The event will spotlight several natural treasures from the Earth including fossils, rocks, minerals and the ancient stories that accompany each of these items. Kids will have the opportunity to meet animated prehistoric characters, see a full-sized T. rex, make a fossil fish print, mine for gemstones and search for tiny fossils from the Carolina Coast. Interesting specimens will be available for purchase from vendors.

Bring your lunch and CSC will provide the transportation. The trip costs $15 for CSC members and $25 for nonmembers. Register by calling (828)-322-8169.

The Fossil Fair trip is a special program tied to the Dinosaurs exhibit, featuring six half-sized robotic dinosaurs and interactive opportunities for visitors to learn about the lives of dinosaurs and dig for fossils. The exhibit will be on display at CSC through Sept. 2.

Catawba Science Center is a nonprofit science and technology museum in the Western Piedmont with traveling exhibits, a digital planetarium theater and a marine touch pool with live sharks and stingrays. A community asset and regional destination, Catawba Science Center is dedicated to changing lives and inspiring learning through science and wonder. Learn more at www.CatawbaScience.org.

CSC is funded in part by the United Arts Fund of Catawba County and is located in the Arts and Science Center of Catawba Valley, on the SALT Block, 243 3rd Avenue NE, Hickory. 

Be a paleontologist and explore the sites of the Great American West including, Colorado National  Monuments with canyons, buttes and mesas, and Dead Horse Point National Park in Utah.

Begin your journey through time in Colorado digging for early horses and other mammals, then continue on to Utah to study dinosaur tracks, gain hands-on experience at a dinosaur dig site and view Native American Rock Art. The week will conclude with a rafting trip on the Colorado  River and work in a paleontology lab to learn how technicians prepare dinosaur bones and fossils. Alternate field trips will be planned, in the event of inclement weather.

“This trip is an excellent opportunity to tour part of the west seeing natural sites, as well as learning about paleontology and the life of dinosaurs,” said Bruce Beerbower, CSC Naturalist. “Participants will gain a better understanding of how fossils are formed, as well as learn about the human history of the area. The Dinosaur Dig is a great bonding trip for grandparents to take with their grandchildren.”

Adults and youth (ages 12 and up with a guardian) are urged to attend this week-long dinosaur expedition. Register at the CSC’s office, located on the third floor by April 4. An equipment/clothing list and health form will be available for participants upon registration. Participants will gather for an orientation meeting in early June.

Cost details for the trip can be found at www.CatawbaScience.org. Cost includes naturalist guide service, airfare at current prices, ground transportation, six night motel lodging, three breakfasts, five field lunches, one dinner and park/museum admission fees. A deposit is due upon registering. The total balance is due May 4.

The Dinosaur Dig is sponsored by CSC in cooperation with the Museum of Western Colorado Dinosaur Journey. The trip is a special program tied to the Dinosaurs exhibit, featuring six half-sized robotic dinosaurs and interactive opportunities for visitors to learn about the lives of dinosaurs and dig for fossils. The exhibit will be on display at CSC through Sept. 2.

Visit www.CatawbaScience.org for program details, trip fees and registration information. Call or email Bruce Beerbower for additional details at (828) 322-8169 ext. 308 or email naturalist@catawbascience.org.

Catawba Science Center is a nonprofit science and technology museum in the Western Piedmont with traveling exhibits, a digital planetarium theater and a marine touch pool with live sharks and stingrays. A community asset and regional destination, Catawba Science Center is dedicated to changing lives and inspiring learning through science and wonder. Learn more at www.CatawbaScience.org.

CSC is funded in part by the United Arts Fund of Catawba County and is located in the Arts and Science Center of Catawba Valley, on the SALT Block, 243 3rd Avenue NE, Hickory. 

Beginning Jan. 28, visitors to Catawba Science Center (CSC) in Hickory can slip back in time and walk among the Dinosaurs in a lush, prehistoric setting.    

Dinosaurs features six half-sized roaring, robotic dinosaurs including the king of dinosaurs – Tyrannosaurus rex – Triceratops, Pachycephalosaurus, Dimetrodon, Stegosaurus and a mother Apatosaurus protecting her newly hatched babies. Go beyond the bones and see how these prehistoric creatures may have looked and sounded when they roamed the Earth millions of years ago.

 The exhibit offers interactive opportunities to learn about the lives of dinosaurs and prehistoric reptiles. Learn about late Permian, late Jurassic and late Cretaceous periods, as well as where these prehistoric creatures lived and what their diet included.

Visit the exhibit’s paleo-research camp, dig for fossils and participate in Weekly Dino Demos: Wednesday and Friday afternoons at 4 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday afternoons at 2 p.m.

Dinosaurs will also feature a number of special events and activities for families throughout the exhibit, which will be on display at Catawba Science Center through Sept. 2.

Here’s a look at what’s coming up, starting Feb. 1:

Digging up the Past

Wednesdays, 4 p.m.

Saturdays/Sundays 2 p.m.

Learn about tools used by paleontologists to uncover fossils that shed light on prehistoric plants and animals. Use various tools to dig for fossils and identify them according to geologic time period.

Fossil Features

Fridays, 4 p.m.

Saturdays/Sundays, 2 p.m.

What is a fossil? Learn what an object a fossil, different types of fossils and how they are formed. See authentic fossil finds, as well as reproductions and casts. Participants will make their own fossils molds using shell or bone and modeling clay.

Fossil Fair Trip

February 4

9:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m.

Join CSC Naturalist Bruce Beerbower for a field trip to the Fossil Fair at the Schiele Museum of Natural History. See fossils, minerals and gemstones on display from area clubs, paleontologists and private collectors. Participate in hands-on activities, see a T. rex skeleton and more. CSC provides transportation. Cost: $15 members, $25 nonmembers. Call (828) 322-8169 to register.

Dino Family Day

March 17

10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Activities included with general admission include dino rubbings, fossil-making and a Dino Dig slide show presented by CSC Naturalist Bruce Beerbower at 2 p.m. Learn about his adventures digging for dinosaurs, as well as an upcoming trip to Utah and Colorado, June 24 – 30.

Learn more about Dinosaurs, as well as exhibit-related programs, events and trips at www.CatawbaScience.org.

Dinosaurs is sponsored by George Foundation, Beaver Family Foundation,Catawba Valley Medical Center,Corning and Frye Regional Medical Center. Media sponsors are WFAE 90.3 fm, WBTV-3, WNC Magazine and Foothills Radio Group are media sponsors.

Catawba Science Center is a nonprofit science and technology museum in the Western Piedmont with traveling exhibits, a digital planetarium theater and a marine touch pool with live sharks and stingrays. A community asset and regional destination, Catawba Science Center is dedicated to changing lives and inspiring learning through science and wonder. Learn more at www.CatawbaScience.org.

CSC is funded in part by the United Arts Fund of Catawba County and is located in the Arts and Science Center of Catawba Valley, on the SALT Block, 243 3rd Avenue NE, Hickory. 

Based on the popular children’s show Sesame Street, One World, One Sky: Big Bird’s Adventure features Big Bird, Elmo and their friend from China, Hu Hu Zhu, and is aimed at children ages 4 to 6.

Together, Big Bird, Elmo and Hu Hu Zhu locate the Big Dipper, the North Star and the Moon in the night sky. Using their imagination, they travel to the moon where they learn it has a very different environment than Earth. The friends also learn that while they live in different countries, they share the same sky.

One World, One Sky: Big Bird’s Adventure was created as part of a global partnership between the Adler Planetarium, Sesame Workshop, Beijing Planetarium and Liberty Science Center.

“People of all ages are fascinated by the night sky,” said Adler Planetarium President Paul H. Knappenberger Jr., PhD. “This experience will encourage children and their families to explore, ask questions and continue valuable learning at home.”

One World, One Sky: Big Bird’s Adventure is sponsored locally by the United Arts Council of Catawba County through the North Carolina Arts Council, with funding from the state of North Carolina and the National Endowment for the Arts, which believes that a great nation deserves great art, and Paramount Automotive.

Visit www.CatawbaScience.org for show times and ticket information, or call (828) 322-8169.

Catawba Science Center is a nonprofit science and technology museum in the Western Piedmont with traveling exhibits, a digital planetarium theater and a marine touch pool with live sharks and stingrays. A community asset and regional destination, Catawba Science Center is dedicated to changing lives and inspiring learning through science and wonder. Learn more at www.CatawbaScience.org.

CSC is funded in part by the United Arts Fund of Catawba County and is located in the Arts and Science Center of Catawba Valley, on the SALT Block, 243 3rd Avenue NE, Hickory. 

Laser Zeppelin shows at 7 p.m. and features a whole lotta Led Zeppelin, including classic songs Kasmir, Quarter Time, Song Remains the Same, Stairway to Heaven and more.

Laser Metallica follows at 8:15 p.m. and features songs from the band’s early albums, including For Whom the Bell Tolls, Nothing Else matters, Master of Puppets, Sad But True and more. Please note this show contains strong language.

Tickets per laser show are $5 for CSC members and $8 for nonmembers. Tickets must be purchased in advance. Call (828) 322-8169 to reserve seats today. Beer and wine will be available for donation during shows on Jan. 7 only.

Science After Dark, a series of social, thought-provoking and curiosity-satisfying programs for adults, is sponsored by 95.7 The Ride, Focus Newspaper and The Best of Beers, LLC. Learn more about upcoming laser shows, workshops and Science Cafes at www.CatawbaScience.org.

Catawba Science Center is a nonprofit science and technology museum in the Western Piedmont with traveling exhibits, a digital planetarium theater and a marine touch pool with live sharks and stingrays. A community asset and regional destination, Catawba Science Center is dedicated to changing lives and inspiring learning through science and wonder. Learn more at www.CatawbaScience.org.

CSC is funded in part by the United Arts Fund of Catawba County and is located in the Arts and Science Center of Catawba Valley, on the SALT Block, 243 3rd Avenue NE, Hickory.

Catawba Science Center (CSC) in Hickory offers hands-on exhibits, a shark and stingray touch pool, and Expedition Amazon in the freshwater aquarium gallery. CSC will also offer an expanded planetarium and holiday laser show schedule during the weeks of Dec. 20 – 31.

The Winter Solstice is fast approaching, with the first day of winter arriving Dec. 22, at 5:30 a.m. UT (Universal Time – the time at the longitude of Greenwich, England, the Prime Meridian). Millholland Planetarium will begin its recognition of the winter season with Winter Stargazing, starting at 1:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 23. CSC will also recognize the winter season by featuring a planetarium show about the most popular constellation of winter, Orion, the hunter. Enjoy Legends of the Night Sky: Orion, starting Saturday, Dec. 31.

CSC’s Millholland planetarium schedule also features extra showings of Laser Holidays, a sparkling seasonal laser light show with classic and contemporary Christmas songs. Laser Holidays will play all day Christmas Eve, Saturday, Dec. 24 in Millholland Planetarium, with shows at 10:30 a.m., 11:30 a.m., 1, 2 & 3 p.m.

Planetarium show tickets are just $2 for CSC members and $3 for nonmembers.

See the complete planetarium and holiday laser show schedule at www.CatawbaScience.org/planetarium.

Visitors of all ages can solve real-world problems that engineers face in CSC’s exhibit Tech City. Clean water using a hydraulic system, design a landscaping environment to protect a lakeshore park, build a gravity dam, optimize traffic flow, test structures to see if they are earhtquake-proof, experiment with sound and more. Visit Tech City now through Dec. 31. Admission and hours are at www.CatawbaScience.org

Please note CSC and its offices will be closed on Dec. 25, Dec. 26, Jan. 1 and Jan. 2.

Catawba Science Center is a nonprofit science and technology museum in the Western Piedmont with traveling exhibits, a digital planetarium theater and marine touch pool with live sharks and stingrays. Learn more at CatawbaScience.org.

CSC is funded in part by the United Arts Fund of Catawba County and is located in the Arts and Science Center of Catawba Valley, on the SALT Block, 243 3rd Avenue NE, Hickory. 

The contest, held in conjunction with CSC’s exhibit Tech City, offers amateur engineers the chance to consult with professionals before constructing a bridge using an assortment of K’Nex pieces.

Kurt Viola, Taylor & Viola Structural Engineers, will be on hand to talk about engineering, careers in the field and challenges to building bridge trusses before the competition gets under way. Bob Lake, a retired systems engineer, and William Clayton, senior designer with Davis and Floyd, Inc., will also help facilitate bridge-building and be on hand to discuss challenges in the field.

The contest goal is to build a bridge that can withstand the greatest amount of weight, which will be measured using a small bucket filled with varying amounts of sand. The bucket will be hung from each bridge entry to test its strength. Bridges will be judged based on a ratio of weight-bearing ability to bridge weight. Prizes will be awarded for the top two entries.

Cost to participate is $3 for CSC members and $5 for nonmembers. Check-in starts at noon in CSC’s Inventor’s Workshop. Pre-registration is encouraged. For more information, or to register, call (828) 322-8169.

CSC sells K’Nex pieces in its Science Shop for participants who want to practice their bridge-building skills at home prior to the contest Dec. 10.

Learn more about Tech City, as well as other CSC exhibits, programs and planetarium shows at www.CatawbaScience.org.

Catawba Science Center is a nonprofit science and technology museum in the Western Piedmont with traveling exhibits, a digital planetarium theater and a marine touch pool with live sharks and stingrays. A community asset and regional destination, Catawba Science Center is dedicated to changing lives and inspiring learning through science and wonder. Learn more at www.CatawbaScience.org.

CSC is funded in part by the United Arts Fund of Catawba County and is located in the Arts and Science Center of Catawba Valley, on the SALT Block, 243 3rd Avenue NE, Hickory. 

For each purchase made that is accompanied by a bookfair voucher, Barnes & Noble will donate a percentage of sales to CSC. Books, magazines, CDS, DVDs and all café consumables are included, as well as the B&N e-ink reader device, NOOK.

Online sales are included, so friends and family that live out of town can shop B&N online Dec. 9 -14 and their purchases will also count. Online sales must include CSC’s bookfair ID – 10512556 – when prompted during checkout.

Bookfair vouchers are available for download at www.CatawbaScience.org, and at CSC, located on the SALT Block,243 Third Ave. NE,Hickory.

Vouchers will also be available at Barnes & Noble inHickoryduring both days of the bookfair. Stop by CSC’s table and register to win a free NOOK Simple Touch e-ink reader and a Barnes & Noble gift card.

CSC staff will also present a variety of science demos throughout the holiday weekend book fair, with special programs on Friday and Saturday. On Friday, Dec. 9, joinBruce Beerbower, CSC Naturalist for a live animal presentation in the children’s area starting at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 10, catch CSC’s Mad Scientist demos from 12 to 3 p.m. and Extreme Physical Science demos from 8 to 10 p.m.

Don’t miss this opportunity to “Shop for Science” at Barnes & Noble in Hickoryand support your communityScienceCenter. CSC vouchers can be applied to purchases for up to five days following the book fair.

More information at (828) 322-8169, ext. 313 or www.CatawbaScience.org.

Catawba Science Center is a nonprofit science and technology museum in the Western Piedmont with traveling exhibits, a digital planetarium theater and a marine touch pool with live sharks and stingrays. A community asset and regional destination, Catawba Science Center is dedicated to changing lives and inspiring learning through science and wonder. Learn more at www.CatawbaScience.org.

CSC is funded in part by the United Arts Fund of Catawba County and is located in the Arts and Science Center of Catawba Valley, on the SALT Block, 243 3rd Avenue NE, Hickory. 

Starting Friday, Nov. 25, CSC will begin showing the ever popular Laser Holidays on the dome of its Millholland Planetarium theater.

A family friendly holiday laser light show, Laser Holidays features modern and classic holiday songs set to mesmerizing laser lights.

Seasonal selections include Tchaikovsky’s Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy, Bing Crosby’s White Christmas, Smashing Pumpkins’ Christmastime, Burl Ives’ classic Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, plus songs from Maria Carey, Eurythmics, Nat King Cole and more.

Laser Holidays will premiere at 3:30 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 25.  Additional shows that day include Molecularium at 1:30 p.m. and the seasonal star talk Autumn Stargazing at 2:30 p.m.

Laser Holidays show times and ticket information are available at www.CatawbaScience.org or (828) 322-8169.

Please note: CSC will be closed on Thanksgiving Day, Thursday, November 24.

Catawba Science Center is a nonprofit science and technology museum in the Western Piedmont with traveling exhibits, a digital planetarium theater and a marine touch pool with live sharks and stingrays. A community asset and regional destination, Catawba Science Center is dedicated to changing lives and inspiring learning through science and wonder. Learn more at www.CatawbaScience.org.

CSC is funded in part by the United Arts Fund of Catawba County and is located in the Arts and Science Center of Catawba Valley, on the SALT Block, 243 3rd Avenue NE, Hickory. 

Planned in conjunction with CSC’s current exhibit – Tech City – this hands-on, innovative program invites visitors of all ages to engineer their own egg drop design, which will be tested later that day.

The design process starts in CSC’s Inventor’s Workshop at 2 p.m., offering participants the chance to build their creation before moving to the drop site for a test run. Building materials and eggs are provided. Participation in Egg Drop Engineering is free with CSC admission.

Solve real-world engineering problems and challenges in Tech City, open now through Dec. 31 in Carpenter Hall. Hands-on exhibits allow visitors to clean water using a hydraulic system, design a landscaping environment to protect a windy lakeshore park, build a gravity dam, optimize traffic flow and more.

Tech City is sponsored by David E. Looper & Company, Taylor & Viola Structural Engineers and D.H. Griffin Companies. WHKY-TV/ WHKY Radio is a media sponsor.

CSC visitors will also enjoy seasonal crafts and refreshments from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. during a Holiday Open House in the Science Shop gift shop that day. Activities include dry leaf rubbings, K’Nex building and other fall crafts. CSC members save 20% on Science Shop purchases; all shoppers save 10% that day.

The Hickory Museum of Art (HMA) Galleria will also hold its Holiday Open House on Saturday, Nov. 5, 11 a.m. until 3 p.m. HMA members save 20%; and all shoppers save 10% on purchases. Enjoy free lemonade and cookies, and meet Robert W. Hart III, who will be signing copies of “Hart Square,” recently released by Goosepen Press.

More information about CSC admission, exhibits, programs and events is at www.CatawbaScience.org.

Catawba Science Center is a nonprofit science and technology museum in the Western Piedmont with traveling exhibits, a digital planetarium theater and a marine touch pool with live sharks and stingrays. A community asset and regional destination, Catawba Science Center is dedicated to changing lives and inspiring learning through science and wonder. Learn more at www.CatawbaScience.org.

CSC is funded in part by the United Arts Fund of Catawba County and is located in the Arts and Science Center of Catawba Valley, on the SALT Block, 243 3rd Avenue NE, Hickory.