The Michigan State University Museum presents the stirring sights from its popular folk festival in, "Festive Images: The 2009 Great Lakes Folk Festival Exhibition." The exhibit, running Sept. 1 - Oct. 25 in the ground floor Community Gallery, showcases the traditional cultural treasures of the nation's Upper Midwest and a sampling of the best of traditional artists from around the country and the world. (The 2009 festival was held on Aug. 7-9 in downtown East Lansing.)

"The festival encourages cross-cultural understanding of our diverse society through the presentation of musicians, dancers, cooks, storytellers and craftspeople whose traditions are rooted in their communities," explains GLFF Founding Director C. Kurt Dewhurst, MSU Museum curator of folklife and cultural heritage.

The Great Lakes Folk Festival included nearly 100 musicians and dancers. Also featured were traditional and other food vendors, craft vendors and many other individual artists/demonstrators, along with a children's hands-on activity area, crafts demonstrations, and crafts marketplace, and a Greater Lansing Arts and Cultural Showcase. In 2009 the special programs were a Fiesta program that featured living Latino cultural traditions and a Young Folk Bookfest program, produced by MSU Press.

Every year since 1987, the MSU Museum has produced a folk festival - first on campus and now in downtown East Lansing -- that energizes and educates 90,000 annual visitors. Under the direction of the MSU Museum's Michigan Traditional Arts Program -- a statewide partnership program with the Michigan Council for the Arts and Cultural Affairs -- the festival also represents partnerships of civic, business, education and arts agencies.

The selection of photos for this new exhibit comes from two MSU Museum photographers as well as two festival volunteer photographers and provides a glimpse into the sights and encounters of the 2009 Great Lakes Folk Festival.

"Each photographer was asked to select some of their favorite images to convey the living lessons of this annual major MSU Museum educational engagement program," Dewhurst notes.

The four photographers are: David Cooper, director of MSU's Public Humanities Collaborative; Raymond Holt, owner of VideoGraph; Patrick T. Power, GLFF music coordinator; and Pearl Yee Wong, MSU Museum collections coordinator. These and other photographs become part of the Folklife Archives of the MSU Museum. The festival will truly live on in these festive images.

The MSU Museum's 2010 Great Lakes Folk Festival is planned for Aug. 13-15. The MSU Museum features three floors of special collections and changing exhibits and is open seven days a week free of charge (donations are encouraged). The Museum Store features a variety of educational toys, museum-produced publications, gemstone jewelry and authentic Michigan-made crafts. The museum is located on West Circle Drive next to Beaumont Tower on the MSU campus and is accessible to persons with disabilities. Hours are Monday - Friday, 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m. -5 p.m.; and Sunday, 1-5 p.m. Visitor parking is available in front of the building and at metered spaces at the Grand River Ramp, one block away at the corner of Grand River Avenue and Charles Street. For more information, call (517) 355-2370 or see http://museum.msu.edu .

The MSU Federal Credit Union Dinosaur Dash, an annual 5K walk/run benefiting the Michigan State University Museum, seeks volunteers to help with race day activities on Sunday, Oct. 4.

The MSU Federal Credit Union Dinosaur Dash is a competitive 5K run/walk that includes divisions for all age groups, as well as a Museum Mile, Mini-Dash and activities for the entire family.

Volunteers are needed to assist with registration, help serve as course and traffic monitors and timers, and to help with food and site set up and tear down. In addition, a lead volunteer is needed to coordinate and supervise children's activities for the event. Volunteer shifts will be 2 to 3 1/2 hours between 7 a.m. and 2 p.m. on the day of the event. All volunteers will receive a high quality logo shirt and refreshments.

For more information or to sign up as a volunteer, please contact Michael Secord, MSU Museum event coordinator, at 517/432-4655, or email dinodash@museum.msu.edu. See http://museum.msu.edu for details.

The MSU Museum, located on the campus of Michigan State University next to the Beaumont Tower, is Michigan's natural and cultural history museum. It features the area's only full-mounted dinosaur skeletons - the Stegosaurus and Allosaurus, and a dramatic T-Rex skull -- providing inspiration for the dino day.

The Michigan State University Museum's 2009 Great Lakes Folk Festival begins Friday, Aug. 7 at 6 p.m. with the feisty Western Swing sounds of Shotgun Party, at the M.A.C. Stage in downtown East Lansing, next to the Marriott Hotel.

In all, the weekend features more than 50 musical performances and showcases sponsored by the City of East Lansing: Celtic, Cajun, Tex-Mex, Klezmer, Acadian and more traditions that connect cultures across America and around the world.

Special features this year include Young Folk Bookfest presented with MSU Press, with authors and illustrators doing Q&As and book signings; and Fiesta - Latino Traditions, with demonstrations and children's activities.

Both entertaining and educational, the award-winning festival promotes a greater understanding and appreciation for the contributions of many cultures to our nation's development. The MSU Museum works year-round to research, document and present many forms of expressive culture at the folk festival. Authentic ethnic food, children's activities, Michigan Heritage Awards, and a Folk Arts Marketplace are also featured throughout the half-mile festival site. The event continues through Sunday, Aug. 9, at 6 p.m. and admission is free. Learn more at http://greatlakesfolkfest.net.

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It's a dino-sized dose of fun and fitness at the 24th annual MSU Federal Credit Union Dinosaur Dash on Sunday, Oct. 4, 10 a.m. at the Michigan State University Museum.

The fast, flat certified 5K-road race is a fall-time favorite and a long-time benefit for the Michigan State University Museum educational programs. Meanwhile, a full line-up of activities creates colossal-fossil fun for the entire family.

The competitive 5K run/walk -- the season capper for the Greater Lansing Race Series -- begins and ends in front of the MSU Museum on West Circle Drive. Dashers compete in several different divisions and dinosaur trophies are awarded to overall male and female winners in both the running and walking categories.

Meanwhile, two special runs are designed for the younger crowd: the Museum Mile for youths 12 and under to run or walk a one-mile loop around West Circle Drive; and the Mini-Dash, an all-out 200-yard sprint for kids 6 and under. All Museum Milers and Mini Dashers receive an official Dinosaur Dash award medal.

MSU Federal Credit Union Dinosaur Dash entry forms will be available at MSUFCU branches, Playmakers on Grand River Ave. in Okemos, and at the MSU Museum; or on-line now at http://www.museum.msu.edu/Events/DinosaurDash/ .

Throughout its more than 20 years as title sponsor for the event, the MSU Federal Credit Union has helped raise more than $250,000 for the MSU Museum, Michigan's natural history and culture museum and the state's first Smithsonian affiliate.

For the second year, the Michigan State University Museum has received a national education award from the Center for Interactive Learning and Collaboration for its Virtual Outreach Program.

The Pinnacle Awards recognize outstanding educational content and experiences, and the MSU Museum was among 20 national honorees to receive top honors, including the Royal Botanical Gardens (Canada), NASA's Digital Learning Network (Ames Research Center), Alaska SeaLife Center, and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Since 2004, the MSU Museum has been providing virtual field trips to school classrooms throughout Michigan and across the country. These programs provide K-12 learners an opportunity to have a "live" lesson from an expert at a distant location. The lesson happens in real time: the MSU Museum-based presenter sees and hears the students and they see and hear the expert, all via video equipment and the internet.

"We're delighted to be recognized for engaging, effective programming," says Judy Smyth, MSU Museum education program manager. "We know we have hit the mark when our programs, which are geared to curriculum grade levels, provide a high level of interaction, and adapt to students' level of interest, and get feedback from their teachers that simply say, 'We had a blast!'"Virtual Outreach Programs draw on MSU expertise and MSU Museum collections, and include: A Sense of Adaptation, The Dish About Dinosaurs, Clues from the Past: Fossils Tell a Story, Jiminy Crickets! Exploring the Scientific Method, Galapagos Finches: Evolution in a Nutshell, Running Circles the Scientific Way! and Invisible Universe. The Virtual Outreach Program has reached students in 29 counties throughout Michigan and in 27 other states.

The Virtual Outreach Program at the MSU Museum was initially funded by an equipment donation from the Regional Educational Media Center Association of Michigan and from two competitive, national grants from Institute of Museum and Library Services, Washington, D.C. Funding to continue the program is courtesy of MSU Museum donor William Kenney.The Center for Interactive Learning and Collaboration (CILC), Indianapolis, Ind., supports and advances education through videoconferencing and other collaborative technologies. CILC promotes access to quality professional development and student educational content to help schools leverage technology to improve educational outcomes, while saving time and money. For more information, see: http://www.cilc.org/c/misc/pinnacle-award.aspx .

The Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) announced $19,176,000 in Museums for America (MFA) grants for 167 museums in 46 states and Puerto Rico. These museums were chosen from 433 applicants across the United States. Grants will support high-priority activities that advance the museums' missions and strategic goals, helping them to serve the public more effectively.The Michigan State University Museum will receive more than $130,000 for a collections stewardship project. The MSU Museum was one of just five Michigan institutions to receive an award.