State Museum of Pennsylvania Announces May Highlights

HARRISBURG, Pa., April 23, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The State Museum of Pennsylvania today announced its program schedule for May:

Harrisburg's 3rd in the Burg: On Friday, May 18, at 5:30 p.m., The State Museum's May "3rd in the Burg" event features the Harrisburg Jewish Film Festival screening of Intimate Grammar. Awarded "Best Feature Film" at the 2010 Jerusalem International Film Festival, this adaptation of a best-selling book spans three years in the life of young Aharon Kleinfeld, a sensitive soul striving to survive his parents and his own delayed puberty in a 1960s-era housing development. Tickets are $8 and available at the door. For more information about the 18th annual Jewish Film Festival, May 13-20 at The State Museum, visit http://www.hbgjff.com.

DOSHI Gallery Exhibit & Program: The Susquehanna Art Museum (SAM) of Harrisburg presents "Art is an Entree, Not a Dessert," a juried group exhibition, on view at The State Museum through July 15. On Sunday, May 20, at 2 p.m., SAM will present a lecture in conjunction with the exhibit by Syngred Briddell of the Magnificent Minds Project (a non-profit organization that promotes artists with mental/emotional disabilities) who will discuss the topic Art Heals, examining ways that art can help heal a person's mind, soul and body. Free to the public with museum general admission. SAM members and State Museum Affiliate Members receive free general admission. 

Summer Day Camps: Reservations are open for two special one-day summer camps in July at The State Museum. Fossil Day Camps will be offered Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, July 18, 19, and 20, for children ages 9 to 12 years old.  Archaeology/Native Americans Camp will be offered Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, July 25, 26, and 27, for children ages 7 to 10 years old.  Both camps, which include hands-on activities and are led by State Museum educators, are one-day courses, held from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. The cost is $30 per child or $25 per child for State Museum Affiliate Members.  Reservations may be made by calling 717-772-6997.  Spaces are limited and offered on a first-come, first-served basis.

Featured Planetarium Shows through May 27:

• "Stars" (grade 3 and up).  Journey to the furthest reaches of our galaxy and experience both the awesome beauty and destructive power of stars.  Narrated by Mark Hamill.  Saturdays, 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.; Sundays, 1 p.m.

• "Passport to the Universe" (grade 4 and up).  Narrated by two-time Academy Award-winner Tom Hanks, this exhilarating flight through a precise, virtual re-creation of our universe is an astounding visual adventure through space.  Saturdays, noon and 2 p.m.; Sundays, 2 p.m.

The State Museum Store: The State Museum Store is open Wednesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Sunday, noon to 4 p.m. Purchases support the ongoing educational mission of The State Museum of Pennsylvania. 

Closed on Memorial Day: The State Museum's administrative offices and galleries will be closed on Monday, May 28, for Memorial Day.

The State Museum of Pennsylvania, adjacent to the State Capitol in Harrisburg, is one of 25 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 era, 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 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday, noon to 5 p.m. Admission is $5 for adults, $4 for children and senior citizens.

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

Media contact: Howard Pollman, 717-705-8639

SOURCE Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission