Sneak Peak of Upcoming Programs

by Charlotte Patterson, Education Curator

Museum staff were certainly not hibernating during these past winter months. History for Lunch and Tot Time resumed, a number of exhibits opened, and multiple special programs were presented.

Artifacts of Outlander, a traveling exhibit on loan from the Jefferson Patterson Park and Museum, was our first exhibit opening of the new year. On January 12, the event drew followers of the novel series by Diana Gabaldon and the popular television series that airs on the STARZ network. Visitors enjoyed warm scones and fruit while listening to Highland bagpipes. Another traveling exhibit, The Boomer List: Photographs by Timothy GreenfieldSanders, from the Newseum, opened on January 26 with the classic film, American Graffiti, and games of Bingo! On February 15, a members-only reception, An Evening at the Dark Tower, opened Harlem Renaissance: A Forward Movement. The Elizabeth City State University Foundation cosponsored this event with Friends of the Museum of the Albemarle. Guests dressed in 1920s attire and listened to music by the jazz band, Connected. The Albemarle Voices for Diverse Culture also assisted with the event, along with several other programs during Black History Month, including an art contest at the Arts of the Albemarle. Make plans now to attend in 2020 for the 100th anniversary of the Harlem Renaissance as we join the national movement to recognize the developments in art and culture.

AN IMPORTANT SOCIAL AND CULTURAL EVENT, ca. 1930

Coming in September, a new exhibit will open focusing on the importance of the hog and how they have found their way into our lives and culture. Hogs play an important part of social events and family reunions in northeastern North Carolina as multi-generational families share in in the processing of pigs for food.

Hertford County, Courtesy of North Carolina State Archives

Hertford County, Courtesy of North Carolina State Archives

Now that spring is rolling around, we’ll see new interns, new Junior Docents, and new volunteers to assist with goings-on at MOA. During March we are always filled to the brim with little tykes learning about Dr. Seuss, reading his books and working at hands-on experiences. Biscuits, Tractors, and Chickens, on April 5 and 6, educated visitors about the rich agricultural history of the Albemarle region. The program’s major attractions included the Teeny Tiny Farm traveling petting zoo, sponsored by the North Carolina Museum of History Associates, and Out ‘n the Cold band, crafters, antique tractors, and such experiences as churning butter and rolling dough.

Summer at MOA will be filled with programs for the kiddies, beginning with Summer Fun Days on June 12 and July 17 and At the Movies! For Kids screenings on June 20 and July 25. In addition, we will offer two one-day camps: All About Pirates! for ages 5 through 8 on July 22 and Digging Deep into the Past for ages 9 through 12 on July 25.

Ready for a sneak peek into fall and winter? Programs will include our History for Lunch series every first Wednesday of each month and Tot Time on the second Thursday of each month. Walk for Hunger with Food Bank of the Albemarle returns to Sunday on October 13—please come out and support hunger-relief efforts that assist those facing food insecurity in northeast North Carolina. We’ll then round out the year with Designers’ Workshop: Deck Those Halls on November 16 and the Gingerbread Workshop on December 6. Our annual Holiday Open House is scheduled for December 7 and will have a new theme for 2019 (watch out for the Grinch to take over MOA).