Weekend Ticket: ‘Ragin’ Reptiles’ coming to Port Arthur
Published 5:55 pm Thursday, September 17, 2015
- A detail of “Mother’s Love,” a scratchboard image of an American alligator carrying young, by artist John Agnew. The Museum of the Gulf Coast is showcasing Agnew’s “Crocodilian Scratchboards” exhibit in conjunction with its “Ragin’ Reptiles” Family Fun Day on Saturday.
Museum of the Gulf Coast to host Family Fun Day
The Museum of the Gulf Coast is bringing the exhibits to life this weekend — teeth, talons and tails included.
The museum will host “Ragin’ Reptiles,” a free Family Fun Day with enough scales and activities for all ages, Saturday in conjunction with the “Crocodilian Scratchboards” exhibit by John Agnew.
A detail of “Cypress Sunrise,” an acrylic painting of an American alligator, by artist John Agnew. The Museum of the Gulf Coast is showcasing Agnew’s “Crocodilian Scratchboards” exhibit in conjunction with its “Ragin’ Reptiles” Family Fun Day on Saturday.
Stephanie Harren, Museum of the Gulf Coast education coordinator, said “Ragin’ Reptiles” will feature a live reptile show at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m., and a special screening of “Crocodile Dundee” at noon.
“Ragin’ Reptiles” will offer reptile-themed arts and crafts, games and science experiments for the duration of the program, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday.
“We’re asking our parents to make sure the kids pay special attention to our alligator display during the Family Fun Day,” Harren said Thursday. “As soon as ‘Ragin’ Reptiles’ starts, we’re going to open up a special ‘Name the Alligator’ contest.”
The preparatory sketch, center, and scratchboard, right, images of “Mother’s Love by artist John Agnew give visitors an insider look into the world of scratchboard art. The Museum of the Gulf Coast is showcasing Agnew’s “Crocodilian Scratchboards” exhibit in conjunction with its “Ragin’ Reptiles” Family Fun Day on Saturday.
Harren said the nameless alligator — which measures 13 feet and five inches from snout to tail — has greeted visitors at the entrance of the museum for decades. It’s backstory of the trapper who shot and caught the “behemoth” not once but twice before marking a successful harvest resonates with patrons and gives them a personal connection to the Southeast Texas artifact.
“The alligator is such an iconic symbol, not only of Southeast Texas but of the museum itself. People always remember it, and we figured it’d high time the alligator had a name to remember it by,” Harren said. “The contest will begin Saturday with ‘Ragin’ Reptiles’ and run through Jan. 24, 2016 — the closing date of our ‘Crocodilian Scratchboards’ exhibit.”
The Museum of the Gulf Coast in Port Arthur is asking children ages 5 to 15 to “Name the Alligator” during a contest scheduled to begin in conjunction with its “Ragin’ Reptiles” Family Fun Day on Saturday.
Harren said the contest is open to children ages 5 to 15. The child who wins the contest will receive a plaque, a stuffed alligator wearing a bandana embroidered with the winning name, and a $50 gift card. The children who win second and third place will receive $25 and $15 gift cards, respectively.
The Museum of the Gulf Coast is located at 700 Procter St. in Port Arthur.
For more information about any of the upcoming reptilian programs, call the museum at (409) 982-7000 or visit www.museumofthegulfcoast.org.
“Cypress Sunrise,” an acrylic painting of an American alligator, by artist John Agnew. The Museum of the Gulf Coast is showcasing Agnew’s “Crocodilian Scratchboards” exhibit in conjunction with its “Ragin’ Reptiles” Family Fun Day on Saturday.
