NBC Charlotte Meetup at Discovery Place - July 25

NBC Charlotte (WCNC) is partnering with Discovery Place to host a meetup on Thursday, July 25, 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at the science museum in Uptown (301 N. Tryon St.). Here's how the event is being described by the organizers: "You can rub shoulders with NBC Charlotte’s own, grab some face time with your Twitter friends, snag a cocktail at the cash bar, play some games, win some prizes, engage in some science fun or jump in the photo booth for some silliness at Discovery Place..."

Admission to the meetup is free, but registration is required by visiting nbccharlotte.eventbrite.com. Capacity for the event is 500, and so far nearly 350 people have registered. The hashtag being used for the event is #WCNCmeetup (Twitter | Facebook | Instagram).

NBC Charlotte's Dianne Gallagher chats with a guest at last year's WCNC Tweetup.
Credit: wcnc.com

WCNC hosted a similar event last year at Icehouse South End, which I had the pleasure of attending, and I made several new connections. I think these types of events are a great idea. Most of us use social media these days, and we often "follow" or "friend" people on these sites whom we don't know personally or have never met in person. But because of your interaction with their tweets, status updates, and photo sharing, you feel as if you know them. So an event like what NBC Charlotte and Discovery Place are doing gives you the opportunity to continue your social networking--literally--but step beyond the virtual world.

I always encourage people to get out and network, no matter your profession or interests (remember, you can frequently find Charlotte networking events listed on my Dusk Till Dawn blog). As much as I rely on the Internet and social media, it'll never be a substitute for building actual one-on-one, face-to-face relationships. That was a part of the reasoning behind the "Charlotte’s Web: A Celebration of CLT Bloggers & Digital Tastemakers" event I put on in May.

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N.C. Science Festival; Free Events at Discovery Place

The North Carolina Science Festival has been underway for a week and a half now, showcasing science and  technology at museums, parks, public libraries, college campuses, and other cultural arts venues all across the state. The festival, now in its third year, wraps up this Sunday, April 29, so you have all week to check out some of the many events taking place this week in the Charlotte area, including a visit to Duke Energy, an exploration of electronic devices at Hackerspace Charlotte, a stream science hike at Latta Plantation Nature Center, and more (there's also a series of events called "Make it Rain," but it's not about throwing dollar bills on dancers).

A recent N.C. Science Festival event at Discovery Place. Source: twitter.com/discoveryplace.

There's a cost to attend several of the North Carolina Science Festival events, but some of them are free as well, including these two events listed below, taking place after-hours at Discovery Place, 301 N. Tryon St. Parking will be free also in the parking garage behind the museum (the gates will be open).

Tuesday, April 24
Nature on the Move: How Important Are We?
Join Patrick McMillan, the host, co‐creator, and writer of the popular and award‐winning ETV nature program Expeditions with Patrick McMillan and hear about how change is constant and humans have always played an integral part in that change. 6-7:30 p.m. Free. Click here for more details.

Thursday, April 26
Avian Adventure
See live birds and meet experts from Carolina Raptor Center, Mecklenburg Audubon Society, Companion Parrots Re-homed, Wing Haven, Master Falconer, Steve Hughes, and more. Learn how to attract, identify, and enjoy birds in your own backyard, find out about conservation efforts of both native and non-native birds, and hear about research in avian medicine. 5:30-7:30 p.m. Free. Click here for more details.

www.ncsciencefestival.org

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'Mummies of the World' Opens at Discovery Place

I went on a media tour of Mummies of the World this morning and it's far more intricate than the King Tut exhibit I remember going to see when I was a kid. Mummies of the World officially opens to the public at Discovery Place tomorrow, November 11 (11-11-11, how fitting for this tomb-esque exhibit) and runs through April 8, 2012. It's the Southern U.S. premiere for MOTW, which is the largest exhibition of real human and animal mummies ever assembled, with more than 150 specimens.

Discovery Place is a science museum, of course, and that's what's really at the heart of this traveling exhibit (Charlotte is one of only seven cities that will show it). It's fascinating to see how these mummies have been preserved for centuries and how scientists study them to learn about cultures, the environment, historical eras, and even diseases.

"The Tattooed Woman" is from Chile, believed to have lived before 1400. She's noted for her unusual tattoos--an oval with a dot inside on both breasts and her mouth.

Walking through the exhibit, you'll experience a range of emotions. One of the first pieces you'll encounter is the "Monkey Mummy." This howler monkey is from Argentina and is believed to have been naturally preserved in the warm, dry environment of the area. But what makes it stand out is that it's displayed with a feather skirt and feather wreath around its head and neck--a fancy monkey it is, that'll have you going "awwww." But as you proceed through MOTW, you'll encounter other pieces such as a South American mummy of a woman and her two children that'll leave you a little sad. These are, after all, the remains of people who once lived.

MOTW is a 12,000-square-foot exhibition so you'll journey through many sections, several of which are defined by the region where the mummies were discovered. I captured a short video, which you can see below, of a display in the European Mummies section. In the video is the Orlovits family, also known as the Vac Mummies, a husband, wife, and son group of mummies from the 18th century who were found in a long-forgotten church crypt in Vac, Hungary.

Admission to Mummies of the World is $24 for adults; $18 for children ages 2-13 (you might want to think carefully about letting small children see it); and, $20 for students with ID and seniors ages 60 and older. All tickets include full-day admission to Discovery Place. For more details, visit www.discoveryplace.org or www.mummiesoftheworld.com.

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Black History Tribute: 'RACE' and 'COURAGE' Exhibits

Each day this week, I'm spotlighting a Charlotte-area person or organization that is making black history.

There are two extremely important and culturally relevant exhibits on display at Charlotte museums: RACE: Are We So Different? at Discovery Place and COURAGE: The Carolina Story That Changed America at Levine Museum of the New South. Each of these exhibits gives context and insight into what we think we know, and if you visit them you should walk away with a level of understanding that could shape how you view issues we're currently facing in society.

RACE is a project of American Anthropological Association and is on display at Discovery Place until May 8. The traveling exhibit offers visitors an opportunity to explore the science of human variation, the history of the idea of race, and the contemporary experience of race and racism in the U.S. According to the exhibit and contrary to what we're accustomed to, science has shown that humankind cannot be divided into races or categories. Genetically, humans fall on a continuum--short to tall, thin to fat, pale to dark--and there are no clear places to divide people into groups.

RACE is explored through interactive activities, multimedia presentations, contemporary and historical photography, unique artifacts, and thought-provoking questions. There are more than 30 exhibits and activities in the 5,000-square-foot exhibition. Highlights of the experience include:

• The Colors We Are: Visitors scan their skin and watch the image appear on the screen next to dozens of other visitors. Then, participants are challenged to consider whether skin shade equals race.
• Who’s Talking: Visitors are invited to match voices they hear with people in photos based on speech patterns and inflection. The results are surprising.
• The Hapa Project: Through photographs and words of people who consider themselves to be multiracial. Museum-goers experience issues of race and racial categories.
• Creating Race: Tells the story of how the idea of race was created in the 17th and 18th centuries in response to political, economic and social forces.

For more details on RACE: Are We So Different?, visit www.discoveryplace.org.

Next, we go from race to education--actually to an exhibit that's primarily about race and education. COURAGE is on display at Levine Museum through January 2012. The exhibit tells the story of the Rev. J.A. De Laine and other brave citizens of Clarendon County, S.C., who brought the first lawsuit in America challenging racial segregation in public schools. Combined with four other national lawsuits, the result was the 1954 Supreme Court decision Brown v. Board of Education, which ruled that racial segregation of schools was unconstitutional.

COURAGE is comprised of personal histories, photographs, artifacts, and interactive components, including one that shows you how far some black children in Clarendon County had to walk to school when the local school district wouldn't provide buses for them (nine miles, which is the equivalent of walking from Uptown Charlotte to Carowinds).

Even though the exhibit chronicles a period in our history that those of us who were born after can't even fathom how segregation could've existed for so long, it should help us put our current challenges into perspective. Nearly 60 years later, we still aren't providing equal education to all children in this country, because that essentially is what the Rev. J.A. De Laine and members of his community wanted for their children--and was one of the primary issues during the Civil Rights Movement.

It's also inspiring to know how the De Laine children went on to become college educated and have successful careers, despite all of the hurdles they faced. The Rev. De Laine’s daughter Ophelia is a retired college professor living in New Jersey; son B.B. is a retired educator; and son Joe is a retired chemist. B.B. and Joe live here in Charlotte.

For more details on COURAGE: The Carolina Story That Changed America, visit www.museumofthenewsouth.org.

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IMAX Is the Way to Go, I'm Telling You

Exactly a month ago, I blogged about how you should "Experience Movies Differently In Charlotte," with one of those ways being the IMAX Dome Theatre at Discovery Place in uptown. Well, yesterday I took my own advice and went to see Dark Knight at the IMAX. My brother and I took our three nephews (ages 9, 11, and 12) and my girlfriend met us there. None of us had seen Dark Knight yet. I'm glad we saw it there.

The reason I'm on here talking about IMAX again is because I don't hear enough people, at least not my friends, talking about it. When most speak of going to the movies they usually talk about going to one of the AMC theaters on South Boulevard, at Concord Mills or Northlake malls, or one of the other multiplexes around town. Those are all fine and dandy and show a large variety of movies so it usually makes most sense to go to the one nearest you. IMAX only shows one mainstream film at a time (the other two that play are usually science or history films, often coinciding with an exhibit at Discovery Place).

It felt like he was looking at me.

So you don't have a whole lot of options at IMAX, but if you were planning to see Dark Knight, I promise you would have enjoyed it more there. (I'm speaking in past tense because many of you have likely seen it already. It spent four weeks as the number one movie in the country until Tropic Thunder knocked it off this weekend.) The three-story screen, which hovers above you, makes you feel as if you're in the movie. And that's a great experience for an action-packed movie like Dark Knight.

I'm not sure what the next movie to show at the IMAX will be. One of them probably would've been Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, originally scheduled to be released November 21, but on Thursday Warner Bros. announced it would be moving the release date to next summer. (Click here to read how that move left Entertainment Weekly with egg on its face).

So my point is, do yourself a favor and put the IMAX theater on your radar from now on. I want to see more people my age there instead of throngs of kids like the ones who sat behind us kicking the seat (we went in the afternoon, so I'm sure the night showings have more adults).

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Hancock, Dark Knight—Experience Movies Differently In Charlotte

I went to see Hancock at the AMC Northlake 14 Theatre (at Northlake Mall) last night. I'm not here to tell you what I thought of the movie (I thought it was great) because why would you care what I think about a movie? But I am here to share with you that I went to see the 9:15 p.m. movie and my ticket cost only $5. I was astounded. I was truly expecting to hand over an Alexander Hamilton and not get back any change. But $10 is only the cost of tickets on the weekend after 4 p.m. Tickets are only five bucks all day Monday through Thursday; and Friday, Saturday, and Sunday before 4 p.m.

Maybe many of you knew that, but I didn't. Besides, I don't go to the movies a lot anyway. I like to think that I'm more creative when it comes to a night out (last night I took my teenage cousins who are in town visiting). Chicks I've dated will tell you that I hardly ever took them to the movies. And no, it's not because I'm cheap. But when I do go to the movies, I'm more likely to go to either Ballantyne Village Theatre or the IMAX Dome Theatre at Discovery Place. And I'll tell you why.

At Ballantyne Village Theatre, if you haven't heard by now, they serve alcohol. Yep, you can have beer or wine while watching a movie. They also have a small, selective menu that includes sushi, pizza, and cheesecake. BVT shows only independent and art films, so it also provides an opportunity for you to become more enlightened than with your typical big-budget blockbuster. Tickets range from $7.25 for a matinee to $9.25 for an evening flick.

Go see this movie at Ballantyne Village Theatre if you want to feel intellectual.

And the reason the IMAX is cool is, of course, because of the three-story high, 80-foot wide screen. But also because it usually shows one mainstream film at a time, in addition to its science films that often coincide with an exhibit at the museum. I wouldn't go see a film on dinosaurs or whales, but I'm going to see Dark Knight, which opens there tomorrow. A couple of years ago, IMAX theatres began releasing their films simultaneously with the mainstream release (in the past, the IMAX films, which have to be greatly modified in size, would open months after the original). Dark Knight is sold out all weekend at IMAX, by the way. Tickets are $11.

Go see this movie at the IMAX if you want to feel badass.

What I've shared with you isn't anything out of the ordinary or particularly special. But it's probably different from what you're accustomed to. So fellas, if you must take a chick to see a flick, take her someplace where she can enjoy wine and sushi. Or where she can see Batman the size of a three-story building. Man Law.

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