It’s starting to be tourist season and the USU Eastern Prehistoric Museum has seen an increase in visitors stopping by. Director Dr. Tim Riley took time to come into Castle Country Radio to talk about all the fun things taking place at the museum.

“It’s starting to be tourist season. We saw a big uptick as did the rest of the area during Spring Break and that’s continuing. We remain open to the public, Monday through Saturday, 9:00 am to 5:00 pm. You are still required to wear a mask and social distance because we’re both a state facility and a USU facility, so we have different obligations then if you were a private business,” stated Dr. Riley.

There is currently a Community Art Show taking place at the museum and there is still time to go visit the show. “There’s a lot of really incredible artwork from talented locals, from I think our youngest is probably 14 years old and our oldest is in their 70s or maybe their 80s. Come on down and check it out, there are about 50 pieces in the show this year. Mostly paintings, and photographs, but also some carved wood, some ceramics, and some other sculptural items, and just some really great works of art,” said Dr. Riley. The show will run from now until May 19 and is a great representation of the talented artists that live in the Castle Country area.

“The museum is going to be 60 celebrating on June 3 and our next temporary exhibit following the Community Art Show is going to be an exhibit focused on the history of the museum. Both the stories of the people who built this museum, then the community support they’ve had over all these decades, as well as some of the objects that aren’t normally on display,” explained Dr. Riley. Right now, the museum is looking for individuals in the community who may know some of the institutional histories of the museum and they would like to hear those stories to include in the upcoming exhibit.

The Visitor Center that will now be located inside the Prehistoric Museum will be a great addition. “Main Tourism Office will be where it is but the Visitor Center component of it is going to be in part of the lobby. So that’s ongoing, it’s a collaborative effort with the county, city of Price, as well as USU. But I would expect sometime this summer we’ll have that up and running. You’ll be able to come into the museum to not just see the museum but also to learn about all the cool things that you can visit in the area,” stated Dr. Riley.

To learn more about the USU Eastern Prehistoric Museum visit their website at https://eastern.usu.edu/museum/