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Department of Parks
Family Fun Day Set For June 10 At Wickliffe Mounds
FRANKFORT, Ky. – Just about every kid in the world likes to dig up stuff. Fossils, rocks, buried treasure – whatever may be beneath the surface in your backyard.
On Saturday, June 10, Wickliffe Mounds State Historic Site in Western Kentucky will host Family Fun Day and provide the whole family a chance to learn more about Native American culture. This will be an opportunity for fun and education.
As part of this event, kids young and old take part in a simulated dig to learn about the science of archaeology. Visitors will dig for coins, animal bones and other items in a container of sand and also learn about the efforts to preserve and protect Native American sites. The dig is just one of the special events presented from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. (Central Time).
Visitors will also have a chance to see how blow guns, spears and other weapons were made and used by Native Americans. They will also be able to make and take home pottery.
Visitors may also explore the mounds and trails at the 26-acre park in Ballard County. Try your skills with Native American games, tools, food processing, and crafts. The simulated digs will be at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.
Wickliffe Mounds State Historic Site is the archaeological site of a prehistoric Native American village of the Mississippian mound builders. Located on a bluff overlooking the Mississippi river, the village was occupied from about A.D. 1100 to 1350.
Today, the Wickliffe Mounds museum exhibits the excavated features of the mounds, outstanding displays of Mississippian pottery, stone tools, bone and shell implements, the architecture of Mississippian mounds and houses, burial practices of the Mississippians and a bird's eye view of the bluff atop the ceremonial mound.
The Ceremonial Mound is intact and can be accessed for a beautiful bird’s eye view of the park. A Hands-On Activity Touch Table rounds out a museum tour where visitors can use prehistoric tools and learn about Mississippian artifacts, technology and their environment.
The admission of $5 for adults and $4 for children ages 6-12 allows them to take part in all activities, including the museum. Children 5 and under are free.
The Kentucky State Park System is composed of 52 state parks plus an interstate park shared with Virginia. The Department of Parks, an agency of the Commerce Cabinet, operates 17 resort parks with lodges -- more than any other state. Each year, Kentucky parks draw 7 million visitors and contribute $317 million to the economy. For more information on Kentucky parks, visit our Web site at http://www.parks.ky.gov
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