Contact: Joanne Guilmette
Phone: 518/474-8730
Fax: 518/486-3696
E-Mail: jguilmet@mail.nysed.gov

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
NYS MUSEUM PLANS FAMILY FUN WEEKEND FOR SEPT. 20-21

Albany, New York -- 09/09/08

ALBANY, NY – Harvest time will be the theme of the New York State Museum’s next Family Fun Weekend, September 20 and 21.

      The Family Fun Weekend takes place from 1- 4 p.m. both days. Activities, which are free of charge, are held in and around Adirondack Hall, on the Museum’s first floor.

     On Saturday only, at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. in the Huxley Theater, licensed raptor rehabilitators Jim Parks and Julie Anne Collier will present live eagles, hawks, owls and falcons as they discuss the migration patterns of North American birds of prey. Parks andCollier are founders of Wingmasters, an organization based in western Massachusetts that uses educational programs to raise awareness of raptors or birds of prey and theuncertain future some face as endangered species.

   “It gives people a chance to see up close what is virtually impossible to see in the wild,’’ said Parks. “These aren’t exotic birds, these are birds that are native to New York, or used to be and no longer are.”

    Goolds Orchards in Schodack will be in the lobby on Saturday from 1 to 4 p.m. and will present a video showing the cider-making process.     Both days, children will receive an activity packet and can make and take home a fall-themed craft.

     Family Fun Weekends offer theme-based family activities on the third weekend of themonth.      The New York State Museum, established in 1836, is a program of the New York State Education Department. Located at the Empire State Plaza on Madison Avenue in Albany, the Museum is open daily from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. except on Thanksgiving and  Christmas. Admission is free and the Museum is fully accessible.

     Further information about Museum programs and events can be obtained by calling(518) 474-5877 or visiting the Museum Web site at http://www/nysm.gov/calendar.

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