Fun-filled Family Day at museum

Dennos Museum provides warm-hearted activities on cold January weekend

Michael Grumley, 8, of Cedar tries his hand at the violin with the help of Jan Ostrowski during an ‘instrument petting zoo’ prior to a Saturday Symphony performance by members of the Traverse Symphony Orchestra at Milliken Auditorium. The string quartet concert was held in conjunction with Family Day activities at the Dennos Museum at Northwestern Michigan College.

Mary Ann Rivers and Donna Shugart of “I’ve Got a Song” entertain museum visitors with a variety of musical instruments including guitar, penny whistle and dulcimer.

Portrait artists Bonnie Kolarik, John O’Neil and Jill Justin offer their creative services to capture facial expressions of participants at the Dennos Museum Family Day.

Above: Zack Nault, 3, of Los Angeles colors flip-faces as part of Family Day art activities with Dustin Baird, 8, of Interlochen.

Below: Children watch in silent amazement as Scott Johnson from the Stained Glass Cabinet Company in Acme demonstrates copper foil style of stained glass construction.

Proving they ought to be in pictures, children and adults create scenes right out of a Norman Rockwell painting with costumes and props. To capture the moment, museum volunteers took pictures of the subjects standing behind a gigantic gold frame.

Lisa Myers and her son, Jacob, 5, of Traverse City view the collection of Norman Rockwell lithographs on display at the Dennos Museum. Not surprisingly, Jacob shied away from Rockwell’s famous “Before the Shot,” a painting of a young boy preparing to get a shot from his doctor.