For Immediate Release:
May 24, 2024
Contact:
Marie Cheek
Community Relations Coordinator
Culture & Heritage Museums
www.chmuseums.org
803.909.7312 mcheek@chmuseums.org
“Fascinating Forests Family Day” at Museum of York County offers fun activities featuring the Carolina Piedmont’s woodland ecosystems and agents of decomposition
ROCK HILL, S.C. – Museum of York County kicks off the summer with a special one-day only event – “Fascinating Forests Family Day.” Celebrate our fascinating Carolina Piedmont forests and the wonderful plants, animals, and bugs that live here. Engaging activities for learners of all ages reveal the things that make forests grow and ways to help preserve forests for future generations.
Brimming with games, crafts, and other fun activities, “Fascinating Forests Family Day” at Museum of York County offers Backyard Bird Bingo, ID the Tree, ID the Scat, Make a Mushroom Cap Print, Animal Homes for Rent, Live Snail Derby, and Fungi Photo Ops.
Planetarium Show: “Ecosystems” introduces the concepts of ecosystems and features decomposers at work. Filmed in Upstate South Carolina, this 15-minute show runs every 30 minutes, starting at 10:30 a.m. and with last show beginning at 3 p.m.
Settle in and enjoy a good book reading — “Fungi Grow” is an award-winning, nonfiction picture book for all ages that illustrates the fabulous fungi around us. Written by Maria Gianferrari and illustrated by Diana Sudyka, “Fungi Grow” will be read every hour.
Concessions available for purchase at the Outdoor Food Tent include hot dog plates, chips, refreshments, and ice cream.
WHAT: Fascinating Forests Family Day
WHERE: Museum of York County, 4621 Mt. Gallant Rd., Rock Hill, S.C. 29732
WHEN: Saturday, June 1 from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
ADMISSION: Online pre-registration encouraged; Time-ticketed entry; Limited walkups.
$10. Adults; $8. Seniors; $6. Youth; Free to CHM members and children under age 3.
VISITORS SERVICES: 803.329.2121
WEBSITE: chmuseums.org.
Museum of York County’s Special Exhibits:
“Decomposers Glow” — Nature, art, and technology come together for an awe-inspiring landscape of illuminated snails and mushrooms. Created by Meredith Connelly, a Charlotte, N.C. based and award-winning multidisciplinary artist, the site-specific installation portrays the agents of decomposition in hand-constructed and 3D printed sculptures. “Decomposers Glow” is open from May 10 – Nov. 10, 2024.
“Return to Earth” — Leading viewers into Connelly’s “Decomposers Glow,” a concurrent exhibit highlights the variety and importance of nature’s agents of decomposition. “Return to Earth” features photographs of actual fungi by Mike Hammer, painted mushroom models, a Carolina Piedmont snail shell collection, and two-dimensional cut paper works by Meredith Connelly that reference nature’s microscopic structures. “Return to Earth” on exhibit at Museum of York County from May 4 – Dec. 15, 2024.
“Endless Trail” — More of Mike Hammer’s photography is on exhibit in the museum’s Nature Nook Gallery. “Endless Trail” features the natural settings of the Carolina Piedmont and beyond, capturing the uniquely beautiful moments of each season.
See the full calendar of programs, events, and planetarium shows on Culture & Heritage Museums’ website: chmuseums.org
IMAGES:
1. Fascinating Forests Family Day features a live Snail Derby
2. Museum of York County’s Nature Trail is a great place to spot mushrooms
3. A young learner views the museum’s summer exhibit “Decomposers Glow”
GOOD TO KNOW:
As part of the Museums for All initiative, Museum of York County offers year-round access with reduced rates for low-income families; visit museums4all.org for more information.
Museum of York County is KultureCity® Certified and Sensory InclusiveTM.
Museum of York County and all CHM sites are Blue-Star-Museums offering free admission to the nation’s active-duty military personnel and their families, including National Guard and Reserve, from Armed Forces Day through Labor Day.
Museum of York County highlights the natural history of the Carolina Piedmont through award-winning exhibits, planetarium shows, and special programs. The major permanent exhibit “Ice Age Carolinas: Exploring Our Pleistocene Past” is a journey-back-in-time experience that features the strange, gigantic, and fantastic beasts that once roamed the Carolinas. The Naturalist Center, with over 2,500 natural history specimens, provides hands-on opportunities for self-guided discovery and educational programs. The Settlemyre Planetarium presents a changing array of full-dome digital planetarium shows. The Museum Store has a selection of local handmade pottery and goods, locally produced food products, and nature-themed gifts. Outside, the museum has a picnic facility and a three-quarter mile nature trail.
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