The Museum of Natural Sciences celebrated the opening of the Nature Research Center with a 24-hour festival that began on Friday, April 20 at 4 p.m ., at the Main Museum and Bicentennial Plaza.
Visitors were able to take part in activities and presentations and interact with exhibitors and vendors during the 24 hours. Many of the activities and performances were held at the SECU Daily Planet Stage, adjacent to the Bicentennial Plaza Stage. Contributors to the events included NASA, the N.C . Science Festival and Burt’s Bees.
A pre-show concert, which included Shaw University Jazz Band, began the festivities. Afterwards, Beverly Botsford , a cross cultural percussionist and educator, called forth all drummers and participants to begin the Grand Procession.
The Grand Procession started at 4:30 p.m . at the Executive Mansion and ended at the SECU Daily Planet stage, located beside the Nature Research Center.
The official Natural Research Center opening ceremony started at 5 p.m .
The Opening Ceremony featured many special guests, including Chuck Davis and The African American Dance Ensemble, an internationally famous troupe based in Durham. Chuck Davis gave a speech during the ceremony focusing on positive change and unity, during which he greeted the crowd in several languages.
“Peace, love and respect for everybody. I ask everyone to give hugs to three people who they don’t know here at the ceremony. I also ask everyone to partake in the performance which represents seven different ethnic groups,” Davis said.
Waters collected from different sources around the world were then brought to the stage to symbolize the global theme of the Nature Research Center.
Specially commissioned vessels, created by Seagrove clay artists, and a single large pottery piece, created by Mark Hewitt, were used to connect culture with nature in the ceremony.
Following Davis were speakers Dr.Betsy Bennet , director of the N.C . Museum of Natural Science, Dr. Meg Lowman , director of the Nature Research Center, Dr. John Grunsfeld , associate administer for the Science Mission Directorate, and many more.
“What we’re gathered here to celebrate today is bigger than what we are. This is the new home of our department of research. We know the people of North Carolina, who will realize the benefits of this new center through each child of our state,” Bennet said.
At the conclusion of the ceremony, the doors of the Nature Research Center opened with the cutting of a native plant. Visitors took tours on pre-determined routes through the new wing.
Inside, visitors had the opportunity to try science activities in investigation labs, explore research collections in the Naturalist Center and view the SECU Daily Planet, a three-story presentation space.
“The museum has always answered what we know in natural sciences. Now, the new research center will be able to answer how we know things in the natural sciences,” Ira David, master of ceremonies, said.
The walk-through tours continued until 4 p.m . on Saturday. Other festivities also continued through the night for visitors of the Nature Research Center.
Later that evening, Hopscotch Music Festival presented a Gang Gang Dance which took place at the SECU Daily Planet Stage at 11: 30pm . Gang Gang Dance is a New York experimental dance band.
Daily Planet Café also extended their hours from midnight until 2 a.m ., in conjunction with the opening celebration. There, science comedian Brian Malow hosted late night interviews.
Other local business also hosted events until the late hours. Acro Café hosted ‘The Science of Beer Making,’ held on Friday from 10 p.m . until 1 a.m . This event was presented by the Mother Earth Brewing Company and Rocky Top Hospitality.
N.C . State design students also took part in the events during the ‘Sustainable Style: Reduce, Reuse, Restyle’ segment of the opening. A fashion showcase featured pieces from Art to Wear, Redress Raleigh, and more on the SECU Daily Planet Stage.