Couples will gather together to interview suspects and rush around Provo finding clues to identify the masked phantom terrorizing museum visitors. After solving the masked phantom mystery, Zooby-Doo date night participants will celebrate with dinner and dessert at the Museum of Peoples and Cultures.
The museum, located at the corner of 100 E and 700 N, regularly holds free or low-price family home evening activities and date nights. Zooby-Doo date night, the museum’s upcoming event, will be held on July 19 for $26 a couple. Families and students looking for something new and cheap to do in Provo flock to the museum to see the newest exhibit and enjoy games and puzzles.
Elizabeth Smith, the museum’s event specialist, holds events at the museum about once a week to provide the community with educational fun.
“The world is a beautiful place and should be celebrated,” Smith said. “The best way to learn about other cultures is to be as interactive as possible. We incorporate artifacts, games, music, food and more with every event. People end up having so much fun they don’t even realize they are learning.”
William Wickeit works in BYU broadcasting and brings his children to these events as often as he can. Last Monday, he took them to the museum’s most recent FHE activity to look at new exhibits, create mud paintings and play some games.
“It gets the kids out to experience something new, and they like to do the crafts,” Wickeit said. “They always like the treats at the end, too.”
Some people even come from far away and visit when they can. Emerald and Catherine Clark live in Hong Kong and make an effort to attend the events whenever they are in town. Catherine Clark likes the fact that BYU students work at the museum and that she can learn from them when she visits.
Emerald Clark fondly remembers the last time they went to an FHE activity several years ago.
“I remember last time we sifted through the sand to look for objects and I found an arrowhead,” he said. “I put it on a necklace and wore it around everywhere.”
Museum events are not just for young children. Both local families and BYU students visit the museum for either family home evening or date night. The museum is a safe place to be creative and meet others while learning something new. Each night offers something unique and exciting that makes for a very memorable date.
New exhibits usually come every April, but Smith said this fall there will be a new exhibit on the Ute. Visitors do not have to wait for an event to stop by and see the exhibits. The Museum of Peoples and Cultures website, mpc.byu.edu, lists upcoming events and explains how to sign up for events requiring registration.
