Top off the holiday season with three family movies that will air on the big screen of the Norman L. Fagan West Virginia State Theater at the Culture Center, State Capitol, in Charleston on Monday, Dec. 28, Tuesday, Dec. 29, and Wednesday, Dec. 30. Each day will feature a different film and they will be shown twice, at noon and 3:30 p.m. In addition, related kids’ activities will happen each day. All activities are free and the public is invited to attend.
A Bug’s Life (1998, 96 minutes, Rated G) will be shown on Monday. A misfit ant named Flik tries to save his colony from a greedy gang of grasshoppers in this computer-animated comedy. Faced with impending doom, he leads an oddball assortment of creepy crawlers from a flea circus against the menacing grasshoppers. The result is hilarious fun. The Walt Disney picture was directed by John Lasseter and Andrew Stanton and features the voices of Kevin Spacey, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Bonnie Hunt and Dave Foley. Kids also can solve an insect riddle by putting together clues they can find the museum from 9 a.m. - 4 p.m., see the collection of preserved insects, pick up an insect information sheet, color pages and play game sheets from 10 a.m. - 4 p.m., and hear the story Ugh, A Bug at 2 p.m. and 2:30 p.m.
On Tuesday, visitors can see The Polar Express (2004, 99 minutes, Rated G). This magical holiday tale tells of a young boy who still wants to believe in Santa even though his friends have “grown out of it.” His faith is rewarded when a steam train pulls up to his house and escorts him to the North Pole to meet Santa. The cutting-edge “motion capture” process used to film this story allows the real life actors to drive the emotions and movements of the animated characters. It is a Warner Brothers film that was directed by Robert Zemeckis and stars Tom Hanks, Chris Coppola, Peter Scolari and Michael Jeter. Visitors also can participate in a railroad scavenger hunt in the museum from 9 a.m. - 4 p.m., see railroad artifacts on display and color pages, play game sheets and create their own jingle bell cup from 10 a.m. - 4 p.m., and hear The Polar Express at 2 p.m. and 2:30 p.m.
Meet the Robinsons (2007, 102 minutes, Rated G) will be screened on Wednesday. This animated film tells the story of Lewis, a brilliant young inventor and orphan. His latest project is the Memory Scanner, a machine that will help him find his birth mother so they can become a family. When the scanner is stolen, Lewis meets a mysterious stranger named Wilbur Robinson who whisks our bewildered hero away in a time machine and together they track down the thief. A Walt Disney film directed by Stephen J. Anderson, Meet the Robinsons stars Angela Bassett, Tom Selleck and Harland Williams. Other activities include an inventions scavenger hunt in the museum from 9 a.m. - 4 p.m., see how technology has advanced, color pages, play games sheets and make a “bowl”-er hat from 10 a.m. - 4 p.m., and hear Here’s what you do when you can’t find your shoe: Ingenious inventions for pesky problems, at 2 p.m. and 2:30 p.m.
For more information about the holiday film series and other activities at the Culture Center, call (304) 558-0220.
Visitors also can tour the West Virginia State Museum and view the many exhibits on display in the Culture Center. Toys in the Attic has a selection of objects from the museum’s collection including skis and poles, a cradle, cabbage patch doll, old television and a Victorian village display. Celebrating 90 Years in the West Virginia State Police pays tribute to the organization that was formed in 1919. The exhibit has interesting artifacts including Charles Manson’s fingerprints which were taken in 1942 as part of the National Defense Program. Manson was eight years old at the time and attending Dunbar Elementary School. The last motorcycle used by the State Police, a 1975 Harley-Davidson Police Special, an old copper still, a confiscated grey slot machine and guns used in the West Virginia Mine Wars are also on display. The West Virginia State Archives has a permanent exhibit , Sowing the Wind: John Brown at Harpers Ferry, which includes text panels with information on his early life, his recruiting techniques for the raid, information on the trial and hanging, including the proclamation the Governor made telling people to stay off the streets for the hanging, pictures of artifacts and more.
In addition, the Great Hall is filled with holiday decorations including wreaths, four trees with ornaments made by school children and a Victorian parlor setting.
The West Virginia Division of Culture and History, an agency of the West Virginia Department of Education and the Arts, brings together the state’s past, present and future through programs and services in the areas of archives and history, the arts, historic preservation and museums. Its administrative offices are located at the Culture Center in the State Capitol Complex in Charleston, which also houses the state archives and state museum. The Culture Center is West Virginia’s official showcase for the arts. The agency also operates a network of museums and historic sites across the state. For more information about the Division’s programs, visit www.wvculture.org. The Division of Culture and History is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer.
- 30 -
