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Family Fun Night on Fast Track: Dallas Museum Offers Pizza, Movie and Car Exhibit Thursday

Posted on: Friday, 13 January 2006, 09:00 CST

By Olivia Fortson, The Charlotte Observer, N.C.

Jan. 13--Does your family crave an evening of pizza, movies and cars? Head to the Gaston County Museum of Art & History in Dallas, N.C., for a family program that debuts Thursday.

The Third Thursday Family Fun Night, 5:30 to 8:30 p.m., gives visitors a chance to enjoy a pizza dinner, a family movie and a guided tour of the exhibit "America in the Auto Age: Driving Toward Independence."

"This is a brand-new thing I'm getting started, and we're going to do it quarterly," says Jeff Pruett, the museum's programs coordinator. (Upcoming programs are in April, July and October.)

Pruett encourages families to be there promptly at 5:30 p.m. for pizza. At 6 p.m., a movie will be shown. "I can't tell you yet what it's going to be, but it will be a family-friendly movie that's related to the car exhibit," he says.

Afterward, visitors can tour the exhibit, which will most likely be led by the museum's curator, Aimee Russell.

"It's a fantastic exhibit that basically looks at the impact the automobile has had on our culture and how our culture has changed because of it," says Russell.

Divided into sections, it covers topics such as rules and regulations, which shows what happens when you have a new invention and how you make it safe for the public; how mechanics were first trained; and women and automobiles, which addresses the initial disapproval of women as drivers.

And, of course, there's a section devoted to NASCAR. "You can't have an exhibit about cars in this area without including NASCAR," says Russell. She says one of the most popular parts of that section is a tire autographed by Richard Petty.

When asked what her favorite part of the exhibit is, Russell doesn't hesitate.

"All through college and graduate school, I've been interested in women's studies and women's issues, so I'm fascinated by an ad from the 1920s for a Chevrolet Town and Country station wagon," she says.

"It shows how the station wagon can benefit both the city wife and the country wife. It talks about how the city wife can use it to go to the country to get foods that are more wholesome for her family. It's an obvious bias against city life, because at that time there was conflict in America as people moved from the country to the city for jobs. The country is portrayed as wholesome. But what is so telling is that a man is driving. It wasn't acceptable for women to drive, but businesses weren't stupid. They knew women made a lot of the purchasing decisions for the family."

Another item that fascinates Russell is a pamphlet from the late '20s showing a pretty young girl with her arms crossed over her stomach with a headline that says, "This could have been preventable, but she spent too much time in a rumble seat (a seat that pulled out from the back in some early cars)."

"It all goes back to freedom," says Russell. "Automobiles allowed women a level of freedom that was scary for society. And cars were scary contraptions when they first came out. They weren't quiet or easy to drive. Imagine not having power steering or power brakes and having to crank your car every time you wanted to use it. For a whole generation of women, to drive or not to drive was a big decision." PREVIEW

Third Thursday Family Fun Night

Enjoy pizza, a movie and the exhibit "America in the Auto Age: Driving Toward Independence" at this inaugural family event.

WHEN: 5:30-8:30 p.m. Thursday.

WHERE: Gaston County Museum of Art & History, 131 W. Main St., Dallas.

ADMISSION: $3, free for 3 and younger.

DETAILS: (704) 922-7681; www.gastoncountymuseum.org .

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Copyright (c) 2006, The Charlotte Observer, N.C.

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Source: The Charlotte Observer (Charlotte, N.C.)

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