Special holiday hours, programs at the museum

Submitted by Kerynn Fisher
Phone: 907-474-6941
12/19/08

For last-minute holiday shopping and activities for visiting friends and family, Fairbanks residents need look no further than the University of Alaska Museum of the North.

The Museum Store’s annual holiday sale continues through 5 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 24, with 25 percent off all Alaska Native baskets, whalebone carvings, ties and scarves. All other store merchandise is 10 percent off, including a wide variety of Alaska Native art, books, children’s toys and Made in Alaska merchandise. It’s guilt-free shopping, as all proceeds support the museum’s exhibits, research and education programs.

Have a house full of visiting relatives or simply need to get out for a bit? The museum will offer special holiday hours - 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily - from Friday, Dec. 26 through Sunday, Jan.4, including Sundays. The museum will be closed Christmas Day. Regular museum admission will be charged during the holiday break and includes the special exhibit "Yuungnaqpiallerput (The Way We Genuinely Live): Masterworks of Yup’ik Science and Survival." For an additional $5, visitors can take in the 2 p.m. double feature of the museum’s auditorium shows: Dynamic Aurora and Winter.

For New Year’s Eve revelry, the museum will be open from 7 to 9 p.m., giving visitors a chance to explore the exhibit galleries before the Sparktacular fireworks. Hot cocoa and cookies will be served, while supplies last. Admission is free.

More information on the museum’s programs and exhibits is available at 907-474-7505 and online at www.uaf.edu/museum.

CONTACT: Kerynn Fisher, University of Alaska Museum of the North communications coordinator, at 907-474-6941 or 907-378-2559.