Linda Hall Library Hosts “Moon Over Panama” on August 15, 2014, to Commemorate 100th Anniversary of the Opening of the Panama Canal
Kansas City, Missouri (PRWEB) July 24, 2014 -- What: The Linda Hall Library will host “Moon Over Panama,” which is open to the public (reservations required; tickets are $15). Event details:
• Authentic Panamanian cuisine prepared by Kansas City’s El Porton Cafe
• Live music along with traditional Panamanian dancers donning ornate Panamanian polleras
• Archival footage of the Panama Canal’s opening
• Guests can tour the Panama Canal Centennial Exhibition at the Linda Hall Library: The Land Divided, The World United: Building the Panama Canal
• Event Chairs Dr. and Mrs. Enrique Chaves will display their personal Panamanian art collection, including a dozen of their prized molas, colorful textiles handmade by Kuna Indians
• Event attire is for an evening in the tropics: floral prints, white linen and straw hats
When: 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. on Friday, August 15, 2014 (exactly 100 years from the Panama Canal opening on August 15, 1914)
Where: The Linda Hall Library Courtyard, 5109 Cherry Street, Kansas City, MO 64110
Who: The Linda Hall Library and Event Chairs, Dr. Enrique and Mrs. Vilma Chaves, originally of Panama. Dr. Chaves, a retired neurologist from the University of Kansas Medical Center, is also an advisory committee member for the Linda Hall Library’s Panama Canal centennial exhibition, which showcases one of the world’s most complete Panama Canal construction archives now through December 31, 2014.
Why: The Linda Hall Library will host “Moon Over Panama” to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the opening of the Panama Canal. This event will be one of the country's largest centennial events celebrating one of America’s greatest engineering achievements — the opening of the Panama Canal on August 15, 1914. Regarded as one of the seven wonders of the modern world, the Panama Canal allowed ships to pass for the first time in history from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean in just 48-miles, saving nearly 8,000 miles and weeks of travel time around Cape Horn at the southern tip of South America.
About the Linda Hall Library’s Centennial Panama Canal Exhibition:
The Linda Hall Library’s centennial exhibition celebrating the Panama Canal’s opening in 1914 —The Land Divided, The World United: Building the Panama Canal — invites visitors to see more than 100 selected artifacts from the Panama Canal’s construction that haven’t been accessible to the public in nearly 80 years, including original photographs, hand-colored drawings, maps, letters, diaries, journals, postcards and news clippings.
The Library’s exceptionally complete archives document America’s involvement in the construction of the Panama Canal from the perspective of one individual: A.B. Nichols, one of the first American engineers to arrive at the construction site in 1904. Nichols meticulously documented the Panama Canal’s construction until its completion in 1914.
“With his volume of dramatic photographs, blueprints and detailed journals, Nichols left behind an invaluable first draft of the Panama Canal’s history,” says Lisa Browar, president of the Linda Hall Library. The Linda Hall Library’s complete A.B. Nichols collection includes 1,200 original photographs, 1,300 blueprints and schematic, 100 maps, 250 letters and memoranda, and dozens of hand-colored sketches and drawings, journals, postcards and news clippings. The exhibition continues through December 31, 2014.
About the Linda Hall Library:
The Linda Hall Library is the world's foremost independent research library devoted to science, engineering and technology. A not-for-profit, privately funded institution, the Library is open to the public free of charge. Since 1946, scholars, researchers, academic institutions and businesses throughout around the world have accessed the Linda Hall Library's collections to learn, investigate, invent, explore and increase knowledge. Hundreds of people of all ages attend the Library's public programs each year to expand their awareness and understanding of science and technology. The 14 acres surrounding the Linda Hall Library are maintained as an urban arboretum open to the public for education and enjoyment. To learn more, visit http://www.lindahall.org.
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Elaina Boudreau, BELA Communications, +1 (913) 660-0548, [email protected]
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