Ann Arbor Area Convention and Visitors Bureau

SAVE THE DATE!

Ann Arbor Family Days
March 8-9, 2008

FOURTH ANNUAL ANN ARBOR FAMILY DAYS

Now in its fifth exciting year, Ann Arbor Family Days (AAFD), is a collaboration of 12 area cultural organizations and provides an opportunity for community members and their families to experience a broad range of either free or low-cost cultural events.

Activities include discovery projects, live animals, an instrument "petting zoo," hands-on art activities and workshops, and live music and dance performances-all concentrated near the downtown/U-M central campus area. A complete list of programming is included below.

Throughout the weekend, AAFD provides a menu of activities to choose from for children in many different age groups. Each event is marked with an age-appropriate rating to ensure that families attend events that both they and their children will enjoy. Many AAFD events are free, and all are open to the public.

Participating organizations include the Ann Arbor Art Center, Ann Arbor District Library, Ann Arbor Hands-On Museum, Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra, Ann Arbor Youth Chorale, Dance Gallery Studio, University of Michigan Exhibit Museum of Natural History, University of Michigan Kelsey Museum of Archaeology, University of Michigan Matthaei Botanical Gardens and Nichols Arboretum, University of Michigan Museum of Art, University of Michigan Stearns Collection of Musical Instruments, and University Musical Society.

Ann Arbor Family Days is presented with support from its media partner, the Ann Arbor Observer, and promotional partner, the Ann Arbor Area Convention and Visitors Bureau.

SATURDAY, MARCH 8, 2008

9 am-5 pm
U-M Exhibit Museum of Natural History
1109 Geddes Ave.
Become a polar research scientist for a day during the celebration of International Polar Year at the North and South Poles. Meet experts, do crafts and experiments, and visit exhibits to understand how polar research affects you.

Ages: All
Cost: Free for groups fewer than 10 people; donations appreciated
Information: www.exhibits.lsa.umich.edu

10-11 am
Ann Arbor District Library/U-M Center for Southeast Asian Studies
343 S. Fifth Ave. (Lower level)
Learn Cambodian and Thai classical dance in two forms-Ogres and Monkeys-followed by mask-making. The Asian Martial Arts Studio of Ann Arbor will lead a lion dance from the Library to Main Street - wear your masks and join in the parade!

Ages: 3+
Cost: Free
Information: www.aadl.org

10 am-5 pm
Ann Arbor Hands-On Museum
220 E. Ann
Ignite your imagination with more than 250 interactive science exhibits that explore 25 years of science.

Ages: All
Cost: $8 per person; members and infants free
Information: www.aahom.org

12-3 pm
826 Michigan
115 E. Liberty
Fun, crazy writing activities.

Ages: All
Cost: Free
Information: www.826michigan.org

SUNDAY, MARCH 9, 2008

11 am-4 pm
U-M Matthaei Botanical Gardens
1800 N. Dixboro Rd.
Take a self-guided walk in the woods and learn about Michigan's native trees and ecosystems. Each child receives a coloring book. If the weather holds there will be a scavenger hunt to explore the display of spring flowers inside the Conservatory.

Ages: All
Cost: Free; donations appreciated
Information: www.lsa.umich.edu/mbg

2-3 pm
Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra/U-M Museum of Art
Michigan Theater, 603 E. Liberty
A menagerie of family favorites, including a staged production of Peter and the Wolf with youth actors from Ann Arbor Civic Theatre's Junior Theatre. A new interpretation of Carnival of the Animals features original poetry by Neutral Zone Slam Poets and student pianists. Laugh out loud at Elizabeth Kelly's humorous world premiere of Stop, Drop, and Listen, which teaches good listening skills. Create animals represented by the music at the concert.

Ages: All
Cost: Adults $12, children $5
Tickets: 734.994.4801 or www.a2so.org or at the door

2:30-4:30 pm
U-M Kelsey Museum of Archaeology/U-M Stearns Collection of Musical Instruments
U-M School of Music, Theatre and Dance, Margaret Towsley Wing, 1100 Baits Dr.
Imagine what is was like to be a musician in ancient times before the days of mega famous rock stars and platinum records. Create your own instrument, join a band, or try conducting as an Egyptian chironomist. Apply to the oracle of Appolo for some musical advice, or fashion a necklace with a Bastet amulet, the Egyptian goddess of music.

Age: All
Cost: Free

3-3:45 pm
Ann Arbor School for the Performing Arts
Michigan Theater, 603 E. Liberty
Chamber music students and faculty members will perform side-by-side in the Michigan Theater lobby for families attending the Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra Concert.

Ages: All
Cost: Free

PARTICIPATING CULTURAL ORGANIZATIONS

826 Michigan is a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting students ages 6 to 18 with their creative and expository writing skills, and to helping teachers inspire their students to write. Our services are structured around our belief that great leaps in learning can happen with one-on-one attention and that strong writing skills are fundamental to future success.

The Ann Arbor District Library has been a mainstay of the community for 140 years. The Library's mission is to provide open access to information, resources and services that support and enrich the lives of the community it serves. It is a favorite local stop for books, DVDs, videos, CDs, magazines, Internet access and much more. Story time sessions, lectures, films, author appearances, and other events at the Downtown Library and local branches educate and entertain thousands of youth, teens, and adults each year.

The Ann Arbor Hands-On Museum allows visitors to discover the "scientist within" and ignite their imaginations with more than 250 interactive science and technology exhibits. Since it opened in 1982, the Museum has been the cornerstone of innovative, hands-on science education for visitors. Within its 25-year history, the Museum has expanded two times, received $1.7 million in National Science Foundation grants, was recognized as the Best Museum of 2003 by the Detroit Free Press and is a member of the Association of Science and Technology Centers.

The Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra plays a leadership role in enriching the musical culture of Ann Arbor and the surrounding area by inspiring, entertaining, and educating the widest possible audience. The A2SO fosters a growing appreciation for orchestral music and for regional talent through innovative programming, community collaboration and outreach that provide an ongoing standard of excellence.

The Ann Arbor School for the Performing Arts provides the chance for all ages to express themselves through music by exploring a solid curriculum taught by the finest music faculty. AASPA's emphasis on performance opportunities for students fosters goal-setting, confidence, poise and pride in personal achievements. Thus, the school sponsors recitals, concerts, student activities and master classes featuring faculty, students and guest artists.

Main Street Area Association. Main Street Ann Arbor is for people with an appetite for life. It's a shopper's haven, a gourmet's destination, an art lover's treasured find. Frequent special events are wonderful fun for the whole family. We invite you to be a part of it all. Late night entertainment in the area is delicious fun too. The ambiance is electric as cafés, restaurants and clubs with entertainment come alive and fill the night air with sights, sounds, and aromas that excite the senses. Main Street area is the heart of Ann Arbor, where food nourishes the body and joie de vivre nourishes the soul.

The U-M Center for Southeast Asian Studies is a U.S. Department of Education National Resource Center. The Center is committed to promoting a broader and deeper understanding of Southeast Asia and its peoples, cultures, and histories by providing resources for faculty, students and the community to learn and disseminate knowledge about the region.

The U-M Exhibit Museum of Natural History is a longtime favorite of families and school groups. This large natural science museum is well known for its outstanding collection of dinosaur and mastodon skeletons and fossils. It offers the most comprehensive display on whale evolution in the world along with exhibits on Michigan wildlife, Native Americans, anthropology, geology, and a planetarium.

The U-M Kelsey Museum of Archaeology houses a collection of nearly 100,000 objects from the civilizations of the Mediterranean. A selection of these artifacts are featured in two permanent galleries-Egypt and the Ancient Near East and Greece, Etruria, Rome 5000 BC-AD 900-as well as in a gallery with annual changing exhibitions. The museum also sponsors research, educational programs for children, oversees fieldwork projects, and serves as the home for the Interdepartmental Program in Classical Art and Archaeology.

The U-M Matthaei Botanical Gardens and Nichols Arboretum is dedicated to promoting environmental enjoyment, stewardship, and sustainability through education, research, and interaction with the natural world. It provides a hands-on University and community laboratory for conserving, restoring, and celebrating the environment in order to develop citizens and leaders dedicated to appreciating, understanding, and restoring our environment; and to promote environmental education, research, and public outreach.

The U-M Museum of Art is one of the finest university art museums in the country, with collections of 18,000 works of art in the Western, Asian, and African traditions. In 2006, the Museum of Art's historic home for more than 50 years-Alumni Memorial Hall-closed to the public in order for the $35.4 million restoration and expansion project to get underway. Through 2008 the Museum is operating a temporary exhibition space called UMMA Off/site. Located immediately adjacent to the University's central campus at the corner of South University and South Forest, this lively loft gallery presents exhibitions devoted to photography, film, and video, as well as housing a modest Museum shop and offering public programs including tours and special events.

The U-M Stearns Collection of Musical Instruments holds over 2,500 pieces of historical and contemporary musical instruments from all over the world-one of the largest accumulations of such artifacts housed in a North American university. Known internationally as a unique collection, it is not only a precious heritage from the past, but also a rich resource for musical, educational, and cultural needs of the present and future.