The Augusta Museum of History is once again hosting their annual Night at the Museum fundraiser on Aug. 8, where history will once again come alive.
With locked doors and lights dimmed, guests are invited to venture into the museum after hours by AMH security officers and encounter 10 Augustans, who will bring the city’s historic past to life.
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Inspired by the popular “Night at the Museum” films, the museum will become a lifelike setting for the joys, sorrows and lives of local historical figures and their eventful stories.
Known for being characterized by past attendees as “entertaining,” the combination of theater and museum education will turn history into a personal, interactive experience that quickly sells out every year.
This year’s featured historic characters will include: John Bartram, George Walton, Solomon Walker, a child mill worker from the early 1900s, a train conductor from the 1860s, Lucy Craft Laney, Prosper Berckmans, Brenda Lee and Evelyn McDaniel.
Portrayed by Matt Porter, the executive director of Westobou, attendees will get to meet Walton, a representative of Georgia, and learn how he signed the U.S. Declaration of Independence and fought for the Patriots in the Revolutionary War, before moving to his home Meadow Garden.
Travel back in time with Michael Wolff, tour guide extraordinaire and owner of Augusta Adventures, and find out about Bartram – an early American botanist, horticulturist and explorer – alongside many other characters.
Deanna Brown Thomas, daughter of James Brown, will also be volunteering during the event to present on James Brown’s musical history in Augusta, who was one of the first 10 inductees in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
Guests will also get to enjoy alcoholic and nonalcoholic braves and light hors d’oeuvres, before and after the event’s hour-long tours at 6 and 7:30 p.m.
Funding raised from the event will benefit the Augusta Museum of History’s preservation, education and exhibition efforts, with tickets selling for $100 for adults and $50 for military.
Museum doors, located at 560 Reynolds St., will open for the first group at 5:30 p.m. and at 7 p.m. for the second group.
For tickets or more information, visit www.augustamuseum.org or call 707-722-8454.
