http://www.secularstudents.org/Conference/CreationMuseumAnyone who follows PZ Myers' blog Pharyngula knows that he has long mocked and ridiculed Ken Ham's infamous, biblically-literal Creation Museum. However, due to neither being in the right place nor wanting to provide the "museum" with more funding, his mocking has been from afar.
But at 10:00am on Friday, August 7, in conjunction with the 2009 SSA Conference, the Secular Student Alliance will be sponsoring PZ Myers to take a one day, in-person tour of the Creation Museum! We've even invited Ken Ham himself to give PZ a tour of the place.
And you're invited to come along!
We'd love to see a mob of "quietly chortling, science-minded people" packing the halls of the Creation Museum with PZ. We have a special group rate of only $10.00 per attendee! (Group rate is for both students and non-students.) Bring your favorite OUT Campaign, atheist, skeptic, or SSA t-shirt and join in the fun!
Event Details
* Friday, August 7
* 10:00am - 3:00pm at the museum
* $10.00 per person if you register here
Be sure to check out the special events going on while we're there!
Frequently Asked Questions
* How do I sign up?
* How do I get there?
* What do I do about housing on Thursday night?
* Will I be able to make it to the SSA Conference on Friday evening?
* Can I go to the Creation Museum even though I'm not registered for the conference?
* Is the Creation Museum entrance fee included in the conference registration?
* But I don't want to give money to the creationists!
How do I sign up? To get the special $10 group rate, you must register using this form! We'll have your ticket for you at the door. If you do not register in advance, you will have to purchase your entry ticket at the regular price of $22 - so be sure to register now!
How do I get there? We've set up a carpool system where you can look for people heading down to the museum and trade a few bucks of gas money for a ride. Go to www.rideshare.us and search for the event using lookup code "PZ2Creation" to find a carpool. If you're going and can offer a ride, head over there and post your ride so others can find you!
The directions between OSU and The Museum and back are here.
Remember that we will meet at the Museum at 10:00 am - please plan your travel accordingly and account for rush-hour traffic around Cincinnati.
What do I do about housing on Thursday night? Unfortunately, we weren't able to get conference dorm rooms on Thursday night. However, we do have a number of student and nonstudent volunteers who are willing to host students on Thursday night so you can get up bright and early to head down to the museum! Let us know if you need a place to crash, and we'll find a sofa, guest bed, floor space, sleeping bag, hammock, or some other student-friendly accommodation! Just email jonathan.sussman@secularstudents.org, and we'll find you a place.
Another option is to set up camp in a hotel close to the Museum. It is right by the border of Ohio and Kentucky, so you should be able to find a cheap hotel in Cincinnati, OH or nearby in KY. Splitting an $10 hotel room four ways is about the same rate as the conference housing.
Another option available is through the Sage Hospitality group of hotels and their "Give a day, get a night" program. If you can volunteer 8 hours of your time with a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization (such as the SSA, the American Humanist Association, Camp Quest, the Freedom from Religion Foundation, or many others) between now and Aug 6, you will be eligible for a free night's stay at one of two participating hotels in Cincinnati, right near the Creation Museum. You'll need to have a letter on the organization's letterhead stating that you have completed your volunteer service. More details on the program are here.
Will I be able to make it to the SSA Conference on Friday evening? You bet. We'll be departing the museum around 3:00pm, which gives you plenty of time to drive through scenic southern Ohio, stop for dinner, and make it back to the Ohio State University in time for the conference.
Can I go to the Creation Museum even though I'm not registered for the conference? Absolutely! Although they correlate nicely and we encourage conference attendees to come down to the museum with us, they are separate events and you can register for one or the other independently.
Is the Creation Museum entrance fee included in the conference registration? Unfortunately not. You will need to register for both events separately if you plan to join us at the museum.
But I don't want to give money to the creationists! Neither do we, but we feel that the educational experience with a qualified guide (PZ) is worth it. If you're feeling particularly dirty about paying your entry fee, consider making a donation to the SSA to balance out your "karma." Right now, all donations are matched by the Vital Spark Foundation. So if you make a donation of $10 to the SSA to balance out your entry fee to the museum, the SSA actually receives $20 - it's a win-win situation! There is a donation option included in the registration form.
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