2008 Woodie Awards
Your free time gets an education
Toni Merriss
Issue date: 3/30/06 Section: Features
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Okay, so the mere thought of something educational added to your already busy schedule of schoolwork may seem a bit insane. However, according to Margie Connor, marketing manager for the Anniston Museum, this is not just any museum.
"This is a world class museum," said Conner. "People don't realize that it is a pretty big deal. We are actually an affiliate of the Smithsonian, which lets us change our displays quite often because they lend us a lot of stuff."
So, I decided to tour the museum to see if it was fun, like Connor claims, or whether it is something you should dread doing, even for a class assignment.
As expected, some parts of the museum can seem to last forever, but there are also the parts that bring out the true "kid" in all of us.
"Nature Space," a section of the museum that lets both kids and adults combine Alabama's natural history with hands-on exhibits is so interesting that no one realizes that they are learning.
The activities include nature rubbings, where you can make "carbon-copies" of fossils, a sandpit where you can dig for artifacts and a platform that mimics a minor earthquake.
A mineral display is on loan from the Smithsonian in the changing gallery. The exhibit showcases minerals from sulfur to pyrite (fool's gold). In June, they will change their display to include an egg exhibit. This exhibit goes along with the Bird Hall, one of the permanent areas.
The Bird Hall is a popular attraction for many JSU biology students. Some professors take their classes there on field trips. Paola Rivera, a sophomore from El Salvador, recently viewed the hall with her class.
"I was not expecting to be so interested in everything there," said Rivera. "I would actually like to go back sometime when I have a chance to go through the entire museum and check out everything. It was a lot of fun and I would recommend going to anyone."
"Our Bird Hall is very special because it is one of the oldest of its type in the entire United States," said Conner. "The Egg exhibition is really going to compliment that. We are developing this display completely in-house, and it is going to feature hundreds of eggs from all different bird species."
The Egg Exhibition is planned as a 'family-friendly' spot and will have hands-on activities for kids. There will be an ostrich cutout with a nest children can play in and an eagle's nest they can climb up to and sit in.
One of the live animal displays is located in the Attack & Defense Hall. There, the museum houses half a dozen snakes that can be quite entertaining. If you time it right, (Tuesdays, mid-afternoon) you can watch them feed and witness the different attack methods of each species.
A few of the 'feeding times' I witnessed were those of the Southern Copperhead, Timber Rattlesnake and both the Gray and Red Rat snakes.
The Southern Copperhead and Timber Rattlesnakes attack quickly, injecting a hematotoxic venom to paralyze their prey, in this case small white mice.
The Gray Rat Snake and the Red Rat Snake are constrictors that suffocate their victims before devouring them.
Watch out for that Gray snake. He killed all three mice that were thrown in the cage and still looked a little hungry.
The last display before the exit is "Mystery of the Mummies," which includes two very real mummies from ancient Egypt. Ancient Egyptians could not imagine an end to their life and so were embalmed for eternity.
Mummification was very common during this time. How well it was done depended on a person's wealth and social class. The more wealthy the person, the better service they got. Very much like many treatments in today's society.
The mummies on display both had mid-level mummifications, indicating that they were not rich but not poor, either working class or lower middle class.
Due to past research, many questions have been answered about the mummies and the process they went through post mortem. But many questions still remain.
Some questions are being researched by scientists while you read this and some. . . well, I suppose that is why the exhibit is called "Mystery of the Mummies".
"In the Anniston Museum of Natural History, there is something for everyone," said Conner. "So instead of people thinking that this is something they will get around to doing one day, should spare the time and make that day today."
Something that will possibly persuade those that are still a little reluctant to go to the museum is that, with a valid JSU student ID, admission is free. They also offer free admission every Thursday after 1 p.m. Their regular hours are Tuesday - Saturday 10 a.m.-5 p.m. and Sunday 1-5 p.m. For more information, call at 256-237-6766.