On this Podcast of "Behind the Mitten," John Gonzalez and Amy Sherman visit the Grand Rapids Public Museum, known for special exhibits and its local history and artifacts. (This segment aired Dec. 9-10, 2017.)

The Museum’s current facility opened in 1994 on the west bank of the Grand River in the heart of downtown. It contains three floors of exhibits, the Roger B. Chaffee Planetarium, the Cook Carousel Pavilion, Meijer Theater, cafe, and gift shop. It was founded in 1854.

More information at http://www.grpm.org/

Segment 1: John and Amy talk to Christie Bender and Kate Moore of the Public Museum, who give an overview and even talk about a special school located inside the museum.

Segment 2 (Listen at 10:25): Chief Curator Alex Forist talks about what people can find at the museum; he also explains what a curator does. He also notes that Grand Rapids has a long history of making beer.

Segment 3 (Listen at 19:48): John and Amy dive deeper into the museum's latest exhibition, "Dragons, Unicorns & Mermaids," which continues through May 20, 2018.

Segment 4 (Listen at 29:30): John and Amy talk about upcoming events, including the Beer Explorers program which returns in January. The series kicks off a new year with Founders Beer and Robinette's, which is pairing beer and doughnuts. They also do BEER of the WEEK!

Get tickets to the Jan. 11 Beer Explorers event at https://596.blackbaudhosting.com/596/tickets?tab=2&txobjid=cff4b0b4-45d1-4347-b01b-789d99c3c80e

Calendar of Events: http://www.grpm.org/calendar-list/

Meet Finny: On Dec. 16, the GRPM will debut its Meet Finny Kiosk to learn more about its iconic 1905 finback whale skeleton that hangs above the first floor Galleria. More info: http://www.therapidian.org/placematters-new-virtual-reality-touchscreen-experience-grand-rapids-public-museum?platform=hootsuite)

Follow Finny on Twitter: https://twitter.com/FinnytheWhale?lang=en

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