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Free Family Event: Toys and Games at the Museum

Toys here. Games there. Fun everywhere. With activities and amusements galore, Family Day: Toys and Games at the N.C. Museum of History in Raleigh will have something for everyone — for free! Yes, it won’t cost a penny to enjoy toys and games from North Carolina’s past. All the fun takes place on Saturday, June 11, from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Weekend parking is free. “This is a great opportunity to learn about toys and games — without batteries or power cords — that have been popular for a long time,” says Nancy Pennington, Associate Curator of Programming.

Among the activities, go on a Gallery Hunt to search for toys in exhibits, fold and launch paper airplanes and helicopters, make a colorful checker set and other toys to take home, and play traditional games. Whew . . . and this is only the beginning.

Watch Tar Heel toymaker Luther Ashby make traditional wooden playthings with fun-to-say names like Flipper-Dinger, Gee-Haw Whimmydiddle and Do-Nothing Grinder. Ashby owns Pioneer Folk Toys based in Hudson, N.C.*

Make an eye-catching checker set from recycled materials with Nico Morrison, founder of the Redo Reuse project. Weave fabric strips together to form the checkerboard, and paint bottle caps to use as checkers.  

Play with toys from North Carolina’s past, and see how everyday materials made great pastimes. Check out the tavern puzzles, ball-and-cup catchers, string games, dancing dolls, cornhusk dolls and cloth dolls. Join in jump rope games; races; bowling; and chunkey, a traditional American Indian game.

Hear stories about toys and participate in other stories that are actually games. Test your toy knowledge by spinning the Wheel of History to win a prize.

In the museum lobby, be sure to see the small exhibit Toys, Toys and More Toys! From teddy bears to Beanie Babies, the 51 toys in this exhibit offer a kid’s-eye view of American culture over the last century. 

2nd Saturdays Series

*Ashby’s presentation is featured as part of the statewide 2nd Saturdays series, which takes place at 37 North Carolina state historic sites and museums on the second Saturday of June, July and Aug. Focusing on the state’s arts, history, and culture, the series is sponsored by the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources. For a complete schedule that lists more than 100 events across the state on June 11, July 9 and Aug. 13, go to www.ncculture.com. Most events are free. Partners in 2nd Saturdays include Our State magazine and AT&T. Media sponsorship is provided by Public Radio East.

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For further information about Family Day or the Museum of History, call 919-807-7900 or access ncmuseumofhistory.org or Facebook.The museum is located at 5 E. Edenton Street, across from the State Capitol. Parking is available in the lot across Wilmington Street.