Social - May 2002

Take a quick trip to the outer limits of imagination

Soar into space, climb into caves

By DIANE TURBYFILL, LTN Staff Writer

May 17, 2002 - GASTONIA — They are portals to distant galaxies, passages to the bowels of the earth  — the Schiele Museum of Natural History’s hallways lead visitors on voyages to the stars and expeditions through bear-inhabited caves.

The museum, located on East Garrison Blvd., has five permanent galleries: the North Carolina Hall of Natural History, the Hall of North American Habitats, the Hall of North American Wildlife, the Elizabeth W. Robinson Hall of Earth and Moon and the Henry Hall of the American Indian.

Supplemented by traveling exhibits, museum displays can transport visitors to a North American swamp or a Catawba Indian settlement.

Soft soundtracks add realism to the exhibits. In the Henry Hall of the American Indians, the steady beat of a drum and chants bring the scene to life.

But the sounds of delighted children reacting to what they see is easily heard over the special effects. They gasp, laugh and talk about their favorite exhibits.

And many return, over and over again.

“We’ve been here a lot of times,” 4-year-old Nick Barnhill said during a recent visit.

And still he seems amazed.

Before heading over to the puppet show area, Nick’s twin brother Davis stopped to look at an Everglades display where an enormous still-life alligator is shown seeking his prey.

“Now that’s what I call art,” he said.

Nick and Davis often visit the museum with their grandparents Lander and Lois Barnhill.

“They had the new bear exhibit, and they wanted to come see it,” the boys’ grandmother said.

“Ursa Major! The Great Bears of North America” leads the brave-of-heart through caves where a bear skeleton and mounted black, grizzly, Kodiak, and polar bears stand tall, fangs and claws extended.

An exhibit opening Saturday will take viewers to the outer limits.

“Space Toys” will revisit 50 years of movie and television space science fiction. Robotics, alien life replicas, and other space science topics will be displayed in this nostalgic collection of 300 toys, robot models, aliens, spacecraft, and inventions.

A further exploration of outer space is available in the museum’s 152-seat James H. Lynn Planetarium. Programs lasting about 45 minutes area shown several times a day.

Outside of the museum, a nature trail leads to an 18th-century Backcountry farm. The farm contains a log cabin and kitchen, barn, blacksmith shop, woodworking shop, and several other outbuildings

The Catawba Indian Village — a replicated prehistoric bark-covered house, a large council house and two log cabins — is also located along the nature trail, telling the story of the Catawba Indian people from prehistoric times through the 1800s.

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The Schiele Museum is open Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from 1 to 5 p.m. Admission is $2 for adults and $1 for students and seniors. Tickets for traveling exhibits and the planetarium are sold separately.

For more information call the museum at 704-866-6900.

© 2001 Lincoln Times-News  

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