Past shows through at museums
Sternberg Museum of Natural History
Four temporary exhibits will be on display at Fort Hays State University's Sternberg Museumof Natural History, on Sternberg Drive in Hays, in fall 2012.
"Charles Darwin and the Evolving Humanities" has been extended and will end sometime this fall. The exhibit explores the broad impact of Darwin's influential works. The exhibit was organized by Gene Kritsky of the Department of Biology at the College of Mount St. Joseph in Cincinnati.
"Rattlerssss: From Fear to Extinction" will start this fall and will have a collection of 22 species of rattlesnakes in the United States.
"Explore Evolution" features eight groundbreaking scientific studies of the evolutionary processes that have shaped life on Earth. The exhibition, which starts Sept. 22, is geared to young adults and offers engaging ways to understand processes such as natural selection as well as the effects of global climate change on evolution.
Those are just the traveling exhibits.
Permanent exhibits at the museum include the world famous "Fish Within a Fish" and a three-dimensional fossil preparation of a plesiosaur, a marine reptile.
Animatronic growling dinosaurs are featured along the late Cretaceous period walk. There are plenty of fossils and other natural history items to view.
Ongoing exhibits include "John Cody: Audubon of Moths," which shows Cody's fascination with giant silk moths through painting. Cody premieres new watercolors he creates in the ever-changing exhibit.
There is also the Discovery Room at Sternberg, a place for children to experience live animals and take part in hands-on projects, and an education floor with classrooms for learning activities.
Summer hours are 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and 1 to 6 p.m. Sundays through Labor Day. Winter hours are 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and 1 to 6 p.m. Sundays. For details, call (785) 628-4286 or visit sternberg.fhsu.edu.
Gift store hours are 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and 1 to 6 p.m. Sunday.
Admission prices are $8 for adults 13 through 59, $6 for seniors 60 and older, and $5 for youth 4 through 12. FHSU students with university identification cards are admitted for $4.
Memberships -- single, family and other groups -- are available, as well as group tour reservations at (785) 628-5298.
More information about the museum can be obtained by calling (785) 628-4286 or toll free at (877) 332-1165. The museum's website is sternberg.fhsu.edu.
Ellis County Historical Society
History from the Wild West through World War II can be viewed at Ellis County Historical Society Museum, 100 W. Seventh in Hays.
The saloon is a great place to learn to play cowboy card games.
The learning center for children has a photo gallery, try-on clothes, old-time toys, farm animals and diorama, and more.
The Stone Chapel, built in 1879, is the site of several temporary exhibits, including an annual wedding exhibit in June.
The Harness Shop, an original store from the early 1900s located on the grounds, displays saddles and other related items, telling the story of Ellis County ranchers.
The replica Volga-German Haus, also located on the museum grounds, tells the story of Ellis County's largest immigrant group, the Volga-Germans, who settled in Ellis County after temporarily relocating to Russia for more than 100 years.
Admission is $6 for adults, $2 for children ages 6 to 12. Historical society members and children under 5 are free.
Hours are 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and 1 to 6 p.m. Sunday. For details, call (785) 628-2624 or go to www.elliscountyhistoricalmuseum.org.
Chrysler Boyhood Home and Museum
Walter P. Chrysler Boyhood Home and Museum, 102 W. 10th in Ellis, was placed on the National Registry of Historical Buildings in 1952.
A 1924 Chrysler owned by Chrysler's grandson Frank Rhodes is on exhibit, along with the shotgun he used duck hunting, jewelry, books, photographs and a video of Chrysler's life.
From Labor Day weekend until Memorial Day weekend, hours are 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, and 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday. Summer hours are 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday.
More information is available by calling (785) 726-3636 or by going to www.chryslerboyhoodhome.com.
Ellis Railroad Museum
At the Ellis Railroad Museum, 911 Washington in Ellis, train lovers will enjoy the BKE miniature train ride on a one-third scale General Motors Aero Streamliner around a 2.5-mile track outside the building. Train runs, weather permitting.
Visitors can view railroad artifacts and more than 5,000 square feet of working model train layout.
There is an Ellis history room, Union Pacific caboose, model train display, depot room and depot building.
A doll museum is in the upper level, featuring more than 1,600 baby, clown, bride, Barbie and international dolls.
Museum hours are 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday from April to October. Hours November to March to be determined. Admission is $2 for anyone 12 and older and $1 for 5 to 12 years old.
More information can be found by contacting the museum at (785) 726-4493 or at ellisrrm@triohomecenter.com. The website is www.ellis.ks.us/rrmuseum.html.
Bukovina Society of the Americas
Bukovina Society, 718 Washington in Ellis, is in the former First Congregational Church with a library and a collection of artifacts from Bukovina immigrants. The collection includes coins, tools, stamps and hand-painted or beaded eggs.
In 1886, Bukovina German families began to settle in Ellis. Their descendants continue to make up a large percentage of the town's population. Through the decades, younger generations have somewhat lost their understanding of their homeland and ancestors' experience.
The Bukovina Society of the Americas was formed in 1988 to promote the recognition of the immigrants from Bukovina and encourage historical research of their heritage.
Tour information is available from Martha McClelland, who can be reached at info@bukovinasociety.org.
The website is www.bukovinasociety.org.