NCMC Events From Around the State… November 9, 2015

1). Tobacco Farm Life Museum (www.tobaccofarmlifemuseum.org) in Kenly, NC is hosting its first ever TFLM BBQ Challenge on Saturday, November 14th. Four to six pig cookers will compete to see who can cook the best whole hog. Visitors can purchase the prepared North Carolina BBQ and enjoy live music and family friendly activities including a petting zoo and inflatable bounce house.

2). Mount Airy Museum of Regional History (www.northcarolinamuseum.org) invites you to the final 2015 Fall History Talks -The Salisbury Confederate Prison on Saturday, November 14^th.  Ed and Sue Curtis with the Salisbury Confederate Prison Association will give a talk at 2 p.m. about the history of the prison including individuals from both the North and South who were associated with the prison.  History Talks are held on the 3rd floor of the Museum and are FREE to the public.

3). The North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences (www.naturalsciences.org) announces that PaleoPalooza, the nation’s largest event dedicated to paleontology, is coming to the Museum on Saturday, November 14^th from 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.  PaleoPalooza celebrates paleo mammals as a theme, which complements our current special exhibition, Extreme Mammals.   The entire Museum will be teeming with dozens of displays, activities and presentations by paleontologists from North Carolina and around the world. Visitors can check out a vast array of fossils from plants to mammals from the NC Fossil Club, bring in “anything fossil” (or not) for identification by experts with the Smithsonian Institution, and go on behind-the-scenes tours of the Museum’s Paleontology Research Lab and learn excavation techniques. There will even be opportunities to use your newly acquired excavation skills to uncover your own plastic dinosaur at Dino Excavations. With many more activities planned for the day, you will not want to miss this special event!  Visit www.naturalsciences.org for complete schedule of activities. 

4). The Blowing Rock Art and History Museum (www.blowingrockmuseum.org) invites you to a talk with photographer Ann Hawthorne, editor of The Picture Man: Photographs by Paul Buchanan, on Thursday, November 12^th at 11 a.m.  The talk will be accompanied by freshly-brewed coffee from Hatchet Coffee Company in Boone, and locally-baked goods! We encourage you to come early and look at BRAHM’s accompanying exhibit, The Picture Man: Photographs by Paul Buchanan.  This program is part of the Museum’s Scholars & Scones series, hosted once a month. Suggested donation $5. For more information about this or other upcoming activities at BRAHM, please call (828) 295-9099 or visit www.blowingrockmuseum.org.

    

5). The Asheville Art Museum (www.ashevilleart.org) is thrilled to welcome artist William Wegman for a special lecture about his work from his nearly 50-year career on Thursday, November 19 from 6:00–7:30 p.m. at the Diana Wortham Theatre. This event is free with membership or Museum admission, however reservations are required. Please call the Museum at 828.253.3227 to reserve your spot.  Artist William Wegman is internationally recognized for his work in photography, painting, drawing and video art. He is best known for his engaging and humorous photographs of Weimaraners as seen in the Museum’s current exhibition, William Wegman: Cubism and Other-isms.

6). The Charlotte Hawkins Brown Museum (www.nchistoricsites.org/chb), a North Carolina State Historic Site, will host a free screening of “Slavery by Another Name” along with a discussion on Saturday, November 14^th  from 2 - 4 p.m.  “Slavery by Another Name”  is a PBS documentary that explains how for more than 80 years after slavery, thousands of African Americans, often guilty of no crimes at all, were arrested, repeatedly bought and sold, and compelled to work without pay. Visitors are invited to compare and contrast the modern and previous prison systems and demographics. Discussion Panelists will include a lawyer, UNCG professor that studies prison systems, and a formerly incarcerated person.  This forum is made possible through the Created Equal: America’s Civil Rights Struggle grant an initiative of the National Endowment for the Humanities.

7). Museum of Anthropology (www.moa.wfu.edu) invites you to attend a Gourd Art Workshop on Sunday, November 15^th from 2 – 4 p.m.  Gourds are a familiar sign of fall in North Carolina, but they have a variety of practical and artistic uses in different cultures around the world.  This workshop will present a number of different gourd uses and allow participants to create their own piece of gourd art.  Open to all ages.  The fee is $10 per gourd ($7 for MOA Friends).  Call 336.758.5282 to register.  Space is limited and advanced registration is required.

8). Charlotte Museum of History (www.charlottemuseum.org) invites you to the Backcountry Beer Fest on Saturday, November 14^th from 1:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.  Backcountry Beer Fest will feature feature beers from Birdsong Brewing Company, Olde Mecklenburg Brewery, Rock Bottom Restaurant & Brewery, and Heist Brewery. Enjoy live music by local artists Christopher Suter and Jason Marcum as well as food from the popular Ruthie’s of Charlotte Food Truck. A corn-hole tournament, Charlotte soccer trivia, and home site tours are among the included activities! Ticket prices are:  $15 public tickets, $10 member tickets, and $5 non-drinking guests.  Visit www.charlottemuseum.org to register.

9). The Museum of the Albemarle (www.museumofthealbemarle.com) announces the Conservation Branch of the North Carolina Museum of History is offering a new resource for the public: Conservation Assistance Day. On Friday, November 13^th patrons are invited to bring up to three objects to the Museum of the Albemarle for free assessment and advice on care. Appointments are required. To make an appointment, call Rhiana Srebro at 252-335-1453. She will ask for your name, address, and phone number and for some information about the object(s) you would like to discuss with the conservator. Please let her know if you also wish to speak with a curator during your appointment. Appointments will last about 30 minutes. First appointment is at 9:30 a.m. and the last appointment at 3:30 p.m. The Museum of the Albemarle strives to provide a secure environment for its collection, so please check on restrictions to items allowed when you make your appointment.

10). Kings Mountain Historical Museum (www.kingsmountainmuseum.org) invites you to their annual holiday exhibit, Toys, Games & TRAINS that opens Saturday, November 14^th and runs through January 2^nd, 2016.  This annually recurring exhibit fills the Museum with model train displays assembled by the Piedmont “S” Gaugers, as well as railroad memorabilia, and antique toys and games. Visitors of all ages will be enchanted as they explore the miniature snow-covered scenes that line the tracks, and discover the interactive features such as a carousel, chocolate factory, hot air balloons, and mailbag pickup. Parents and grandparents will enjoy reminiscing with the children about the toys and games of their childhood, such as cowboy memorabilia, doll houses, and board games. Bring your cameras – this exhibit provides great opportunities for holiday family photos.  This exhibit is sponsored in part by Truliant Federal Credit Union.  Exhibit it open Tuesdays – Saturdays from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.  Admission is Free.