Monday, June 8, 2009

Celebrate Father’s Day at Fernbank Museum’s Dinosaur Plaza Picnic

Give Dad an adventure for Father’s Day at Fernbank Museum. As part of Fernbank’s 90 Days of Dinosaurs celebration, the Museum will host a special Father’s Day Plaza Picnic outside on the new Dinosaur Plaza from noon to 4 p.m. on June 21.

The garden setting of the new pedestrian plaza—which features an assortment of new trees, plants and flowers—is highlighted by the addition of an outdoor dinosaur exhibition, featuring a family of three bronze hadrosaurs and a fountain.

For the Father’s Day Plaza Picnic, the plaza will be decked out with red-and-white checkered table cloths, while the Fernbank CafĂ© grills up burgers, steaks, hotdogs and more. It wouldn’t be a picnic without some good tunes and a family game (like the dinosaur scavenger hunt!), so get ready to enjoy a day that everyone will enjoy.

Other Museum happenings include the special exhibition Dinosaurs: Ancient Fossils, New Discoveries and Dinosaurs Alive! and Under the Sea on the five-story IMAX® screen. Dad won’t want to miss the 350-year-old Native dug-out canoe, considered the “minivan” of its time, or the Museum’s fossil floors that reveal sea creatures he may have encountered if he’d gone fishing 90 million years ago.

Family Picnic Packages and individual picnic items include Kobe beef burgers, steaks, hotdogs, fried chicken and fruit salad, and will be available for purchase in various price ranges to meet everyone’s budget. As part of 90 Days of Dinosaurs, Fernbank will also offer Plaza Picnics on July 26 and August 9.

For more information visit www.fernbankmuseum.org/90days.

Fernbank Museum is located at 767 Clifton Rd. NE Atlanta, GA 30307. To purchase tickets, call 404.929.6400 or visit fernbankmuseum.org.
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Tuesday, June 2, 2009

Air Force Reserve “Hurricane Hunter” Aircraft to Visit Peachtree City!

The public is invited to come aboard a WC-130J Hurricane Hunter Aircraft and meet the crew members who fly into hurricanes. In recognition of “Hurricane Awareness” and kick off of the 2009 Hurricane Season, the National Weather Service office in Peachtree City is teaming up with the 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron to bring a heightened awareness of inland tropical storm threats.

The National Weather Service Office will also host an “Open House” to give area residents a chance to learn more about forecasts and warnings.

For more information about the “Hurricane Hunters” and the WC-130 aircraft, go to http://www.srh.noaa.gov/ffc/html/hrcnhunter09.shtml

In addition to learning about the various hazards, the public will be informed on how to monitor the tropics, track storms, receive warnings and take actions to protect life and property. The Red Cross and various Emergency Management agencies will be invited to participate in the event.

Saturday
Jun 13, 2009
11:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.

Falcon Field Airport, adjacent to the forecast office on Falcon Drive.

From Interstate 85: go to the Peachtree City exit...turn south onto Highway 74 and go to Peachtree City. From Highway 74, turn right onto TDK Blvd., then turn left onto Dividend Drive. Travel several hundred yards and turn right onto Falcon Drive, which is the entrance to Falcon Field Airport. The National Weather Service Office will be the first building on the left. The airport is at the end of Falcon Drive.

From State Highway 85: Turn west at the intersection of 85 and 74. After several miles, turn left onto Dividend Drive. That intersection is marked with a small green sign with an airplane. Cross the railroad tracks and less than one quarter mile past the tracks, turn left onto Falcon Drive. The National Weather Service Office will be the first building on the left. The airport is at the end of Falcon Drive.

Background

The 2008 Atlantic Hurricane Season produced a record number of consecutive storms that struck the United States and ranks as one of the more active seasons in the 64 years since official records began. In 2008, Tropical Storm Fay moved inland from the Central Gulf Coast and produced at least six tornadoes across central and north Georgia. In 2005, Hurricane Katrina produced a record 18 tornadoes across the state and Hurricane Dennis produced extensive flooding with over eight inches of rain. Most of the tropical systems that affect the state of Georgia come from the gulf. Latest tropical forecasts indicate 2009 could be another active season with the Gulf Coastal Region having over a 60% chance of being hit by a named storm. Therefore, the National Weather Service Office in Peachtree City, Georgia decided to team up once again with the Air Force Reserve Hurricane Hunters to bring awareness to the hazards associated with tropical storms moving inland.

Please join the Peachtree City National Weather Service and Southeast River Forecast Center staff in making this Hurricane Awareness Event a great success.
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A Few of Fernbank’s Favorite Things

Fernbank’s Own “Guest Curators” Select Fascinating Objects Stored in Museum Collections for New Exhibition

Fernbank Museum of Natural History is launching a new exhibition on June 13 that showcases a collection of “My Favorite Things”—all selected by staff members from each of the Museum’s departments. Located within the recently redesigned Naturalist Center in the “Curator’s Corner,” the exhibition features 15 cases of objects from Fernbank’s permanent collections that often remain stored away in the museum’s vault.

Some of the favorite objects on display in My Favorite Things: Objects from Fernbank’s Permanent Collections include fossils, gemstones, animals, ceramics and more.

“My Favorite Things: Objects from Fernbank’s Permanent Collections is unique because it allowed the entire museum to get involved in the exhibition process,” said James Hays, Fernbank’s Vice President of Exhibitions. “It has been a lot of fun because it also gave us the opportunity to display some of the more exotic museum objects that otherwise would go unseen by visitors.”

Each department—from finance to visitor services to IT to special events and more—chose one person to act as a guest curator. In order to pick their favorite objects, the employees were given a tour of Collections, a highly secured area that many staff members have never before visited. They saw the treasure trove of objects that aren’t typically on public display and were given the opportunity to put their favorites in the spotlight.

“It was interesting to see all the cool things Fernbank has in storage. I have never seen so many unique objects at one time so it blew my mind away. I imagined Collections to be mostly gems and jewelry so I didn’t expect to see so much artwork, cultural objects and animals. It was more than I expected ,” said Museum Store Associate Tifany Bell, who chose a set of decorative African ceramic jars as her favorite things. “The Zulu jars were the most interesting because they were so creative and original.”

My Favorite Things is included with Museum admission and will be on view from June 13, 2009 through February 1, 2010. Museum admission is $15 for adults, $14 for students and seniors, and $14 for children ages 3 to 12. Museum admission is free for children ages 2 and younger and is also free for Museum members. Tickets can be purchased at fernbankmuseum.org or at 404.929.6400.

Fernbank Museum of Natural History is located at 767 Clifton Road in Atlanta.
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