Programs at the N.C. Maritime Museum in Beaufort have people talking! Throughout the month of June, local and regional experts will share their knowledge on topics ranging from nautical archaeology to marvels of the museum collection. Unless otherwise noted, talks at the Museum are free.
Sunday, June 7, 2 p.m. – Forty Years of Nautical Archaeology. N.C. Maritime Museum Director Joe Schwarzer will be featured in the Friends of the Museum Speaker Series. Tickets are $5, with no charge for Friends of the Museum.
Tuesday, June 16, 3 p.m. – Coastal Whales of North Carolina. Museum Natural Science Curator and Cape Lookout Studies Program Director Keith Rittmaster will discuss the massive marine mammals and will share photos.
Wednesday, June 17, 11 a.m. – Watson Shells Revisited. Museum Collections Manager Darlene Perry, along with Curator of Education JoAnne Powell, will feature shells from the museum’s international collection. The talk will also give a behind-the-scenes look at the world of collections management.
Tuesday, June 23, 3 p.m. – Museum Marvels. Museum Collections Manager Darlene Perry will feature artifacts from the museum collection not currently on display.
Wednesday, June 24, 3 p.m. – Coastal Marine Life. Museum volunteers Dick Barmore and Elizabeth White will show photos and talk about microscopic marine monsters such as phytoplankton, as well as other strange sea life.
Thursday, June 25, 3 p.m. – Bonehenge. Museum Natural Science Curator and Cape Lookout Studies Program Director Keith Rittmaster will speak about sperm whale biology and will give an update on the status of the Bonehenge project. In January 2004, a 33.5’ male sperm whale washed ashore at Cape Lookout. The goal of the project is to prepare and reconstruct the skeleton for display in the N.C. Maritime Museum in Beaufort.
The N.C. Maritime Museum is located at 315 Front Street in Beaufort. It is part of the Division of State History Museums in the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources, the state agency dedicated to the promotion and protection of North Carolina’s arts, history and culture, with more information at www.ncculture.com.
Museum hours are Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m.-5 p.m., and Sunday 1-5 p.m. For more information, call Lori Duppstadt at (252) 728-7317 or go to www.ncmaritimemuseum.org.