A new exhibit coming to The Heritage Museum and Cultural Center, located at The Priscilla U. Byrns Center, will engage both children and adults in the early natural and human history of this region.
“Ice Age Imperials” will address an era nearly 12,000 years ago when mastodons and mammoths roamed Michigan, when 6-foot tall beavers swam in the state’s lakes and packs of fearsome dire wolves and sabertooth cats hunted the musk oxen that grazed in the woodlands.
And the cats and wolves were not the only predators in the area. Paleo-Indians, using skillfully crafted wood and stone weapons, were the most successful hunters of them all.
“Ice Age Imperials” was researched and developed by The Antiquities Company of Rockford, Mich. Full-scale animals will appear in authentically reproduced dioramas and natural settings of the period. They will be accompanied by real fossils dating back thousands of years, fossil casts and illustrations that will vividly bring this story to life. The exhibit will also offer many engaging interactive components, such as the opportunity to touch a prehistoric tooth, hear the roar of a sabertooth cat or dig for replica fossils. Displays of locally discovered fossils, lent from institutions such as the Kalamazoo Valley Museum, Andrews University and Fort St. Joseph Museum will accompany the main exhibit.
The grand opening celebration will be held Sept. 9 from 6 to 8 p.m. The first 100 people to visit will receive a free poster. A drawing will be held every half hour, with real fossils given as prizes. Refreshments and children’s crafts and activities will be offered. Exhibit developer Tom Hendershot will be on hand to answer questions and speak about his fossil hunting experiences.
“Ice Age Imperials” will show for one year, closing in September 2012. The Heritage will be the first institution to show “Ice Age Imperials” before it travels to other venues across the nation. Public programs, school field trips and other events will be offered as part of the exhibit.
The Heritage Museum and Cultural Center is located at The Priscilla U. Byrns Center, 601 Main St., St. Joseph and is open Tuesday through Saturday, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is $6 for adults and $3 for children 5-18, with children 4 and under admitted free. Members of The Heritage receive free admission.
Call (269) 983-1191 for more information or visit www.theheritagemcc.org.