Admission to Conner Prairie is free Jan. 16 as the museum invites visitors to celebrate the life and achievements of Martin Luther King Jr. and the importance of peaceful protesting.
Conner Prairie will be open from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. on Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Special events and activities are planned throughout the day, including theatrical performances, family games, archeology activities, art and more.
Three short plays will be performed at various times throughout the day in the museum’s Lilly Theater that share important moments in African-American history. “Freedom Summer 1964” tells a story about two student trainers from the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, one of the most important organizations of the Civil Rights Movement, who will introduce audiences to their methods for practicing non-violent protest. “Madam Walker: Her Life” features Madam C.J. Walker sharing her life’s journey from a sharecropper’s daughter to the head of a hair product corporation in the early 1900s. “Rhodes Family Incident” is the story of disillusioned college students who stumble across an historic racial incident in their hometown that makes them see another side to where they grew up.
Other activities throughout the day include:
- Black History Bingo and family board games
- Archaeology: Black, White or Both? Visitors can explore artifacts and learn if they came from a historic African-American community, a white community or both.
- Tree of Dreams: Visitors can share their dreams for the future.
- Gallery of images of non-violent protests, past and present
- How would you protest injustice?
- Draw a picture, write a poem and share with others what you would do to protest an injustice.
Spanning 800 wooded acres in central Indiana, Conner Prairie welcomes nearly 390,000 visitors of all ages annually. As Indiana’s first Smithsonian Institute affiliate, Conner Prairie offers various outdoor, historically themed destinations and indoor experiential learning spaces that combine history and art with science, technology, engineering and math to offer an authentic look into history that shapes society today.
Conner Prairie’s mission is to inspire curiosity and foster learning about Indiana by providing engaging, individualized and unique experiences. Created by Eli Lilly in 1934, Conner Prairie combines history with science, technology, engineering and math and encourages visitors to explore Indiana’s natural and cultural heritage through hands-on, immersive and interactive experiences. Inspiring visitors of all ages to discover more about the events, discoveries and forces that shaped the American Midwest, Conner Prairie offers various historically themed, indoor and outdoor experience areas throughout its 800 acres of wooded property in Fishers, Ind. Indiana’s first Smithsonian Institute Affiliate and accredited by the American Alliance of Museums, Conner Prairie is a 501(c)3, non-profit organization that relies on grants and philanthropic donations from corporations and individuals for sustainability and growth. Visit connerprairie.org or call (800) 966-1836 for admission dates, hours, ticket prices and opportunities to donate and volunteer. Conner Prairie is on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Flicker and YouTube.
