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MOUNDSVILLE, W.Va. — Grave Creek Mound Archaeological Complex in Moundsville will present family-fun activities during the December holiday season in the Delf Norona Museum. All activities are free and open to the public.

Many Native Americans considered corn, beans and squash to be the three sisters who lived together in the garden. Visitors are invited to “Meet the Three Sisters” at the discovery table throughout the month and learn more about these important crops to our ancient ancestors. Make a figure to represent each plant using cardboard, crayons and seeds from the museum’s Interpretive Garden.

The complex also will present free short films every Saturday in December. Secrets of the Valley: Prehistory of the Kanawha will air at noon, Ghosts of Green Bottom: Uncovering a 19th Century Plantation at 1 p.m., Legacy of the Mound Builders begins at 2 p.m., and Mysteries of the Ancient Architects at 3 p.m.

On Thursday, Dec. 18, at 7 p.m., visitors are invited the see the Public Broadcasting System’s production, Alan Alda in Scientific American Frontiers: Coming into America, as part of the museum’s monthly lecture and film series.

The well-known Emmy Award-winning actor Alan Alda is also a life-long science buff who is hosting his eighth season of the “Coming into America” series. The one-hour show will explore the first Americans, whether they arrived by land or sea and whether they were a single group or several groups from different parts of the world. The long-held theory that the first Americans walked across the Bering Land Bridge will be examined and alternative theories will be explored.

For more information about December events at Grave Creek Mound, contact Andrea Keller, cultural program coordinator, at (304) 843-4128.

Operated by the West Virginia Division of Culture and History, Grave Creek Mound Archaeological Complex features the largest conical burial mound in the New World and ranks as one of the largest earthen mortuary mounds anywhere in the world. The Delf Norona Museum, located at 801 Jefferson Avenue,  is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. It is closed Sunday and Monday.

The West Virginia Division of Culture and History is an agency within the West Virginia Department of Education and the Arts with Kay Goodwin, Cabinet Secretary. The division, led by Commissioner Randall Reid-Smith, brings together the past, present and future through programs and services focusing on archives and history, arts, historic preservation and museums. For more information about the division’s programs, events and sites, visit www.wvculture.org. The Division of Culture and History is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer.

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