Museum lists activities

Survival technology and food of Great Basin Native groups will be explored at Utah State University’s Museum of Anthropology in the ongoing series “Community Saturdays.” Activities take place Saturday, July 14, at the museum, which is open that day 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Volunteer docents will be on hand to provide drop-in tours and lead a special activity focused on a different anthropological topic each week. Activities are free and are for all age groups and everyone is invited to attend.

Visitors at the July 14 event will tour the museum’s Great Basin area. Through live demonstrations, adults and children will be able to see how Native Americans made stone tools, then use a model of an ancient spear-thrower (atl atl) on USU’s quad, said Museum Coordinator Sara Lundberg. They can also grind corn using only two stones and make a tortilla from the corn dough.

“Community Saturdays” are made possible at USU by a grant from the Utah Humanities Council. The grant allows the museum to offer the program and extended hours and activities on Saturdays through Sept. 1. In addition to the museum’s regular hours Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., the museum will be open Saturdays 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. through Sept. 1.

The Museum of Anthropology is on the USU campus in the south turret of historical Old Main, room 252. Free parking is available every Saturday in the adjacent lot south of Old Main.

For information about the museum and its programs, visit the Web site at www.usu.edu/anthro/museum, or call 435-797-7545.