How do dinosaurs say goodnight?
They don’t! Not on this First Friday.
November 15, 2007
RALEIGH — Where can you discover the best in stop-motion animation, parenting tips for dinosaurs, more car wrecks than a Friday evening commute, all with a home-grown jazz soundtrack? Only at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences in downtown Raleigh on Friday evening, December 7. Oh yeah, and it’s all free.
The Museum comes alive after five, beginning with a special presentation at 6 p.m. from the Senior Curator of Paleontology, Dr. Dale Russell. “Parenthood and Life’s Hazards for Dinosaurs” details how the physical and biological environment of prehistoric Earth led to unique challenges for dinosaurs and their not-so-tiny offspring.
At 7 p.m., the Museum shows a shortened version of “The Lost World,” the 1925 film adaptation of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s classic novel about a land where prehistoric creatures still roam, and about a man named Professor Challenger who thinks it’s a good idea to bring one back to London. Challenger is played by former circus elephant trainer Wallace Beery, who is perhaps best remembered as Long John Silver in “Treasure Island” (1934). “The Lost World” was the first full length feature film to utilize stop-motion animation.
Then, back by popular demand … the University of North Carolina-Greensboro jazz ensemble returns to First Friday, this time to pay tribute to another native North Carolina jazz legend and hard bop pianist Thelonious Sphere Monk (7:30–8:30 p.m.), an artist so unique he has an asteroid named after him.
Stay even later for “Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior” showing at 8:30 p.m. In this tale of a post-apocalyptic Australian wasteland, a burned-out ex-cop named ‘Mad’ Max Rockatansky (Mel Gibson) agrees to help a small, gasoline rich, community escape a band of petrol-hungry bandits. And you thought $3 a gallon was painful.
You can also check out the original fossil fuel inside the Museum’s latest special exhibit — “Dinosaurs: Ancient Fossils, New Discoveries.” Find out how slow the T. rex really was, and how the lumbering Sauropod could break the sound barrier. Enter the world of the modern paleontologist and discover how scientists are reinterpreting these and other puzzling mysteries of the dinosaurs. [Tickets are available on-site for a First Friday discount price of $5. The exhibit stays open until 9 p.m. with last tickets sold at 8 p.m. This is the only First Friday activity that has a fee.]
Arrive early and wander through eye-catching exhibits highlighting the natural beauty of North Carolina, or enjoy snacks and beverages from the Acro Café. Additionally, the Museum Store offers after-hours shopping and an opening reception (6-9 p.m.) for the North Carolina Society of Goldsmiths, new exhibiting artists in the Nature Art Gallery. All exhibited art is for sale.
The North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences, in downtown Raleigh, documents and interprets the natural history of the state of North Carolina through exhibits, research, collections, publications, and educational programming. Hours: Mon.-Sat., 9 am to 5 pm, and Sun., noon to 5 pm. Admission is free. Visit the Museum on the Web at naturalsciences.org. The Museum is an agency of the N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources, William G. Ross Jr., Secretary.
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