Kingman Museum presents "Seven Wonders"

Although the mighty Colossus no longer looms over Rhodes and seafarers no longer look to the great Lighthouse of Alexandria for guidance, these and other marvels of the ancient world are still open to exploration thanks to 21st century technology.
Kingman Museum will present the second production in its new planetarium beginning Friday and running through Feb. 20. "Seven Wonders" takes audiences on a visual tour of the seven wonders of the ancient world and the universe, many of which have never been seen by modern man's eyes.
"The film explores the wonders like the pyramids, then some that we don't see anymore," said Museum Educator Jennifer Sellers. "So you can see what happened, what destroyed them and from an archeological standpoint, what they've found out about them."
Of the seven wonders of the ancient world, only the Great Pyramid of Giza is still standing. The Hanging Gardens of Babylon, Statue of Zeus at Olympia, Temple of Artemis at Ephesus, Mausoleum of Maussollos at Halicarnassus, Colossus of Rhodes and Lighthouse of Alexandria were all destroyed by man or natural causes.
The film also pairs the ancient world with the outer world, highlighting wonders of the universe such as black holes and fluorescent, jellyfish-like nebulae.
"I think the most interesting thing about it is it first introduces you to words you have heard of but don't know the meanings behind them, then combines that history with a study of the stars," said Chief Executive Officer Sara Ann Briggs.
Kingman staff and board members had high hopes for the museum's new state-of-the-art planetarium system bringing in more visitors more often. A little more than a month after its public debut, Briggs said they haven't been disappointed.
"Except for one Friday when we were snowed out, it's going really good," she said.
Besides opening day and last Saturday, which had more than 200 and 70 attendees, respectively, Briggs said about 45 viewers visit the shows each day. Planetarium shows are given four times per day each Friday and Saturday, whereas they were only given monthly with the previous planetarium system.
Although it's difficult to gauge how much of an asset the new planetarium has been to the area's tourism so far, Calhoun County Visitors' Bureau President Dwight Butt said it has brought the museum back on radar.
"We've certainly had an increase in inquiries on Kingman and their hours and I know a lot of people are going and interested in it," he said.
The museum has several other events planned for January. In conjunction with their "Safari Africa: Changing Perspectives" exhibit, Tom Funke, Michigan Audubon Society's director of conservation, will give a free lecture about his African explorations on Jan. 6.