NCMC Events From Around the State… November 16, 2015

1). Discovery Place () announces the East Coast debut of Gunther von Hagens’ Body Worlds & The Cycle of Life on Saturday, November 21^st. Presented by Novant Health, Body Worlds & The Cycle of Life focuses on the human life cycle, capturing the body at every stage – at its most healthy, as it changes, grows, matures and finally wanes. In the 11,000-square-foot exhibition, designed by Body Worlds creative and conceptual designer Dr. Angelina Whalley, In addition to showcasing the wonders of human development, the 100+ specimens demonstrate the complexity, resilience and vulnerability of the human body in distress, disease and optimal health. All specimens presented in the BODY WORLDS exhibitions are preserved through Plastination, a scientific process invented by pioneering anatomist Dr. Gunther von Hagens. Body Worlds & The Cycle of Life will be on exhibition November 21, 2015 – May 1, 2016.  Advance tickets are now on sale. Tickets to the exhibition will be for timed entries. Guests can purchase tickets in one of three ways: online at discoveryplace.org, via phone at 704.372.6261 x300 or in person at Discovery Place.

2). The Museum of the Albemarle (www.museumofthealbemarle.com) is in search of World War I Artifacts.  The year of 2017 marks the centennial of the First World War. To commemorate this period of American history, the Museum plans to mount an exhibition with the preliminary title of Tar Heels in the Trenches: The Great War and the Albemarle.  The Museum of the Albemarle interprets the history and culture of northeastern North Carolina. As with all exhibitions, the museum intends to include artifacts from all the 13 counties in this region in the upcoming World War I exhibit. If anybody has items or documents linked to World War I, the Museum of the Albemarle wants to hear from you!  In particular, the museum’s curatorial staff need artifacts linked to the Home Front, such as the Red Cross, Liberty Bond drives, or the YMCA. The exhibit will open at the Museum in January 2017 and run through December 2018. If you or someone you know has a Great War artifact, document or photograph, please contact Leonard Lanier, Assistant Curator at leonard.lanier@ncdcr.gov or by phone at 252-331-4030.

3). The North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences at Whiteville (www.naturalsciences.org) invites you every third Saturday to join them for family-friendly science programs.  This month, 'Meet Me at the Museum’, Saturday Exploration,' welcomes Garry and Margeaux Deatsch of Tackapausha Wildlife Shelter and Rosebud, the Virginia Opossum.   The Deatsch’s will present their program, “It’s a Wild Life” on November 21 at 1:30 p.m.   They will discuss the role of wildlife rehabilitation in the community and its relationship with domestic pet rescue and how to create a certified wildlife habitat at your home or community space. Admission is Free, but donations are greatly appreciated.  For more information, please call the museum at 910-914-4185 or Whiteville@naturalsciences.org.     

4).  N.C. Museum of History (www.ncmuseumofhistory.org) invites you to the 20th Annual American Indian Heritage Celebration.  From the minute you arrive you will discover why it was named a “Top 20 Event” in 2015 by the Southeast Tourism Society. Experience the sights and sounds of this free festival from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, November 21^st. For all ages, the celebration will feature drum groups, hundreds of dancers in regalia, storytellers, craftspeople and others from North Carolina’s eight state-recognized tribes.  Marking its 20th anniversary, the American Indian Heritage Celebration will offer more than ever. Presenters from across North Carolina will share their heritage and culture, past and present. Look inside a longhouse model to see how Indians once lived, watch a hide-tanning demonstration, and marvel at presentations by tribe members. Hands-on activities will be available at every turn: play traditional Cherokee games, shoot a bow and arrow, make seed jewelry, go on a scavenger hunt, and more.  Grab lunch from vendors. Get traditional American Indian foods, such as fry bread and stew, or try something different like Indian tacos or buffalo burritos.

5). The Blowing Rock Art and History Museum (www.blowingrockmuseum.org) has seven exhibitions opening to the public this Winter: The Permanent Collection, Elliott Daingerfield, Ward Nichols: Look Again, A Retrospective of Eliot Clark, The Sculptor’s Voice, Truth Beneath These Hills: Uncovering the History and Heritage of Mining in Western North Carolina, and Origins: Works by Chastan Swain, Christopher Lin, Samuel Brown, and Nicholas Osetek, all of which will be open to the public by December 3rd.  The community is invited to view the opening of these exhibitions during the Winter Exhibition Celebration on Thursday, December 3rd from 5:30 – 7:00 p.m. The reception is free, and the Museum will provide refreshments, a cash bar, and live music throughout the evening.

    

6). The Joel Lane Museum House (www.joellane.org) will sponsor its annual Colonial Christmas Open House celebration on Saturday, December 5^th from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is free, and donations are requested. The house will be decorated with traditional greenery and will reflect the very different way in which colonists and early Americans celebrated the Christmas holiday. Information about the house and grounds will be offered by costumed docents; re-enactors will demonstrate scenes of 18th-century life; the sounds of live music will fill the air; and other interpreters will entertain children using colonial games and crafts through the “Hands-on History” program.  The museum store will be open with a great choice of gifts under $10 for both young and not so young, and the annual bake sale will feature delicious local specialties and traditional delights.  For more information, please call (919) 833-3431, email: joellane@bellsouth.net, or visit www.joellane.org.

7). Hands On! (www.handsonwnc.org), a Child's Gallery in Hendersonville, invites you to Mad Scientists Lab: Smell-o-rama! on Tuesday, November 24^th from 11:00 - 11:30 a.m. Ages 3yrs & up. Join Dr. Bunson & Dr. Beaker in the Mad Scientist Lab as they explore smells! Thanksgiving is just around the corner and what wonderful smells come along with it. Let’s explore the science of smell! $7 non-members (includes admission for child participating in class); free for members.  Limited spaces. Please call 828-697-8333 to register.

8). Museum of the Cape Fear Historical Complex (www.museumofthecapefear.ncdcr.gov) invites you to celebrate the Christmas season with Victorian flare at the annual Holiday Jubilee at the 1897 Poe House on Sunday, December 6^th from 1:00  -5:00 p.m.  This free event features a concert by Fayetteville’s own Coventry Carolers.  The Coventry Carolers will perform on the front porch of the Poe House at 1:30 and 3:30 p.m. The house will be elaborately decorated for a Victorian Christmas providing a beautiful backdrop for this festive event and will be open between the caroling performances. The Poe House kitchen will be alive with the smells of Christmas goodies cooking on our 1902 Glenwood stove. Kids can make a whirligig toy to take home. Santa Claus will also be in attendance and available for pictures throughout the event. Santa photos are FREE!  The 1897 Poe House will be decorated for Christmas from November 24 through January 10.  It is open for tours Tuesday-Friday during the week at 11:00, 1:00, and 3:00; Saturdays on the hour from 10:00-4:00 and Sundays on the hour from 1:00-4:00.  Tours of the house are free. For more information please call 910-486-1330.

9). The N.C. Aquarium at Fort Fisher (www.ncaquariums.com/fort-fisher) invites you to holiday fun with Santa at the Aquarium.  In some places Santa dashes through the snow, but in southeastern North Carolina, the jolly elf is more likely to make the most of the sandy coast. The Aquarium at Fort Fisher hosts a unique holiday experience with Kris Kringle and his aquatic friends at “Santa by the Sea” from 5 - 8 p.m. on Saturdays, Dec. 12^th and 19^th. Santa’s guests make holiday crafts, play games and win prizes while exploring the Aquarium’s decked halls. Visitors can also listen as Mrs. Claus shares a fishy and festive tale during story time. Good girls and boys can visit with Santa. He may even surprise everyone by diving alongside sharks, eels and one of his favorite sea turtle friends. Tis’ almost the season, so purchase your tickets today and start a holiday tradition your child will always remember. Admission includes a free photo with Santa for each child. Advance tickets are $15 per person; children 2 and younger are free. Tickets at the door will be $18. Aquarium members receive a 10% discount. Children must be accompanied by at least one paying adult. Advance tickets for “Santa by the Sea” available at ncaquariums.com/fort-fisher.  

10). Vance Birthplace State Historic Site (www.nchistoricsites.org/vance) invites you to their Christmas Candlelight Tours on Saturday, December 5^th from 4:00 - 8:30 p.m.  Experience holiday traditions from the North Carolina backcountry on a guided living history tour.  Meet Vance neighbors and relatives as they lead you through the decorated house and explain the traditions and customs that may have been observed in the Reems Creek Valley in 1830.  Tour prices are $3.50 for Adults and $1.50 for Kids (6-16 years old) and members of the Friends of the Vance Birthplace.  Tours of 20 people will begin every 15 minutes.  Tickets will be sold on a first come, first served basis.