Contact:
Jeff Morgan, Jeff.Morgan@iowa.gov, (515)
281-3858
(DES MOINES) –
Hundreds of central Iowa families attended a special showing of the hit animated
feature “Ice Age 2: The Meltdown” at the Merle Hay Mall Cinema last
Saturday, and they’ll have the opportunity on the next two Saturdays to
learn more about real Ice Age history during special programming at the State
Historical Museum.
The museum’s 16,000-year-old Hebior mammoth will be the centerpiece of
“Ice Age Saturday” when visitors can take part in a wide range of
hands-on activities at 10:30 a.m., 12:30 and 1:30 p.m. Saturday and April 15,
including the “Mammoth Dance” with professional dancer Janice Baker,
the “Mammoth March” and flint knapping with avocational archaeologist
Tom Harvey.
The “Mammoth March” is a custom-choreographed dance mimicking the
movements of mammoths during the Ice Age, while Harvey’s flint knapping
demonstration showcases how Paleo-Indian hunters made tools 12,000 years ago during
the Ice Age.
In addition, museum staff will offer visitors a hands-on opportunity to learn
“petroglyphing,” a style of writing used during the Ice Age, and children
will be able to write about the Ice Age style and leave their “mark”
or signature on an “Ice Age” wall. Professional storyteller Maureen
Korte will tell stories about Ice Age families and how they lived, using aritifact
replicas from a Paleo-Indian trunk to enhance the story and show items used during
the Ice Age.
Tickets for Ice Age Saturday are $5 per person and can be purchased at the
door. The State Historical Museum is at 600 E. Locust Street in the heart of Des
Moines’ Historic East Village. Hours are 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Monday-Saturday
and noon-4:30 p.m. Sundays. Café Baratta’s, located in the State
Historical Building, is open 8 a.m.-3 p.m. Monday-Friday and 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday.
Proceeds from Ice Age Saturday benefit the State Historical Society of Iowa. Please
contact Maureen Korte at 515-281-4132 or maureen.korte@iowa.gov
for more information.
The State Historical Museum is operated by the State Historical Society of
Iowa, a trustee of Iowa’s historical legacy and an advocate for understanding
Iowa’s past. It identifies, records, collects, preserves, manages and provides
access to Iowa’s historical resources. Its dual mission of preservation
and education serves Iowans of all ages, conducts and stimulates research, disseminates
information, and encourages and supports historical preservation and education
efforts of others throughout the state.
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