Press

ALBANY, NY - The New York State Museum has announced schedule changes for two of its current exhibitions - The World Trade Center: Rescue Recovery Response and The Great American Circus.

The World Trade Center: Rescue Recovery Response will temporarily close January 2 to allow for the installation and opening of phase two of the exhibition on January 30. The exhibition's second phase features two gallery sections-Recovery, the story of the massive operation at the Fresh Kills landfill, and Response, showcasing memorial material in the museum's collection.

The exhibition, which opened in September, is located in the museum's New York Metropolis Hall. It features the heavily damaged Engine 6 pumper, one of the first fire trucks to respond to the scene, as well as video and many other objects and images chronicling this tragic chapter in the nation's history. The first phase chronicles the first 24 hours of the attack at the World Trade Center.

The Great American Circus, which opened last May and was originally scheduled to close January 5, has been extended to May 31. This exhibition showcases one of America's premier collections of circus memorabilia and a giant, historically accurate model of the traveling circus created by Gordon Turner, a Colonie master model maker. Visitors to Exhibition Hall also will see other circus-related models, historic posters, sideshow banners and memorabilia, donated by George H. Barlow III of Binghamton, including photographs of circus photographer Edward Kelty. There also are 19th century circus toys, circus music and more.

The New York State Museum is a cultural program of the New York State Department of Education. Founded in 1836, the museum has the longest continuously operating state natural history research and collection survey in the U.S. The State Museum is located on Madison Avenue in Albany. It is open daily from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. except on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day. Admission is free. Further information can be obtained by calling (518) 474-5877 or visiting the museum website at www.nysm.nysed.gov.

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*Color slides are available by calling 518-486-2003.

The New York State Museum is open 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily.