NCMC Events From Around the State… May 11th, 2015

1). N.C. Museum of History (www.ncmuseumofhistory.org) invites you to an evening with David McCullough on Thursday, May 21^st at 7:00 p.m. at Fletcher Opera Theater at Duke Energy Center for the Performing Arts in Raleigh. The evening is presented and sponsored by the N.C. Museum of History Foundation and the Raleigh News & Observer, title sponsors of the event. General admission is $35 (balcony); $50 (orchestra); and $75 (box seats). Taxes and fees apply. Contact Ticketmaster (800-745-3000 or ticketmaster.com/venue/115203) or visit the Duke Energy Center Box Office on Wilmington Street.

2). Asheville Art Museum (www.ashevilleart.org) is excited to present From New York to Nebo: The Artistic Journey of Eugene Thomason, on view May 16 – September 13, 2015.  There will be a special opening reception and gallery talk with Martha Severens on Sunday, May 17^th, from 3:00 – 5:00 p.m. A product of the industrialized New South, Thomason as a young man in the 1920s made the pilgrimage to New York to advance his art education and launch his career. Thomason returned to the South in the early 1930s, living first in Charlotte, NC, before settling in a small Appalachian crossroads called Nebo, located about halfway between Asheville and Hickory. This exhibition was organized by the Johnson Collection in Spartanburg, SC. The Johnson Collection is the largest repository of art by Thomason. This exhibition is accompanied by a catalogue written by art historian Martha R. Severens.

3). N.C. Aquarium at Fort Fisher (www.ncaquariums.com/fort-fisher) and DREAMS of Wilmington team up to present DREAMS Community Arts Day on Saturday, May 16^th from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.  Local teaching artists from DREAMS help visitors tap into their creative side while exploring the magic of the ocean. Artists lead demonstrations, workshops and hands-on activities in recycled art, ceramics, painting and more. The theme for the day will be turtles in honor of World Turtle Day celebrated globally in May.  Activities are appropriate for children and adults of all ages and are free with Aquarium admission. DREAMS Community Arts Day continues a multi-year partnership between the Aquarium and the Wilmington-based non-profit. The organization is dedicated to providing youth in need with high-quality, free instruction in the literary, visual, multimedia and performing arts. For more information about DREAMS of Wilmington visit www.dreamswilmington.org.

4). Battleship NORTH CAROLINA (www.battleshipnc.com) announces their 50th Annual Memorial Day Observance on May 25^th at 5:45p.m. On this special day, people of all generations from across the State will gather together on the deck of the Battleship to pay their respects. This moving and meaningful ceremony includes Duke Ladd Music performing military and patriotic arrangements. The Battleship is honored this year to have guest speakers Major General Gregory A. Lusk, Adjutant General, North Carolina National Guard, and Senator Richard Burr. The Executive Director of the Battleship, Captain Terry A. Bragg and members of the USS NORTH CAROLINA Battleship Commission invite the public to this free event.

5). Hands On! (www.handsonwnc.org), a Child's Gallery in Hendersonville, invites to meet Romeo, the Therapy Dog, on Friday, May 22^nd at 3:30 p.m. Romeo will steal your heart as his owner Charlene Farrell discusses his role as a therapy dog. Romeo is a 6 year old Yorkie Terrier. He has been a certified therapy dog for 1.5 years. He visits nursing homes and hospitals. He also has been in a Reading to Rover program in the newspaper and on TV. Charlene will talk about taking care of Romeo and about dog safety. Children will be able to pet and walk Romeo.

6). Earl Scruggs Center (www.earlscruggscenter.org) celebrates the Feast Here Tonight exhibit opening with a grand weekend of events. Virginia Willis, the head chef for our now sold out Four Course Dinner event on May 15th, will host a cooking demonstration on Saturday, May 16th. Southern chef, cookbook author, award-winning food writer, and blogger Virginia Willis is one of the most popular and respected voices on Southern food and cooking. Her latest work celebrates the healthy and wholesome side of Southern fare. The cooking demonstration will take place from 1:00 - 2:30 p.m. with book sales and signing immediately following. Tickets are $15.00 each. You can register online at EarlScruggsCenter.org or by calling the center at 704-487-6233.

7). The Greensboro Science Center (www.greensboroscience.org) is joining a national effort to raise awareness for endangered species. On May 15^th they will celebrate Endangered Species Day with a variety of activities including a scavenger hunt for visitors to seek out the Center's resident endangered species. Keeper and aquarist talks throughout the day will be focused on endangered species as well as talks about monarch butterflies and sustainable gardening. In addition to educator presentations, visitors can also learn about the Center's new bee hives and the conservation efforts needed to sustain the species. The focal point of the day will be talented local artists capturing endangered species in paintings.

8). The Museum of the Cape Fear Historical Complex (www.ncdcr.gov/ncmcf) invites you to hear Dr. Matt Farina present “Whose Father Was He: The Orphans of Gettysburg” on Sunday, May 17^th at 2:00 p.m.  After the Battle of Gettysburg, July 1-3, 1863, an unidentified, dead Union soldier was found with an ambrotype photograph in his hands, with the images of three young children. Civil War enthusiast, Dr. Matt Farina, will talk about the story of Gettysburg’s famous unknown soldier, based on author, Mark Dunkelman’s research of the 154th New York Volunteer Regiment and the Brickyard Fight on July 1, 1863. The event is free and open to the public. The presentation is part of the community’s 31 Day Salute to the military and is held throughout the entire month of May.

9). Southeastern Center for Contemporary Art (www.secca.org) invites you to Teacher Night at SECCA: Film Screening of Most Likely to Succeed on Tuesday, May 19 from 4:00 - 8:00 p.m.   The evening begins with SECCA Open House which includes: contemporary art, curriculum-based tours, lesson plans and materials, tech demos, and food, beer and wine. The Open House runs from 4:00 - 6:00 p.m., the film screening is from 6:30 - 7:30 p.m., and a discussion follows the screening at 7:30 p.m. This special program is FREE and open to all educators.

10). Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum (www.ncmaritimemuseums.com) invites you to their next Salty Dawgs Lecture Series: Diving the U-85 on Tuesday, May 19^th at 2 p.m. Professional diver, Jim Bunch, presents an engaging history of the German submarine U-85, which is highlighted by Bunch having done over 1,000 dives at the U-boat wreck site. Have this master diver sign his book on the subject, as well! This is a North Carolina Humanities Council Road Scholar presentation.   For more information, call 252-986-2995, email maryellen.riddle@ncdcr.gov, or visit www.ncmaritimemuseums.com. Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum, 59200 Museum Drive, Hatteras, N.C. 27943.

11). The Border Belt Farmers Museum & Welcome Center (www.fairmontnc.com/tourfairmont.htm) invites you to Fairmont’s Heritage Days- Part II on Saturday, May 16^th 8:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. on the museum grounds in downtown Fairmont.  This exciting day includes delicious regional food, talented local craft vendors, vintage farm equipment and classic cars on display, and great music. Starting at 10:30 a.m. the band Recovery will be playing country and gospel music from the museum stage followed at noon by the announcement of the BBQ cook-off and pound cake winners Throughout the afternoon:  cloggers from the Detonation Dance Studio Of Laurinburg, the Lumber River Ramblers, and the Fairmont Fancy Feet Line Dancers. Tours of the museum all day.  Plus a $25.00 cash prize to the person (male or female) who dresses the most “countrified”.