State Museum of Pennsylvania Announces May Highlights

Harrisburg, PA – The State Museum of Pennsylvania today announced its program schedule for May 2017:

StoryTime: Jump Frog Jump by Robert Kalan – Friday, May 5 10:00 AM -11:00 AM

Gather with us in Curiosity Connection to learn about frogs! Sing a song, play a fun frog game and enjoy our story Jump, Frog, Jump by Robert Kalan. 

StoryTime is our popular reading series for children ages 3 to 5 years old. Each reading is held in one of our galleries and is followed by a play activity or related hands-on artifacts. StoryTime is included with general admission.

Presentation & Book Signing: Nancy Moses - Wednesday, May 17 5:00 PM – 6:00 PM

Please join us for a special presentation by Nancy Moses who will discuss her new book, Stolen, Smuggled, Sold: On the Hunt for Cultural Treasures at The State Museum of Pennsylvania. Author Nancy Moses, Chair of the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, will share her fascinating work exploring iconic cultural treasures and the provocative issues they raise.

This event is free and open to the public. Reservations not required, but RSVPs preferred. Contact (717) 787-2407 or RA-paheritage@pa.gov.

This event is co-presented by The State Museum of Pennsylvania and the Pennsylvania Heritage Foundation.

 

The Planetarium at The State Museum of Pennsylvania: The planetarium is offering two shows from May 6 through June 4:

 

Solar Superstorms (grade 6 and up):
A fury is building on the surface of the sun: high-velocity jets, a fiery tsunami wave that reaches 100,000 kilometers high and rising loops of electrified gas. What’s driving these strange phenomena? How will they affect planet Earth? Find the answers as we venture into the seething interior of our star.
Narrated by Benedict Cumberbatch

  

Saturday 11:00 AM & 1:30 PM

Sunday 1:30 PM

 

Compass, Calendar, and Clock (6th Grade and up)

As our ancients learned, the sky is not just a thing of beauty... it is our window for the position of our planet. Understanding how our planet is aligned with the distant stars allows anyone to use the sky as a compass, a calendar and a clock. This traditionally-styled show asks the questions . . . How can you use the Moon tell time? How does the Sun help us find directions? See how mankind has used the sky to tell time, track yearly cycles, and find direction. Come learn how to use the sky yourself!

This is a production of the Jenks Planetarium of the Jenks Public School District.

     

Saturday 11:30 PM & 2:00 PM

Sunday 2:00 PM

 

Planetarium shows are $3 per person in addition to general admission. Planetarium admission is free to members of the State Museum Affiliate and the Pennsylvania Heritage Foundation.

 

Featured Exhibits:

 

Pennsylvania at War: World War I Posters from the Pennsylvania State Archives

Offering a fascinating glimpse at how valued American symbols and ideals were used to mobilize the country for war in Europe, this display features a sampling of the nearly 500 World War I posters housed within the permanent collections of the Pennsylvania State Archives.

Pennsylvania At War: World War I Posters from the Pennsylvania State Archives will be on exhibit through November 12, 2017.

 

Pennsylvania at War: The Saga of the USS Pennsylvania:

This display spotlights the history and artifacts of the USS Pennsylvania. Launched shortly before the U.S. entered World War I and later damaged during the bombing of Pearl Harbor, the USS Pennsylvania served as the flagship of the U.S. Navy.  Chronicling the ship’s incredible witness to history, this special display features an intricately detailed, scale model of the USS Pennsylvania that depicts the ship as it appeared during the 1930s.The display highlights the majestic centerpiece from the ship’s official Silver Service, uniforms, personal effects of crew members and a shrapnel fragment taken from the USS Pennsylvania in the days after it was damaged by a torpedo in 1945. Pennsylvania at War will be on display through Saturday, December 30, 2017.

 

The State Museum of Pennsylvania, adjacent to the State Capitol in Harrisburg, is one of 24 historic sites and museums administered by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission as part of the Pennsylvania Trails of History. The State Museum offers expansive collections interpreting Pennsylvania’s fascinating heritage. With exhibits examining the dawn of geologic time, the Native American experience, the colonial and revolutionary eras, a pivotal Civil War battleground, and the commonwealth's vast industrial age, The State Museum demonstrates that Pennsylvania's story is America’s story.

 

Museum hours are Wednesday through Saturday 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM and Sunday 12:00 PM to 5:00 PM.  Admission is $7 for adults (ages 12-64), $6 for senior citizens (ages 65 and up), and $5 for children (ages 1-11).

 

For more information about the museum, visit www.statemuseumpa.org.

 

MEDIA CONTACT: Howard Pollman, 717-705-8639