NU State Museum Benefit Auction Raffle Offers Unusual Prizes

Lincoln, Neb., March 31st, 2004 — Have you ever wanted to ride in a Model T, excavate fossils at Ashfall, or experience fine dining in the company of a University of Nebraska geologist? A fundraiser by the Friends of the University of Nebraska State Museum gives raffle winners a chance at these experiences, and a host of other unusual and practical prizes.

The money raised will help support exhibits and programs at the museum.

"Our museum holds myriad opportunities for discovery and growth," said Marj McKinty, president of the Friends group. "All of us Nebraskans -- whether home-grown or transplants like me -- have come to treasure the collections displayed at Morrill Hall and those housed at Nebraska Hall. By participating in the auction raffle, the public can provide the support necessary to preserve these riches."

The auction raffle runs through April 24. Each item will be raffled separately, so patrons can increase chances of winning an item by entering tickets for that item. Drawings will be held during a reception set for 5:30 to 9 p.m. April 24 at the museum in Morrill Hall, 14 and U streets. Raffle participants need not be present to win. Admission to the reception is $15, and includes five raffle tickets.

Additional prizes are being added through April. Updated rules and prizes will be posted on the Friends' Web site.

Raffle tickets may be purchased at the museum, by telephone or by mail using an order form on the Friends' Web site. Cost is $1 each, or $15 for a sheet of 25 tickets. On the night of the drawing, April 24, tickets will cost $1 each or $25 for a sheet of 25. To order raffle tickets by telephone or for more information, call (402) 472-6365.

A partial list of the prizes available follows:

-- Dinner for two at the Lincoln Country Club with Priscilla Grew, NU State Museum director and geosciences professor; -- Ashfall Fossil Beds guided tour and hands-on excavation experience for six led by Mike Voorhies, paleontology professor;

-- Illustrated slide presentation on geology; presented by Norm Smith, professor of geosciences;

-- Tour of museum collections in Nebraska Hall with a behind-the-scenes look at unique fossils collected since 1891, for eight people, presented by Bob Hunt, paleontology professor;

-- Archeological expedition through "old Lincoln" to identify archeological reflections of the city's growth and development, presented by Peter Bleed, anthropology and geography professor;

-- Model T Ford ride and tour of Larsen Tractor Test and Power Museum for four, led by William Splinter, director of the museum;

-- Stargazing experience for eight at Behlen Observatory, capped by a midnight supper with hosts Edward Schmidt, professor of physics and astronomy, and his wife Marilyn McDowell;

-- Illustrated presentation on remote field operations in the extreme Antarctic environment presented by David Harwood, professor of geosciences; and

-- Illustrated presentation of the geologic history of the Nebraska Sandhills presented by Jim Swinehart, professor of geosciences.

Additional items include: five days in a Winter Park, Colo., condo; a fossil ammonite from England; flying model rocket; a walnut drop leaf table; Haymarket Theater gift certificates; a fossil fish; a Neal Anderson print of sandhill cranes; Anderson prints of loons; DuTeau Chevrolet gift certificates; season passes to the Ross Film Theatre; a man's watch; three-day accommodations at a choice of destinations; a pound of Mill coffee each month for a year; and a bicycle tune-up.

Additionally, a framed wildlife photograph by Joel Sartore will be part of a silent auction available only at the April 24 reception.

CONTACT: Marj McKinty, President, Friends of NU State Museum, (402) 483-4581, ext. 261