For plenty of free activities this June, look no further than the N.C. Museum of History in Raleigh. Swashbuckling fun awaits you at Family Day: Pirates in Colonial Carolina on Saturday, June 6. This large event features pirate re-enactors, sword-fighting demonstrations and more. Admission is free to the exhibit Knights of the Black Flag on June 6.
Later in June, catch a performance by master blues musician Scott Ainslie, hear a talk about southern stereotypes in cartoons, or attend a lecture on Hollywood’s perceptions of piracy.
There is all this and more at the N.C. Museum of History in downtown Raleigh. Parking is free on weekends.
PROGRAMS
*Time for Tots: Skiffs, Sharpies and Sailing Ships
Tuesday, June 2 or June 9
10-10:45 a.m.
Ages 3-5 with adult
To register, call 919-807-7992.
Learn about different kinds of boats and make a sailing vessel to take home.
*History Corner: Pirate Lore
Thursday, June 4
10-11 a.m.
Ages 5-9 with adult
To register, call 919-807-7992.
North Carolina’s coastline was once a haven for pirates. Hear tales about some of the most notorious buccaneers to sail along the Outer Banks. The program is presented with Cameron Village Regional Library.
*Artist at Work: Jim Goodwin
Friday, June 5, noon-2 p.m.
Saturday, June 6, 11 a.m.-4 p.m.
Sunday, June 7, 1-3 p.m.
This is a drop-in program.
Ever wonder how a ship gets into a bottle? Come see Jim Goodwin craft model boats and insert them into their glass ports, sails and all.
Free admission to Knights of the Black Flag
Saturday, June 6
9 a.m.-5 p.m.
See this major exhibit free of charge, and take part in Family Day: Pirates in Colonial Carolina.
*Family Day: Pirates in Colonial Carolina
Saturday, June 6
11 a.m.-4 p.m.
Learn how pirates have been a part of North Carolina’s legends and history! Meet pirate re-enactors, learn how to tie nautical knots, try your hand at navigation, and make crafts. Find out why pirates were welcome here during the 1700s. Admission to Knights of the Black Flag is free all day.
Some of the day’s activities are as follows:
• Go on a treasure hunt through the exhibit Knights of the Black Flag.
• Find out about life aboard a sailing ship.
• Learn some of the games pirates played.
• Watch craftspeople create a ship in a bottle or make iron nails at a forge.
• Hear from someone who dives to the underwater site of the shipwreck believed to be Blackbeard’s flagship, Queen Anne’s Revenge.
• Tie a sailing knot or two, and learn about the Sea Scouts.
• Find out about early colonial life in North Carolina.
• Make your own model boat.
• Learn about state historic sites and museums.
Curator’s Tour: Inaugural Style
Sunday, June 7
2:30-3:30 p.m.
Louise Benner, Curator of Costume and Textiles
Enjoy an illustrated talk on the inaugural fashions of past North Carolina first ladies. Then take a special tour of Elected to Serve: North Carolina’s Governors to view Governor Bev Perdue’s 2009 Inaugural Ball gown.
History à la Carte: Comic Stripped
Wednesday, June 10
12:10-1 p.m.
Bring your lunch; beverages provided.
Tom Hanchett, Historian, Levine Museum of the New South
Get a revealing look at southern stereotypes in cartoons and see how artists have portrayed the South in comic strips ranging from Snuffy Smith and Li’l Abner to King of the Hill and Kudzu.
*Make It, Take It: Pirate Flags
Saturday, June 13
1-3 p.m.
This is a drop-in program.
Identify the flags of some of the fiercest pirates to sail the seven seas. Then make your own Jolly Roger to take home.
*Music of the Carolinas: Scott Ainslie
Sunday, June 14
3-4 p.m.
With his fiery guitar picking and slide work and a voice filled with power, master blues musician Scott Ainslie honors the African and American roots of the blues tradition. PineCone co-sponsors the performance.
A Pirate’s Life for Me?
Saturday, June 27
2-3 p.m.
To register, call 919-807-7992 by June 24.
Dr. Charles Ewen, Director of Archaeology Laboratories, East Carolina University
How has the popular perception of pirates influenced the historical interpretation of piracy? An examination of historical documents and the archaeological record suggest that Hollywood hasn’t gotten it all wrong. A reception follows the program.
SUMMER CAMPS 2009
Spaces are still available in two summer camps for completed grades 6-8. One of the camps, History Training Shop, takes you behind the scenes at the museum. The other camp focuses on the 1920s and 1930s in North Carolina. The fee for each camp is $85 per person, $75 for Museum Associates members. Need-based scholarships are available. Visit ncmuseumofhistory.org for complete information or call 919-807-7979.
For more information about June programs, call 919-807-7900 or access ncmuseumofhistory.org. The museum is located at 5 E. Edenton St., across from the State Capitol. Parking is available in the lot across Wilmington Street.
* marks programs of interest to children or families
The N.C. Museum of History’s hours are Monday through Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday, noon to 5 p.m. Admission is free. The museum is part of the Division of State History Museums, Office of Archives and History, an agency of the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources. The department’s Web site is www.ncculture.com.