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By Sara, September 13, 2009 4:37 pm

The first lecture featured ferrets and hedgehogs, and Critter Camp brought the animals to the museum!

"Tonto" the Ferret

Each animal was walked around the room so all the of the guests were able to pet and get close to each one. It was a great opportunity for community members to learn about different animals as pets! Guests also received information packets about the animals featured in the presentation.

We’re all now looking forward to the next presentation in the series; “Creepy Crawlies for Halloween,” which will feature bearded dragons, turtles, tortoises, and other reptiles and insects.

All presentations will be held on the second Sunday of each month at the Burpee Museum from 3:00-4:30. It’s free to attend the lectures and registration is not required.

To learn more about Critter Camp, visit their website at www.crittercamp.biz

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By Sara, September 20, 2009 5:12 pm

The Burpee Museum is getting some international representation this week.

Scott Williams, the museum’s Collections and Exhibits manager, and Josh Mathews, fossil preparator, are headed to Bristol, England for the 69th Annual Meeting of the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology (SVP). The meeting goes from October 23-26 and is being held at the University of Bristol. To learn more about SVP and the annual meeting, visit the SVP website.

Josh will be presenting a poster at the conference on the topic of our Utah site, the Hanksville-Burpee Quarry. This is the second time that he will be presenting at an SVP annual meeting. His first poster was about the “Homer” triceratops bonebed of Montana’s Hell Creek Formation, which was presented at the 2007 meeting in Austin, Texas.

This is the first time overseas for both Scott and Josh, and they’re looking forward to promoting the Burpee during the meeting, as well as taking in some of the local culture of Bristol and the rest of the UK. After the meeting ends, the two will embark on a sightseeing tour that will hopefully include major sites in London and Scotland.

Josh and Scott are ready to go!

Check back regularly for updates from Scott and Josh as they “cross the pond!”

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By Scott Williams, September 27, 2009 8:26 pm

The 69th Annual Meeting of the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology has come to an end. Presentations are now finished. The days were spent attending talks; most of which were at the University of Bristol Wills Memorial Hall, and the afternoons were spent at the University of Bristol Victoria Rooms.

On Friday, I, along with two of my co-authors presented on late Cretaceous lizard skull bones that we collected in Montana. We think it may be a previously undescribed species.

On Saturday, Josh presented on the Hanksville-Burpee Quarry, which is our late Jurassic bonebed from Utah. You can read about our summer adventures out there in our previous blog entries. Both presentations were well-received and there was a lot of interest from our colleagues.

Once all the presentations were done, we did a lot of networking. The Burpee Museum has many potential projects in the works with many well known paleontologists. Some of these projects may be presented at the 70th Annual Meeting of SVP in 2010, which will be in Pittsburgh, PA.
All and all it was a very successful conference, and the Burpee has been “introduced” to the U.K. and European scientific communities. I know I’m already looking forward to next year! …of course, Josh and I still have more time in the UK to enjoy before heading home. Just because SVP has ended doesn’t mean our trip has!

After everything was wrapped up for SVP, Josh and I spent Sunday visiting more of Bristol and the town of Bath.
We visited the St. Mary’s Redcliff Cathedral, which has been a place of worship for about 800 years. We also walked the Christmas Steps, a street which was built in the mid 1600′s. Another highlight of the day was the Foster House. It was built in 1483, and later belonged to a physician to Henry VIII!

Dr. Matt Bonnan and Josh at Christmas Steps.

At the end of the day we took the train to the town of Bath. Bath has a lot of history as well. It was given city status in 1590, and is known for its antiquity. Located near the center is the Roman Bath house. It was constructed around 50-60 AD!
Next to the bathhouse is the Bath Abbey. This cathedral was originally built in 973, and was where Edgar was crowned King of England. Over the centuries it has been nearly destroyed, caught on fire, and rebuilt by the late 1400′s. Bath is another amazing English town where the past comes alive.

Bath Abbey

Tomorrow we travel to Stonehenge! Josh and I are really looking forward to seeing one of the Seven Greatest Wonders of the Medieval World.

Cheers,
Scott

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By Sara, October 16, 2009 3:01 pm

The Burpee Museum now has its own Facebook fan page!

Check it out for continuous news updates, photos, and videos! Meet other Burpee fans, or post a discussion on our forum!

Burpee Museum of Natural History

Promote Your Page Too

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By Sara, October 18, 2009 1:01 am

Have you ever wondered what goes on in the museum after dark? With recent movies like the hit Night at the Museum and its sequel, it’s definitely something we get asked about at the Burpee.

Nighttime at the museum isn’t normally anything out of the ordinary. …except, that is, around this time of year. Things definitely become a little different, a little strange…maybe…even scary.

Do you dare to explore the Haunted Museum?
On October 23, for one night only, you will have the chance to!

The Burpee Museum staff has been working on ideas for our second annual haunted house since the summer. We have lots of scary surprises lurking this year, in what we’re calling the Museum of Terror.

This event is geared for children who are over 10 years old, and we’re sure it’s going to be a scary night!

For those who don’t want to be so scared, we’re also offering an event with the Discovery Center called Night Sounds and Spooky Science. It runs on October 24 and features non-scary activities at both museums. Kids can dress up in their costumes and trick-or-treat between both places.

Here’s the facts you need for both events:

Burpee Museum Presents: Museum of Terror
October 23, 7-10 PM.
Located at Burpee Museum, 737 N. Main, St. Rockford, IL.
Recommended for ages 10 and up.
Admission: $6 per person. Bring a non-perishable food item for $1 off admission.

Night Sounds and Spooky Science
October 24, 6-9 PM.
Located at both Burpee Museum and the Discovery Center Museum.
Non-scary event, suitable for all ages.
Public admission: $6 per person, Museum Members: $3 per person. Admission includes activities at both museums.

Happy Halloween!

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By Sara, November 1, 2009 12:01 am

The collections department of a museum is a fascinating place to explore. Imagine a giant room (or rooms!) filled with specimens of all kinds. Museum collections are often used by scientists for research, and due to limited exhibit space, many of these specimens never make it on display. Going through the collection of a museum isn’t something that most museums offer to all guests, so many items remain to be “undiscovered treasures.” You truly never know what you might find!

In the midst of the construction that the Burpee is currently going through, I still was able to take the time to look through the collections department of the museum. There are so many interesting pieces that have not been on display for a very long time, and some have never been featured in an exhibit at all. This isn’t uncommon for most museums, but I thought it would fascinating to give everyone a chance to see some of Burpee’s undiscovered treasures.

Every month, starting in November, we’ll launch a blog about a specimen that we’ve picked from collections to put on display for the month. You’ll be able to visit the museum and see in person the item that you may otherwise would not be able to see.

After spending lots of time in the collections department, and after plenty of research, we decided on ceremonial masks from Indonesia. These two were part of a collection of six.

Though we don’t know what these exact masks were used for, we do know that they came from Indonesia. We did a little bit of research of ceremonial masks from Indonesia to give you a basic idea of their history.

Indonesian tribes commonly used masks in ceremonies to either ward off evil spirits or to celebrate a particular occasion. It has been said that in Indonesia, the artist who created the mask would consult divine forces for guidance in the sculpting process. The result is a direct transmission of this divine force into the mask. The decor on the masks often included colorful paints as well as real animal hide or hair (the mask on the right, for example).

So come on into the museum to see our masks starting on November 2, and running through the end of the month. Tell us you saw this on the blog!

Keep checking back every month for our new Undiscovered Treasure!

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By Sara, December 1, 2009 12:37 am

December is finally here, and with several months of winter on the way, I couldn’t help but to try to think warm for this month’s “Undiscovered Treasure.” While Rockford may find itself hitting a balmy 50 degrees on
December 1st, weather like that isn’t going to stick around. I personally can’t ever find myself enjoying cold weather, so I decided to fire up the electric blanket and keep my mind on tropical temps. But what sort of item reflects that?

The fan.

Imagine it being December and you’re in some type of climate where you need to physically move air around yourself to cool off.
Sound good enough to ward off the chilly weather? I thought so.

Burpee’s Oriental collection has an interesting set of fans; including ones made of wood, silk, and feathers. In China, the earliest hand-held fans were made as early as the 2nd century BC! We are not sure how old exactly our fans at the Burpee are, but we know that this implement certainly is long-standing. …or long waving.

We’ve chosen two different fans to display this month: a silk fan and a feather fan.

So when you’re visiting the Burpee this month and you’re checking out the Undiscovered Treasures exhibit on the 3rd floor, even if it’s snowing outside, think back to the 2nd century BC, back in China, and imagine a day hot enough where you might need one of these. Those winter blues won’t last!

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By Sara, December 21, 2009 4:49 pm

As many of you already know, the Burpee Museum is undergoing a great deal of construction right now. We’re not only expanding the museum, but we’re also doing some remodels and renovations of the building. Currently, the main focus of the remodel stage is taking place in our lower level. As I type this, walls are coming down in the former paleontology viewing lab.

When the last blog entry was posted at the beginning of the month, our museum’s biology and anthropology collection were just about ready to be moved. After many late nights for the lab staff, the move has finally been completed, and our collections has a new home. The entire process, from painting the floor in the new collections room to mounting specimens on the walls, took about three weeks to complete. While our paleontology and geology collection still isn’t ready yet, it was fun to see all of the new space that will be used for research in the future.

Let’s take a look….

We have more space in the new collections, as well as a new pattern of organization to the specimens, and a workspace so that visiting researchers will have room to examine the specimens.

It’s been a long month for our staff to get this major project finished, but they have done a great job, and we’re all very excited about our new home for collections!

Happy Holidays from all of us at Burpee Museum!

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By Sara, July 18, 2010 3:50 pm

…Let the good times roll!

I know that for most of us at the museum, our minds are still on the ongoing field season and the recent ribbon-cutting ceremony for our new facilities. But we’re trying to think a few months ahead as well…

We’ve been getting a lot of questions lately in regards to our annual celebration, the “Bone Soiree,” which normally takes place this time of year. We’ve switched the date up a little bit in order for our celebration to be held in our “new digs.”  

So for the first time ever, the Bone Soiree will take place in September. Not only does this give us the opportunity to host in the new facilities, but hopefully it will also aleviate some of the sweltering heat and humidity that we’ve had in past years.

Besides the date and the location of our annual fundraiser changing, another thing that’s different about this year’s event pertains to the silent auction. We’ve decided to go in a little bit of a different direction and do two raffles. Tickets can be purchased in advance or at the event, and can go to either:

A 50/50: Winner takes half of the cash from tickets sold.

or:

A Bucket Raffle: Raffle tickets purchased can be placed in one of six buckets for each prize package.

We’ve got some really neat prize packages for the bucket raffle, and there’s something for everybody! You’ll definitely want to get your name into at least one of these.

• Chicago Package: Eat, Stay, and Play! Two nights at a lakefront three bedroom condo; Park Grill gift certificate, four Chicago Bulls tickets, four Chicago Cubs tickets, and other entertainment certificates; valued at $2000.
• Family Package: Golf, Play, Eat! Rockford Park District passes, golf lessons from the Rockford Country Club, a Ray Cook putter from the Forest Hills Country Club, a golf four-some from Mah-na-tee-see Country Club, and an Oscar’s pizza party; valued at $1300.
• Outdoors Package: Mow, Grow, and Enjoy! A Japanese Maple from Tyler’s Nursery, a large outdoor sculpture from Porch, a lawnmower, and more! Valued at $1200.
• Photo Party Package: Grin, Play, Create! Four hours use of a photo booth from Photo Booth Express (if you were at last year’s Bone Soiree, you’ll remember how fun this was!), and the creation of a commemorative book; valued at $1250.
• Rockford Restaurants Package: Eat, Eat Eat! Restaurant gift certificates from: Stone Eagle Tavern, Josef’s, Maria’s, Ciao Bella, Beef-a-Roo, Kiki B’s, Garrett’s, Hawk’s Nest, Marc’s Fusion, Angelo’s, and more! Valued at $500.
• Burpee Package: Dig, Explore, Play! Tuition for one Utah dig (transportation not included), children’s Night at the Museum private party, and two Family Memberships; valued at $1590.

A Sneak Peek at our brand-new Riverfront Room with Terrace!

 Though there are a few changes in the way the fundraiser is going to be this year, we’re still doing a variety of appetizers by Chef Philippe of Cliffbreaker’s and a cash bar in a casual, cocktail party style. It’s going to be a lot of fun to enjoy the evening in the Riverfront Room and on the new terrace! There’s also going to be live music by the Knee Deep Band, and carnival fun for grown-ups, including the return of the photo booth and a fortune teller!

Here’s the rundown of What You Need To Know:
–Saturday, September 11th, 2010; 6:00-11:00 PM.
–$65 per reservation before August 11; after August 11 $75 each.
–$500 for a table of eight by August 11; $600 after August 11.
–Please RSVP by September 3.
–Raffle Pacakges: 1 ticket/$10, 3/$25, 7/$50, and 15/$100.

  If you want to purchase tickets or if you have questions, give us a call at the museum at 815-965-3433.

Hope to see you there! Let the Good Times Roll!

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By Alan Brown, August 30, 2011 3:31 pm

Back home!!!!   The ride from Freeport was great due the the company of Scott and Eric.  The official distance was 1021 miles.

  We got to Auburn HS about 11:00 am and were joined by about 10 bikers (see pic) and we made our way to Burpee.   Thanks to Patrick for taking all the pics.  We arrived about 11:20 and went down to the terrace for food, cake and fun.  It was a great time and it was a thrill to see so many friends to welcome me, Bob and Homer’s bones back to Rockford. It was a great experience and I would like to do it again next year.  We’ll see.  Thanks to all involved, well wishers, staff, media Bob and Nancy.

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By Alan Brown, August 29, 2011 1:15 pm

Wow,  just 25 miles from home.  We hit the 1000 mile mark just on our way to Rockford which was very gratifying and thanks to Scott Garwick and Eric Wilson for riding along with me.  They made that final leg very enjoyable and it went fast.  We had a great time with the riders who met us at Auburn HS.  The trip into Burpee was a real hoot and everybody seemed to enjoy the ride. 

See tomorrows blog on the party at Burpee, it was a blast.

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By Alan Brown, August 26, 2011 1:32 pm

Leaving Freeport with Scott & Eric

1000 MILES!

Welcome to Freeport…986 miles, almost home!

Leaving Galena in the early morning fog...Hills ahead!

Almost home!!!!!!!!!!!!  I don’t believe  it,  986 miles to Freeport.  I’ll pass 1000 some where out side Freeport, I was sure I could do it, but now I know.   Galena was nice and lots of great people, but home is home and that’s where I want to be.   This is my last travel blog but I do intend to keep blogging about all the great things happening at Burpee, so look for that to start next week.

Thanks again to everyone who has suppported the ride, especially Bob Kantner, when you see him tomorrow give him a hug, he needs it,  Also the Burpee staff they are the best and the Board has been great with all of their encouragement.  Don’t forget, bike from Auburn HS about 11 AM and arrive at Burpee about 11:30 for the Cliffbreaker’s party.  I am so looking forward to seeing all you.

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By Alan Brown, August 25, 2011 9:30 am

Galena, nice town, but I’ve seen it all, I’m ready to hit the road to Freeport, bored to tears.  I know I have to rest my legs, but I’m ready to go now.  Anyway, again a big thanks to Aaron and Andy (although they woke me up this morning) for all the great support they have given the ride, Homer and Burpee.  If you see Andy, tell him he can ride (not in a car) 3 miles to Burpee from Auburn HS.  It appears the Pec Path is not the best option from Freeport to Rockford, so I am going to take Route 20 to Meridian road, head North to Auburn Street to Auburn HS.  I should be there about 11 to 11:30 and at Burpee about noon for the free party. 

I’ll pass 1000 miles some where along the way, Bob knows where, and we’ll get some pictures to post.  There are so many people to thank but will try at the party and not leave anyone out, especially Bob, the Burpee Board, Nancy, Jen, Mirm, well I should wait and you can hear the rest of the list Saturday.

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By Alan Brown, August 23, 2011 12:46 pm

Welcome to Illinois...the 6th State

Hills and rain to Galena

Illinois, our 6th state and that much closer to home, Burpee and friends.  Rain, rain and more rain, but we got a slight break in the clouds and decided to make a run for Galena—bad idea.  About 5 miles out the sky opened up and I was soaked, but it was fine.  Two days of rest here and then on to Freeport where Scott of their bicycle club will show me the Pecatonica Path to Rockford.  I think it comes out somewhere on Meridian Road south of Rt. 20, then north to Auburn Street, then Auburn HS to meet bikers and then on to Burpee for lunch and a party.  Hope all of you can make it, Cliffbreakers has a great menu planned free.  Can’t beat that. 

Nancy has a couple of games to play where you can buy chances to guess my weight or guess how much I’ve lost.  Lots of prizes and Homer bone pens to give out,the kids will love them.  Check out Ch 23 , Aaron and Andy for more info tomorrow and Friday.  Don’t forget to pledge and thanks againfor all the support.

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By Alan Brown, August 22, 2011 2:30 pm

Roger of Schmitt Implement in Holy Cross IA stopped to chat

Huge hill south of Guttenberg!

900 Miles

From Guttenberg to Dubuque was very hilly yet one of the most beautiful regions we have gone through.  I thought the hill outside Guttenberg was the worst I had encountered until the next one, but the fun part is racing down the other side and once I hit 40 MPH.  Maybe that’s not such a good idea after all, so later I would slow up on the down hills, the ultimate goal is to finish in one piece. 

Tomorrow the Mississippi and then Galena for a couple of days of sweet rest before I tackle the hills to Stockton and then into Freeport Friday and Saturday Burpee about noon.

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By Alan Brown, August 21, 2011 7:45 pm

Good Job Bob!...couldn't do it without you

Guttenberg, IA

Mississippi River

Not another hill!!!!

Great day, 54 miles, will reach 900 miles just outside of Dubuque.  I always thought I could do this but I didn’t know I could.   I have always enjoyed physical challenges, but at age 62, when do you think maybe this isn’t such a good idea.  But I don’t think I’ve reached that point in my life yet.  Anyway, its been great and all the support sent our way has helped tremendously.  While the end is insight, this has been a great adventure, great publicity for Burpee and hopefuly raises some money, I will be so glad to get home. 

We are in the home stretch and when we cross over into Illinois it will be a big deal and the final state for us.  I hope all of you can be at Burpee on the 27th for the party hosted by Cliffbreakers and maybe bike in with me starting at Auburn HS.

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By Alan Brown, August 20, 2011 3:51 pm

Jessica

Closer and closer, had a long day, over 70 miles but feeling good and ready for tomorrow.  We met a lot of great people also, the farmers market in Riceville was a lot of fun.  See the pic of the three young ladies who had baked goods.  The apple pie was excellent.  Also note that little Homer got tired and rode in the truck today the big baby!  We found a trail and met a lady named Jessica  on her bike and when Bob told her what we were doing, she said they would like to come to Burpee, hope to see her and her family there. 

I heard that both the Burpee night at Davis Park was a big success and Third Thursday was well attended, thanks to Helmet for provideing the music.  When you see Burpee staff let them know how much we appreciate their hard work and quality programs.  Thanks, Thanks Thanks!!!!!

Don’t forget to plegde or to encourage others to pledge, come to Auburn HS to ride in with me and then the party at Burpee at noon hosted by Cliffbreakers.  I’ll be on A and A again Monday morning.  Keep those cards and letters coming.