July 11, 2019
MOUNDSVILLE, W.Va. — Families looking for things to do on hot July days should visit the Grave Creek Mound Archaeological Complex this month. Guests can enjoy planned programs throughout the month, and the museum’s exhibits and Discovery Table craft activity are available during regular museum hours. All programs and events are free and open to the public.
Schedule of July Programs:
Saturday, July 13, 1 and 3 p.m. - Second Saturday film, “Making North America: Human.” Part of the PBS NOVA documentary series, this 60-minute film will explore how human lives and destinies were shaped by the North American continent. Narrated by renowned paleontologist and Smithsonian Museum of Natural History Director Kirk Johnson, it explores how the first humans entered North America and what surprises may be in store for its future human inhabitants due to the geology of the continent.
Saturday, July 20, 2 p.m. - “Celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the First Moon Landing.” This program is featured in honor of astronaut Neil Armstrong’s famous first step on the moon, declaring “one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind.” July 20 marks the anniversary, which was part of NASA’s Apollo 11 lunar mission. The program will feature a series of short films of Apollo and Skylab missions from the personal collection of Rudolf Keller, a young scientist employed in the space industry in California at the time.
Saturday, July 27, 1 p.m. – storyteller Judi Tarowsky will regale visitors with tales that feature female protagonists in a program titled “Damsels to the Rescue!” She will tell two old fairy tales, “The Nettle Spinner" from Belgium, and “The Groac’h of the Isle of Lok” from Breton.
Throughout the month of July, visitors also can view the exhibit Historic Images of Grave Creek Mound in the museum’s entry lobby. Guests can also stop by the Discovery Table to create fireflies that glow in the dark using plastic beads and pipe cleaners.
Operated by the West Virginia Department of Arts, Culture and History, Grave Creek Mound Archaeological Complex features one of the largest conical burial mounds built by the Adena people between 250 - 150 B.C. and ranks as one of the largest earthen mortuary mounds anywhere in the world. Exhibits and displays in the Delf Norona Museum interpret what is known about the lives of these prehistoric people and the construction of the mound. The complex also houses the West Virginia Archaeological Research and Collections Management Facility.
Admission to Grave Creek Mound Archaeological Complex is free. The Delf Norona Museum, located at 801 Jefferson Avenue, is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and closed Sunday and Monday. Outdoor access closes at 4:30 p.m.
For more information about activities and programs at Grave Creek Mound, contact Andrea Keller, cultural program coordinator, at (304) 843-4128 or [email protected] or visit www.facebook.com/gravecreekmound and www.twitter.com/gravecreekmound.
