Family day activities to focus on connections between shoes, culture, history

EUGENE, Ore. -- (May 5, 2008) -- The University of Oregon’s Museum of Natural and Cultural History will offer hands-on activities related to the "Walk a Mile in These Shoes -- The Stories They Tell" exhibit, on Saturday, May 17.

"Does the Shoe Fit? A Family Day of Art and Learning" will take place from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. at the museum, 1680 E. 15th Ave. Family day admission is $3 for individuals and $5 for families, MNCH members free. Family memberships will be offered for half price during the event.

Museum visitors will have the opportunity to try on shoes and explore cultures from across the world and throughout time during this day of hand-on activities. There will be games centered on shoes, including "wellie wanging," a sport developed in Great Britain, where players stand behind a starting line and hurl a Wellington boot as far as they can. In addition, visitors will be able to create their own shoe art. The artworks will be added to the museum shoe tree and be displayed during the Olympic Trials in June.

Museum hours are 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesdays through Sundays. Admission is $3 for adults; $2 for seniors and youths ages 17 and under and $8 for families (two adults and up to four youths). Museum members, university faculty and staff and students are admitted free. Admission is free for the public on Wednesdays.

About the University of Oregon
The University of Oregon is a world-class teaching and research institution and Oregon's flagship public university. The UO is a member of the Association of American Universities (AAU), an organization made up of 62 of the leading public and private research institutions in the United States and Canada. Membership in the AAU is by invitation only. The University of Oregon is one of only two AAU members in the Pacific Northwest.

Media Contact: Pauline Austin, 541-346-3129, paustin@uoregon.edu

Museum Contact: Judi Pruitt, 541-346-1671, judip@uoregon.edu

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