretary of the NC Dept. of Archives and History. Funded by a State of North Carolina grant from the Library Services and Technology Act, this new online resource will be managed by UNC Greensboro's Digital Collections staff.