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309 S. Valley View Blvd., LV, 89107
inside Springs Preserve
By Joan Whitely
Dinosaur Discovery Family Night at Nevada State Museum, Las Vegas informed and entertained families over a scorching hot weekend. This free event, sponsored by the Friends of NSMLV, gave families access to the galleries and our unique Dinosaur Carnival.
Guests began their gallery and carnival adventure by following dinosaur tracks put in place by Pat Thacker.
Guests got quickly into the spirit because they had to enter the carnival through a dinosaur's mouth! Once inside, guests were treated to spectacular flowers and vines hung by NSMLV staff members Brenda Isaacs and Dewayne Johnston. There was also a menacing pterodactyl hanging from the ceiling. Music played throughout the carnival, punctuated by the occasional happy scream.
The carnival was managed by that dino-mite Friend, Joan Whitely. Joan staffed the event through a collaboration between the Friends, Boy Scout Troop 476, and the Clark County School District’s Jobs for Nevada's Graduates (JAG) program.
Carnival events included arts and crafts stations, the museum’s touch-me carts, and a selfie wall. [photos] Scouts staffed the Tracks and Scat station with realistic samples of animal poop that was a big hit with guests. Nick Dyer showed off some of the museum’s fossils. Giant building blocks and a Nevada puzzle showing the types of fossils found in each county were available to younger children. Bob Whitely, Haven Whitely and Greg Makarian helped families with selfies at a dinosaur mural painted especially for the event by Haven and Greg. Volunteer Mary Gafford offered dino food to visitors that included herbivore snacks (carrots), dino bones (pretzels), and other treats prepared by Elliot Meacham, Pat Thacker, and additional volunteers.
Generous donors provided raffle and door prizes for the event, and each guest received a stick-on dino. Kids were also given small plastic dinos. A one-year family membership donated by the museum was awarded as a door prize, along with other items. A fabulous stuffed dinosaur/dragon donated by Linda Miller was presented to the Baker family for best costume – the entire family wore dino t-shirts!
Maggie and Merritt Carlton staffed the check-in table, with help from Roc Riemer. Debbi and Jerry Halfhill managed the information table, sold raffle tickets, and awarded prizes. Special thanks to Stacy Irvin who generously loaned equipment from the education room, to Boy Scout Troop 476, Ann Wozniak Director of Resource Development at JAG Nevada, and Josh Arredondo JAG Advisor at Western High School.
Thanks to all the attendees and volunteers for another successful presentation.
Here are more photos from the event:
June 2018 was the two-year anniversary of the Friends of Nevada State Museum Las Vegas! Our mission is to assist Nevada State Museum Las Vegas (NSMLV) programs and activities by volunteering, fundraising, and promoting community interest in the museum.
It has been a busy year.
We would like to acknowledge the following people and organizations who answered the Friends’ call and contributed to the continued success and interest in the museum:
Nevada Humanities, who awarded us a grant to refresh trunks of history artifacts and lesson materials that travel to schools. We’d also like to thank Stacy Irvin, NSMLV Education Curator, who was instrumental in writing the grant application. Visitor survey results collected by the Friends were compiled and analyzed.
Thanks to major contributions by our corporate sponsor, HyperNetworks, as well as the State of Nevada, Jeff Alpert, Maggie Carlton, Robert Riemer, and Pat Thacker.
Thanks to your Friends Board who brought WIFI to the museum and provided a new downloadable museum tour. The Friends also worked with UNLV's Entertainment Engineering Department and Moment3D to create a new ichthyosaur-themed donation box for the museum.
Our crowdsourcing project to transcribe the museum's newspaper index is well underway. So far, about 15,000 cards have been transcribed. Special thanks to Annie MacDonald who contributed almost half the transcriptions!
The State of Nevada now funds school bus trips to the museum, based on our Bus Buddies program and thanks to the legislative efforts of Friends member Maggie Carlton.
Karan Feder, NSMLV Guest Curator of Textiles and Costumes, David Porcello, and Jana Schultz partnered with the Friends on Hats, Handbags, and History, a fundraising event which was managed by Sarah Hulme and Sue D'Agostino. Thanks to all those who donated handbags - you are too many to list!
The Friends also provided camera and computer equipment to the museum. Special thanks to Jeff Alpert, and Ron and Diane Dizon for their equipment contributions.
Thank you to Scott Dyer, Annie McDonald, Jaina Moan, Janice Sacramento, Gloria Sturman, Sali Underwood, and Robert Whitely for their generous cash donations during Nevada Gives.
We are grateful to all of you who contributed food, drinks, raffle prizes, and especially those who volunteered their time including Aaron Ardley, Nancy Brady, Cam Camburn, Chris Chen, Art Chesmore, Barbara Ciocca, Sue D'Agostino, Mary Gafford, Hollis J. Gillespie, Kim Grandusky, Debbi Halfhill, Donna Harper, Chris Hook, Carol Kirshman, Phyllis Lynn, Storm Marchese, Diana Mason, Terry Maxwell, Betty Miller, Stefania Moore, Dedee Nave, Wayne Pichler, Jacklynne Rico, Robert Riemer, Steve Shoaff, Sander Smiles, Judy Stebbins, Sherry Swan, Carol Swearingen, Pat Thacker, Johnny and Maria Vaught, Katy Wall, Dorothy White, Haven Whitely, and Robert Whitely.
Thanks again, everyone, and here’s to continuing successes!
Shae Smith Speaks About Preserve Nevada
By Cam Camburn
At the Friends’ meeting on July 19, Shae Smith Cox, Deputy Director of Preserve Nevada, presented an interesting synopsis about the work of this nonprofit organization.
Established in 2001 as a partnership with UNLV, Preserve Nevada is housed on the campus as part of the Department of History and the Public History Program. The Board of Directors' 13 members represent concerns from diverse parts of the state but share a common interest in Nevada’s preservation needs.
The “Winged Figures of the Republic” at Hoover Dam, created by artist Oskar J.W. Hansen was selected as the Preserve Nevada emblem. It conveys the mission of the organization: “to defend our historical heritages through networking, educational outreach and heritage education, and the creation of vibrant communities through preservation incentives and advocacy.” unlvpublichistory.com
Education outreach is one of the primary goals of Preserve Nevada and includes: partnering with the National Park Service, preparing lesson plans for students in kindergarten through high school, and linking with the Clark County School District for field trips.
Each year in April-May Preserve Nevada names Nevada’s 11 Most Endangered Historic Places. The 2018-2019 list includes:
Shae suggested the following sources to find out more information about Preserve Nevada:
Karan Feder Book Signing at Charleston Library
Karan Feder, Guest Curator of Costume and Textiles at the Nevada State Museum Las Vegas, discussed the history of the Folies Bergere at the West Charleston Library on July 17.
Her presentation included photos and anecdotes from her recently published book “The Folies Bergere in Las Vegas”. Karan reviewed the history of the Folies from its origin in Paris, France to its heyday in Las Vegas.
The Friends of NSMLV helped staff this event. Special thanks to Norm Kresge, Mina Coy, Barbara Ciocca, and Pat Thacker for volunteering!
| 2018 EVENTS, NV STATE MUSEUM, LV All events held at the museum and are free with paid admission or membership. No registration required unless otherwise noted. Friends general meetings are the 3rd Thurs. of month. The museum is at 309 S. Valley View Blvd., inside Springs Preserve, LV 89107 |
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| DATE | TIME | EVENT | SPEAKER/LEADER | CONTEXT |
| Sat August 4 | 1-5 pm | Bug Detectives | Education Room | Family Summer Program |
| Thurs Aug 16 | 6-7 pm | Those Dam Women - the Women that Helped Build the Hoover Dam | Dennis McBride, Director NSMLV | Friends General Meeting |
| Sat Aug 25 | 2-4 pm | Preserving Archaeology through Photography | Samantha Rubinson, State Historic Preservation Office | Southern NV Archaeology Speaker Series |
To see the complete schedule for the year, please go to our Events page.