NCMC Events from Around the State… March 7, 2016

Don’t forget to apply for Free On-Site Consultation Service (FOCoS)! FOCoS is offered by NCMC to provide advice and guidance to small or emerging museums using the resources and expertise resident in established museums around the state. Recipient museums receive valuable feedback on their programs and operations, and the museum community and council are strengthened through the collaborative effort of professionals reaching out to share their knowledge of the field. Applications are currently being accepted for the Spring 2016 site visit. Visit www.ncmuseums.org/programs/focos/ to apply or for more information.

1). The North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources (www.ncdcr.gov) is proud to host a day-long Professional Development Day in celebration of International Museums Day on Monday, May 23^rd from 9 A.M. - 5 P.M.. Come out and network with colleagues, learn about national museum trends from DCR leadership and outside experts, and much more! An agenda with RSVP information will be coming in the next few weeks. Until then, make sure you save the date! For more information contact: Kimberly Kandros at kimberly.kandros@ncdcr.gov.

2). The High Point Historical Society (www.highpointmuseum.org) is pleased to accept applications for a paid Summer Internship.  The internship will run from June 6 – July 29, 2016 with a $1500 stipend paid in three increments. Funded with a grant from the North Carolina Museums Council, the intern will serve as student curator for the traveling exhibit Bills of Sale: Slave Deeds of Guilford County from the International Civil Rights Center and Museum, opening at the High Point Museum in January 2017. This Summer Internship is designed to be a learning experience, although as student curator, he or she will be expected to provide leadership and show initiative. The High Point Museum is conveniently located in the Piedmont Triad and offers a flexible schedule and free parking.  To be considered, applicants should email a résumé and cover letter stating interests and availability by April 1, 2106, to Marian Inabinett, Curator of Collections at marian.inabinett@highpointnc.gov.  Please be sure to include your two, most recent work or volunteer experiences plus the name and contact information of a reference from a relevant work or volunteer experience.  Also, one letter of recommendation from an academic or work reference should be emailed separately to the same email address. Preferred candidate will be a graduate student enrolled in Museum Studies, Public History, American History or African American History programs.

3). North Carolina Maritime Museum in Beaufort (www.ncmaritimemuseums.com) invites you to Brown Bag Gam: The Beaufort Dolphins on Wednesday, March 9^th from Noon – 1 p.m.  Pack a lunch for the Brown Bag Gam during your lunch hour and join Museum Natural Science Curator Keith Rittmaster for an informal discussion about the biology, behavior, and conservation issues affecting the Beaufort Dolphins.  Bottlenose dolphins occur in Beaufort year-round but they’re not the same individuals and we’re learning a lot from photo-ID and stranding response.  Gam is defined as a friendly conversation between whalers or to visit with another ship while at sea.  Free Admission. No advance registration. Walk-ins welcome. 252.728.7317.

4). The Museum of Anthropology at Wake Forest University (www.moa.wfu.edu) invites you to visit their new exhibit, Musical Narratives of the Southwest Pacific Rim, on view from March 15 – August 26, 2016.  Highlighting the Museum of Anthropology’s collections of musical instruments, masks, shadow puppets, and dance costumes from Indonesia, Australia, New Zealand, Samoa, and Papua New Guinea, this student-curated exhibit takes the visitor on a tour of the performing arts of the southwestern Pacific Rim. The exhibit draws connections within and between these island nations in geographical and artistic dialogue as it examines how music, dance, and theater intersect with storytelling, religious practice, gender roles, and modernization. Visitors are invited to contribute to the audio and visual components within the exhibit through hands-on music-making with select objects on display. Admission is free.   For more information, visit moa.wfu.edu, email moa@wfu.edu, or call 336-758-5282.

5). The Battleship NORTH CAROLINA (www.battleshipnc.com) announces its upcoming program; Power Plant on Saturday, March 12^th from 12:00 – 5:30 p.m.  Calling all Navy engineering enthusiasts! Join us for an in-depth program on the Battleship's power plant. Learn in detail about the ship's eight Babcock & Wilcox boilers, four sets of turbines and reduction gears, steam and diesel powered service turbo generators, along with electrical distribution, water distillation, and steering mechanisms. Our program features classroom presentations and behind-the-scenes tour of engineering spaces. Discover what it took to propel a 36,000 ton heavily armored battlewagon bristling with massive firepower and 2,300 fighting men across the Pacific.  The program is for adults only (ages 16 and up) and is limited to 32 participants. 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! Registration and payment are due the Thursday before the event. $65 per person. $60 for Friends members or active military. Plus tax.

6). Hands On! (www.handsonwnc.org), the Children's Museum in downtown Hendersonville, invites you to Make a Kite! Tuesday, March 8^th – Friday, March 11^th. Design and build your own kite to fly in the March winds! Drop-in self-directed activity in our Party Room. All Day. All ages. Free with $5 admission/Free for members.

7). The N.C. Aquarium at Fort Fisher (www.ncaquariums.com/fort-fisher) announces that dinosaurs take over Annual Egg Hunt!  Move over bunnies, watch out alligators. This year a much bigger animal is stomping down the trail at the North Carolina Aquarium at Fort Fisher for the annual egg hunt.  The annual Alligator Egg Hunt officially becomes the Dinosaur Egg Hunt for 2016, in honor of the new animatronic exhibit, “DINOSAURS!” opening March 19^th. While the reptiles are bigger, the fun remains the same with children learning, creating and playing during this much loved tradition.  Aquarium educators introduce children to a live baby alligator and share fun facts about reptiles, both prehistoric and ones living today. Kids create their own dinosaur egg basket and search for candy-filled “dinosaur” eggs in the Aquarium garden, where six new animatronic dinosaurs make their home. The Dinosaur Egg Hunt is recommended for children ages 3-10 and limited space is available. This event sells out quickly every year. Children ages 14 and younger must be accompanied by an adult. Dates and times are as follows: Saturday, March 19 at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m., Friday, March 25 at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m., and Saturday, March 26 at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. The program fee is $20 per child; $11 for N.C. Aquarium members. Preregistration is required. Register for the Dinosaur Egg Hunt online or by calling (910) 772-0500.

8). Museum of the Cape Fear Historical Complex (www.museumofthecapefear.ncdcr.gov) invites you to Story Day: Collecting Local Civil War History on Saturday, March 12^th from 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.  For several months now, the North Carolina Civil History Center has been encouraging North Carolina residents to share their family’s Civil War story. These stories can be submitted online at http://www.nccivilwarcenter.org/share-a-story/. However, for those who perhaps do not have a computer or prefer to tell their story in the tradition of an oral history, the Museum of the Cape Fear is hosting Story Day.  At the museum, computer stations will be set up and people can either use the computer themselves, or tell their story to a museum volunteer or staff person who will aid them with getting the story recorded. Participants are encouraged to schedule an appointment.  Appointments will be made for every 30 minutes between 10:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. The museum hopes that residents from Hoke, Harnett, Sampson, Moore, Bladen and Johnston counties will participate. The goal is to get 100 stories from all of North Carolina’s 100 counties. These stories will help develop exhibit content for the new museum.  Appointments can be made by calling 910-486-1330 or emailing leisa.greathouse@ncdcr.gov.

9). High Point Museum (www.highpointmuseum.org) invites you to “How Do You Know That? Evaluating and Presenting Your Sources (Basic Genealogy IV)” on Monday, March 14^th, 6:30 p.m. to 7:45 p.m. at the High Point Public Library, Morgan Room.  One of the biggest problems new genealogists face is learning how to judge the sources they use. Are all sources created equal or are some more reliable than others? What is the difference between a primary and a secondary source? How do we evaluate information that we are getting and test its accuracy? How should we present our research in a responsible way that is rooted in our sources? A class no genealogist should be without. For more information, contact the Heritage Research Center at 883-3637 or ncroom@highpointnc.gov.

10). North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences at Whiteville (www.naturalsciences.org) invites you to their next Teen Science Café, “Lights! Camera! Action! The How To’s of Theatre Production”, on Friday, March 11^th! Whiteville High School’s Theatre teacher Julia Heckathorn, will discuss the different ingredients needed to present a successful theater production. Heckathorn will bring to life topics such as lighting, sound, costume and set design, and management in this Café, which takes place at Bower’s Auditorium on the Whiteville High School campus, 413 N. Lee Street at 5:00 p.m. [Note: This Café was originally scheduled for January 22,2016].  For updated information on Whiteville’s Teen Science Cafe program contact Vicki DiMuzio at vicki.dimuzio@naturalsciences.org, call the museum at (910) 914-4185, or visit the Whiteville Teen Science Café Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/Teen-Science-Cafe-Whiteville-28643337153158/timeline/.