MOR sponsors fossil celebration, Family Grossology & firearm-based Brews

Even with the sunny season in the rearview, there’s no slowing down at Museum of the Rockies with a busy fall event calendar. Here’s a look at some upcoming happenings at your neighborhood museum.
On Wednesday, October 17th, celebrate National Fossil Day with MOR, the Children’s Museum of Bozeman, and the Bozeman Public Library with dinosaur-themed activities all day long at all three locations.
Start the day off with Sensational Babies from 10–11am at MOR featuring a dinosaur dig and dinosaur-themed stories. The Library will present Little Ones Storytime with dinosaur and fossil stories at both 10:15am and 11:15am. From noon–3pm at the Children’s Museum, enjoy fossil activities at the Science Station and Maker Place with Rocky Rex. Back at MOR, Tours for Tots: Bones! will be held from 2–3pm. Rocky Rex heads to the Library from 3:30–5pm, for a meet n’ greet and the chance to touch real fossils. Closing out the day at the Children’s Museum are Open STEAMlab Hours – with dinosaurs! – from 5–7pm.
Note: Fossil Day events are free at MOR and the Library, and included with admission at the Children’s Museum. Admission applies if you wish to access MOR’s main museum and exhibits.
The next edition of this season’s Science Inquiry Lecture Series, Journey from the Center of the Sun with Dr. Loren Acton, will take place Wednesday, October 24th in Hager Auditorium beginning at 7pm. This presentation is open to the public.
How does the sun work, and how do we know? Dr. Acton, MSU Research Professor of Physics Emeritus and space shuttle astronaut, will describe how scientists have used tools to piece together a working model of the sun from its very center to its influence on Earth – and how his eight days of solar observations on space shuttle Challenger contributed to the picture.
At each month’s Science Inquiry Lecture, explore cutting edge science topics, their latest developments, and their relevance to society through speaker presentations followed by a Q&A session.
With classes back in session, so is MOR After Dark for Montana State University students on Friday, October 26th from 9pm–12am. Experience the Museum after dark in a special night just for MSU’s hardworking students. Enjoy free pizza, raffle prizes, a photo booth with MOR’s mascot Rocky Rex, and more, all included with a student ID. The MSU Office of Health Advancement sponsors this program. No pre-registration is required.
Start your Halloween celebrations early with MOR’s “grossest” annual tradition! This year’s Family Grossology Halloween Party is set for Saturday, October 27th from 2–5pm. Come in costume to see disgusting science, make some icky crafts, and check out what your scabs look like on the big screen. Spooky stories and goody bags make this the perfect family costume party for all “mad scientists”! This event is included with Museum admission.
Museum of the Rockies’ popular series Brews & the Big Sky: Montana Made, Montana Brewed continues with Historical Firearms featuring Neptune’s Brewery on Tuesday, October 30th from 5:30–7:30pm. There is a $12 admission including beer tasting, gallery talks, exhibits, and light appetizers for those 21 and older.
Examine some of the famous and infamous firearms from MOR’s collection. From pistols to military weapons, learn about the role that the worldwide Industrial Revolution played in the design and manufacture of firearms in the United States and beyond.
Additional Brews evenings this season will include Charlie Bair of Martinsdale, the Wool King with Bayern Brewing on Nov. 27th; Big Teams in the Big Sky with Great Northern Brewing Company on Feb. 26th; Silver City to the Copper Kingdom with Muddy Creek Brewery on March 26th; and Crow Fair with featured brewer TBA closing out the series on April 30th.
Kicking off a new month is the Archaeology Institute of America Lecture, “Revolt! Why the Jews Took on Rome” with Andrea Berlin of Boston University. The presentation will take place Thursday, November 1st in Hager Auditiorium beginning at 6pm. This event is open to the public.
What is the real story behind the animosities that eventually led to the catastrophe of the Jewish Revolt against Rome? Why would a small population without military capabilities or political allies dare to challenge a ruling power of such might? New archaeological evidence reveals a growing cultural divide beginning about two generations before the Revolt broke out, and sheds new light on the prehistory of this explosive event. This lecture will start with the constructions of Herod the Great and his sons, with a focus on the places that he built to impress his patrons. The appearance and character of some of those buildings created the conditions that led Jews throughout the land to band together more intensively and eventually persuade some to organize against Rome.
Also at the Museum, two NEW exhibits for fall! Photo exhibition Polar Obsession and multi-media Into the Arctic are now open. Both are included with Museum admission and will be on display through January.
For more information about these events and other Museum exhibits, visit www.museumoftherockies.org or call (406) 994-5257.