From the static to the dynamic there are lots of exhibits and activities in store for those looking for fun and education during the fifth annual Butte County Museum Weekend.
For this yearly event, presented by Explore Butte County, 16 museums located throughout the county will open their doors at no charge to the public from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, Feb. 24 and 25.
“The purpose of the weekend is to promote and celebrate the arts, history and culture within Butte County,” said Nicole Farley, Explore Butte County executive director.
Special weekend offerings ranging from new exhibits to hands-on activities vary from museum to museum but each location is offering something special to visitors.
In addition to enjoying the current exhibits – “Leonardo d Vinci: Machine in Motion” and “Bombus! A Natural History of Bumblebees” — visitors to the Gateway Science Museum can participate in a scavenger hunt for prizes and in a KEVA plank tower contest to see who can build the tallest structure.
In celebration of its current Snow Goose Festival themed exhibit, the Museum of Northern California Art will be offering various bird-themed activities from collages to toilet paper roll sculptures while the Janet Turner Print Museum is offering a hands-on print making demonstration so participants can take home their own print.
Chico historian David Nopel will present at talk entitled “Another Peek at Chico,” at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. both Saturday and Sunday at the Chico History Museum.
Oroville’s “museum mile” offers the curious the opportunity to park once and take an easy walk between the five city-owned museums. It really is just about a mile to go from the C.F. Lott Home to the Feather River Nature Center and visit the Chinese Temple, Bolt’s Antique Tool Museum and the Pioneer History Museum along the way. And the museum mile takes visitors through the heart of historic downtown where there are plenty of places to stop for food, drink and shopping.
“There is so much to see and explore at city museums. I think people will enjoy discovering all that Oroville has to offer,” said Heather McCafferty city of Oroville cultural facilities curator. “There are so many great museums all situated in the historic downtown area, we hope people will come and make a day of it exploring the ‘museum mile.’”
Fresh exhibits at the Oroville museums include a new case display at the Pioneer Museum featuring historic survey equipment titled, “How the West was Measured” which highlights historical survey tools, including a portable surveyors set from the 1800s.
At the Lott Home, the Chico Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution has created a new display called “Yesterday and Tomorrow: Chico Chapter of NSDAR.”
The Chinese Temple has two new exhibits. One, donated by the Butte County Historical Society, focuses on the history of Oroville’s two Chinatowns. The other display, “A Changing China,” features new textiles donated to the temple.
Close to “museum mile” in the historic down town is the restored State Theatre which will be welcoming guests with musical demonstrations on the Mighty Wurlitzer Pipe Organ throughout both days.
The Butte County Historical Society Museum is hosting a display on beaver trapping, Bidwell Bar and a special exhibit from the South Oroville African American Historical Society as well as new display of recently donated artifacts from RCBS, world renowned manufacturer of firearms reloading tools.
“We’re also hosting a contest,” said Nancy Brower, BCHS board member. “We have a display of about 12 mystery items from the first half of the 20th Century. Each item has a number but no identification. Whoever can guess what they all are wins a gift certificate.”
This year’s event once again includes a Museum Weekend Passport. The passports will be available for pick-up at all museum sites. Museum goers who visit at least five participating locations and get their passports signed at each location will have access to special offers from local businesses including Bun Burger and Savor Ice Cream in Chico and Shake Tea, Provisions and Union in Oroville.
For a complete listing of participating museums, exhibits and activities visit explorebuttecounty.com/museum-weekend.
