Telescope viewing at San Bernardino County Museum and Victor Valley Museum

The final two “Cosmic Nights,” of 2019 take place at San Bernardino County Museum on Saturday, Nov. 2 from 8 to 10 p.m., in partnership with the San Bernardino Valley Amateur Astronomers (SBVAA), and in the high desert at Victor Valley Museum, Saturday, Nov. 16, from 8 to 9:30 p.m. in partnership with High Desert Astronomical Society (HiDAS).

The two evenings feature telescope viewing, an opportunity to discuss astronomy with the telescope operators, and visitors are also encouraged to bring binoculars or set up their own telescopes.

On the evening of Nov. 2, Saturn and the Moon can be viewed closely together, a “conjunction” which is an astronomical event when two or more bodies share the same right ascension.

On both dates, Nov. 2 and Nov. 16, there is the possibility of meteor sightings, a result of the Northern Taurid Meteor Showers from late October through early December. Meteors are most visible closer to midnight, but once the sun sets, with patience, these meteors can be visible.

The events take place outdoors, weather permitting, and guests are advised to wear comfortable clothing and shoes. Guests are welcome to set up portable lawn chairs and blankets for extended viewing. Museum galleries will be open during the event and regular admission applies. Tickets are available in advance online by visiting http://www.sbcounty.gov/museum, or may be purchased at the door.

The San Bernardino Valley Amateur Astronomers (SBVAA) organized in 1958 to help amateur astronomers in the San Bernardino Valley area increase their knowledge and excitement in astronomy and spread that knowledge to the community.

The High Desert Astronomical Society is based at the Luz Observatory in Apple Valley.. They were formed to provide trained, volunteer astronomers to operate and maintain the Center’s astronomical equipment

The San Bernardino County Museum’s exhibits of regional, cultural and natural history and the Museum’s other exciting events and programs reflect the effort by the Board of Supervisors to achieve the Countywide Vision by celebrating arts, culture, and education in the county, creating quality of life for residents and visitors.

The San Bernardino County Museum is at 2024 Orange Tree Lane, at the California Street exit from Interstate 10 in Redlands. The museum is open Tuesdays through Sundays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Cosmic Nights is included in general admission: $10 (adult), $8 (military or senior), $7 (student), and $5 (child aged 5 to 12). Children under five and Museum Association members are admitted free. Parking is free. For more information, visit www.sbcounty.gov/museum. The museum is accessible to persons with disabilities.

The Victor Valley Museum is a branch of the San Bernardino County Museum located at 11873 Apple Valley Road in Apple Valley. The museum is open Wednesday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Cosmic Nights is included in general admission: $5 (adult), $4 (senior or military), and $2.50 (student. EBT cardholders are $1. Children under 5 and San Bernardino County Museum Association members are free. Parking is free. For more information, visit www.sbcounty.gov/museum. The museum is accessible to persons with disabilities.

Hardy Brown II

The Victor Valley Museum is proud to host a remarkable conversation featuring Richard Allen Collins Diggs and Hardy Brown II, two historians with powerful stories about different aspects of the African American experience. The presentation takes place this Saturday, Oct. 19, 3 to 5 p.m. at the Victor Valley Museum, 11873 Apple Valley Rd, Apple Valley.

The emergence of a family bible in 1985 led Richard Diggs to the discovery of 150 years of documents — birth, marriage and death records — to piece together the pre- and post-slave experiences of the Collins family, from Africa to the Americas. Beginning in 1618, Diggs recounts the remarkable family trajectory including the first people to be taken as indentured servants until 1720 when they were forced into chattel slavery. The Collins family bible is on display at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington D.C.

The Collins Bible

Hardy Brown II is the Executive Director of the Black Voice Foundation and Curator of Footsteps to You: Chattel Slavery, Objects from the Gore Collection. This award-winning exhibit tells the story of chattel slavery in America through the objects collected by Jerry Gore, a historian whose lifelong goal was to expose the horrors of slavery so that visitors to his hometown of Maysville, Kentucky could appreciate the daily perils experienced by enslaved people as well as the strength it required to fight for their freedom. The collection is now owned and stewarded by the Black Voice Foundation, and will be exhibited at Victor Valley Museum thought December 22.

Event ticket includes a reception of light hors d’oeuvres and tour of the exhibit Footsteps to You: Chattel Slavery.

The Victor Valley Museum and the County Museum’s other exciting events and exhibits reflect the effort by the Board of Supervisors to achieve the Countywide Vision by celebrating the arts, culture, and education in the county, creating quality of life for residents and visitors.

The Victor Valley Museum is a branch of the San Bernardino County Museum located at 11873 Apple Valley Road in Apple Valley. Regular museum days and hours are Wednesday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission to the talk is included with general admission: $5 (adult), $4 (senior or military), and $2.50 (student), EBT cardholders are $1. Children under 5 and the San Bernardino County Museum Association members are free. Parking is free. For more information, visit www.sbcounty.gov/museum. The museum is accessible to persons with disabilities.

Grizzly specimen, collection of the San Bernardino County Museum. Donor: John C. Belcher

Over the centuries, the relationship that Californians have had with the grizzly bear is one of dualities – expressed in fear and fascination. Although extinct in the state since the early 20th century, the grizzly has long been a central character in California’s history. Illuminating the story of the grizzly is the exhibition “Bear In Mind: The Story of the California Grizzly” which is open at the San Bernardino County Museum through Nov 24.

Scientists estimate that 10,000 grizzlies once lived in California, perhaps the densest population of brown bears on the continent. The California grizzly possessed characteristics that we hold dear: independence, adaptability, resourcefulness, intelligence, and strong maternal care. However, through increased human settlement, loss of habitat, and hunting, nature and development clashed, and the seeming incompatibility resulted in misguided, intolerant, and violent means of eradicating the animal in the state. By the early 1900s the California grizzly had vanished and could only be seen on the state flag. Although the loss of the California grizzly was a tragic lesson, we are not too late to save other threatened and endangered species.

Today, California grizzly bears only exist in our imaginations as symbols of things desired and things lost.  Since the mid-1800s, the grizzly has been used as an icon, advertiser and entertainer, making the image of the bear a familiar one to most people. Little physical evidence remains of the grizzly bears that once roamed California. It is through stories, artifacts, striking images, and hands-on activities that the “Bear In Mind” exhibition provides an in-depth look at the history and science of one of California’s most revered and feared animals.

After viewing this special exhibit, viewers are invited to visit the museum’s permanent Hall of Biodiversity, which includes other animals that are endangered, now extinct, or thrive in our region. Many of the museum’s mammal collection were a donation from John C. Belcher, and a beautifully preserved, significant grizzly specimen from that collection of North American mammals is prominently featured at the entry to the Bear in Mind exhibit.

The “Bear In Mind: The Story of the California Grizzly” exhibition is based on the Heyday Books publication, Bear in Mind: The California Grizzly by Susan Snyder, as well as The Bancroft Library exhibition of the same name.

The “Bear In Mind: The Story of the California Grizzly” exhibition is produced and toured by Exhibit Envoy. The exhibition was developed in concert with The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley and Heyday Books. Exhibit Envoy collaborates with California institutions to create and tour smaller, affordable, high quality exhibitions that enhance civic engagement and human understanding. This exhibition was supported by the William Randolph Hearst Foundation with additional funds from the Bank of the West.

The San Bernardino County Museum’s exhibits of regional cultural and natural history and the Museum’s other exciting events and programs reflect the effort by the Board of Supervisors to achieve the Countywide Vision by celebrating arts, culture, and education in the county, creating quality of life for residents and visitors.

The San Bernardino County Museum is at 2024 Orange Tree Lane, at the California Street exit from Interstate 10 in Redlands. The museum is open Tuesdays through Sundays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. General admission is $10 (adult), $8 (military or senior), $7 (student), and $5 (child aged 5 to 12). Children under five and Museum Association members are admitted free. Parking is free. For more information, visit http://www.sbcounty.gov/museum. The museum is accessible to persons with disabilities.