September will bring programs for all ages at the N.C. Museum of History in Raleigh. The month begins with three children’s programs on topics ranging from string-band music to whirligigs.
As part of a nationwide effort to explore the history of Latino Americans, the museum will kick off related programs on Sept. 4 during First Fridays at the Museum. Sample delicious food created by chef J.P. Murcia of KocinA Food Truck, and hear about upcoming programs.
The Museum of History will be open on Labor Day, Sept. 7, which is the last day to see the blockbuster exhibit Starring North Carolina! Catch the first major exhibition about the state’s movies, television shows, cast members and crews. View costumes and props from movies and television shows, such as “Bull Durham,” “Iron Man 3,” “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles,” “Blue Velvet,” and “Sleepy Hollow.” Admission has been reduced! Purchase exhibit tickets at NCMOH-starring.com or in the Museum Shop. Major exhibit sponsors are the News & Observer, the N.C. Museum of History Associates, and the N.C. News Network.
Mark your calendar for September happenings at the N.C. Museum of History. Programs are free unless otherwise noted. Parking is free on weekends.
Programs
Time for Tots: String-Band Music
Tuesday, Sept. 1 or 8, 10-10:45 a.m.
Find out about different instruments used in string-band music, and make some music of your own with a homemade banjo. Ages 3-5 (with adult); $3 plus tax per child; $1 plus tax for museum members. To register, visit NCMOH-programs.com. For information, call 919-807-7979.
History Corner: Folklife Fun
Wednesday, Sept. 2, 10-11 a.m.
Learn about everyday art — whirligigs, painted furniture, quilts — and make a toy to take home. Ages 6-9 (with adult); $3 plus tax per child; $1 plus tax for museum members. To register, visit NCMOH-programs.com. For information, call 919-807-7979.
History Hunters: The Whirligig Man
Wednesday, Sept. 2, 11:15 a.m.-12:15 p.m.
Vollis Simpson was “the whirligig man,” a craftsman and mechanic from Wilson County. See examples of his giant whirligigs, then make a small whirligig of your own! Ages 10-13; $3 plus tax per child; $1 plus tax for museum members. To register, visit NCMOH-programs.com. For information, call 919-807-7979.
First Fridays at the Museum
Friday, Sept. 4, 5-9 p.m.
Help kick off local efforts related to a yearlong national celebración — Latino Americans: 500 Years of History. Enjoy food by chef J.P. Murcia of KocinA Food Truck, and hear about upcoming programs.
In addition, see Starring North Carolina! during its final weekend (last tickets sold at 8 p.m.); The Story of North Carolina is also open, as well as the Museum Shop. Brüeprint Brewing Company of Apex will be hosting a tasting of craft beers. (Beer tasting is organized by the N.C. Craft Brewers Guild).
Hidden Stories of Abandoned Places
Friday, Sept. 4, 6:30-8 p.m.
Panelists, including photographers and filmmakers, reflect on the personal connections they have to places that were once filled with life but have gradually become shadows and skeletons of their past vitality. The program is presented in collaboration with the Forum for Scholars and Publics and the Center for Documentary Studies at Duke University. Margaret “Lou” Brown from Duke will moderate.
History à la Carte: Education in the Jim Crow South
Wednesday, Sept. 9, noon-1 p.m.
Nathan Carter Newbold led the Division of Negro Education in North Carolina from 1913 to 1950 and was a leading voice for the “equalization without social equality” movement to improve educational opportunities for African Americans. Barry Malone, Associate Professor, Wake Technical Community College will discuss the career of this white progressive. Bring your lunch; beverages provided.
Film Screening: “Latino Americans: Prejudice and Pride (1965–1980)”
Tuesday, Sept. 15, 7 p.m.
This documentary finds Mexican Americans, frustrated by persistent discrimination and poverty, using social action and the arts to create a new appreciation of their long history in the Southwest and to build a new “Chicano” identity. Kristy Ulibarri, Assistant Professor, East Carolina University, will lead a discussion after the film. NOTE: CARA rating: TV-PG-L,V; run time: 60 min.
The film is part of a nationwide public programming initiative produced and funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities and the American Library Association. This screening is presented in partnership with N.C. State University Libraries. This free screening takes place in the first-floor auditorium of the James B. Hunt Jr. Library on North Carolina State University’s Centennial Campus.
The Birds and the Bees
Saturday, Sept. 19, 1-4 p.m.
Native peoples planted sunflowers. Colonial gardeners built hives. Today’s farmers rent bees. Visit us during BugFest at the Museum of Natural Sciences and find out why attracting pollinators is so important. Learn how to welcome them to your neck of the woods!
Funds from Syngenta support the History of the Harvest exhibit, as well as exhibit-related events and programs. For more information, call 919-807-7979.
Make It, Take It: The Birds and the Bees
Saturday, Sept. 19, 1-3 p.m. (drop-in program)
Make a house for a pollinator during this History of the Harvest program.
Vietnam: The Black Experience
Friday, Sept. 25, 7-9 p.m.
A panel of servicemen from different armed forces and time periods will relate what it was like to be a man of color in the military in Vietnam. The program is sponsored by N.C. Vietnam Veterans Inc.
Saturdays in the Garden
Saturday, Sept. 26, 1:30-2:30 p.m.
Join the museum’s garden staff for an informal tour of the History of the Harvest exhibit along Bicentennial Plaza. Tours begin at the information desk in the lobby. Funds from Syngenta support History of the Harvest, as well as exhibit-related events and programs.
For information about the N.C. Museum of History, a Smithsonian-affiliated museum, call 919-807-7900 or access ncmuseumofhistory.org or follow on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Google+ or YouTube.