Exhibits continue at Southern Ohio Museum

The distant past will come alive as visitors cross the bridge in time to Art of the Ancients:

The Ohio Valley, the Southern Ohio Museum's new permanent collection features 10,000 Native American artifacts from 1,500 to 8,000 years old. Starting more than 3,000 years ago and lasting about 1,500 years, these ancient cultures lived throughout southern Ohio and northern Kentucky, settling primarily along the streams and rivers feeding the Ohio River.

While many details about the Adena and the Hopewell people remain unknown, articles crafted from stone, bone, shell and other durable materials managed to survive to offer important clues about the lives of their creators.

Another permanent exhibit is the Clarence Holbrook Carter exhibit. Carter was a native of Portsmouth.

The museum is located at 825 Gallia St., Portsmouth, and the galleries are open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tues.-Fri. and from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturdays. Admission is $1 for students and children; $2 for adults, except on Fridays when it is free. For more information, call (740) 354-5629.

Masters of the Night bat attraction showing

Camden Park's newest attraction, Masters of Night-The True Story of Bats, is now open in the Discovery Center and will run through Sept. 3.

The 5,000 square-foot exhibit offers caves, a simulated rain forest and a gothic castle.

There are plenty of special effects and hands-on displays to take part in.

Visitors can listen through giant bat ears, fly a bat through the rain forest using a remote control and see the world the way that a bat does - upside down.

No only does the exhibit dispel popular myths and misconceptions about bats, it also shows how important bats are to the environment.

Camden Park, West Virginia's amusement park, has been operating for 103 years.

For more information, call (304) 429-4321, or (866) 8CAMDEN or visit the Web site at www.camdenpark.com.

The park is located on U.S. 69 West, Huntington, W.Va.

Cancer survivor finds comfort in humor

Motivational speaker and cancer survivor Christine Clifford Beckwith will be at Our Lady of Bellefonte Hospital on July 20 at 6 p.m.

Diagnosed with cancer at age 40 and at the peak of a successful sales career, she treated it like another challenge and overcame it with a unique treatment - humor.

She has written several award-winning books including “No Now ... I'm Having a No Hair Day,” and “Our Family Has Cancer, Too” and “Cancer Has It's Privileges” among others.

She will be signing books in a meet and greet in the Banquet Room after her talk.

Cost is $20 for VIP tickets and $5 for general admission.

Bob Evans Farm plans Kids' Day Saturday

The Bob Evans Farm will have “Kids' Day at the Craft Barn from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday.

Plans for the day include water games, yard games and various craft and prize opportunities.

Children are invited to prepare to get wet and bring a towel for the water balloon jug toss, splash tag and other free water games.

Yard games, including corn hole toss, bubbles, sidewalk chalk drawing, basketball and hula hoop will be available free of charge.

The first 50 children to arrive at Kids' Day will receive a free squirt toy and door prizes will be given out. For more information about Kids' Day or other events at the Bob Evans Farm, call the farm at (740) 245-5305 or (800) 994-3276 or visit the Web site at 222.bobevans.com.

Alice Cooper performs for charity in Columbus

Lifestyle Communities Pavilion in Columbus will be the site of the Alice Cooper concert on Saturday.

The proceeds from the concert benefit the Britt Balser Foundation for TTP.

The concert is outdoors and for all ages, general admission is $25.50 for advanced tickets and $30.50 for day of the show.

The concert begins at 6 p.m. at the Lifestyle Communities Pavilion, 405 Neil Avenue, Columbus.

For ticket information, go to Ticketmaster onlin at www.ticketmaster.com.Cooper has been entertaining audiences since 1968.

From PDT staff reports