Over 1,000 visit exhibit in 1 day!

On Saturday, during the Lebanese festival held at the NC Museum of History, nearly 2.400 people visited the museum. Of this high volume, over 1,000 passed through the Cedars in the Pines exhibit to learn about Lebanese history in the state and to interact with maps, video games, dance lessons, stereographs and more.

The lobby was filled with henna stations so visitors could decorate their hands, calligraphy booths where visitors could see their names written in Arabic script, a game of backgammon, and a fortune teller. If visitors were of Lebanese ancestry, they could locate their town of origin on a large wall map. The auditorium at the museum was filled with performances for over 5 hours: belly dancers, dabke troupes with dancers varying in age, dance instruction, music recitals, and even a reading of Gibran Khalil Gibran’s famous poetry.

To end the day’s events were wonderful speeches delivered by U.S. Congressman David Price and N.C. Secretary of State Elaine Marshall. By the time the day came to an end, visitors asked if the festival could become an annual event. Stay tuned!