Visitors can come to the Cultural Heritage Center in Pierre from 10-11:30 a.m. CST (9-10:30 a.m. MST) on Saturday, Feb. 26, to pick up a clothespin snowflake project for Family Fun Saturday called “February Flurries.”
Materials for the snowflake are included in the pickup bag, along with written instructions. Video instructions are posted on the museum link of the South Dakota State Historical Society’s website at history.sd.gov/museum/education. Visitors take the project home to complete.
“Not much snow has fallen in Pierre this winter (so far!) so anyone who might be missing out can create their own snowflakes with this project,” said Ronette Rumpca, museum curator of interpretation. “These snowflakes are much more colorful than the white ones that fall from the sky – or blow sideways in the wind.”
According to the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) website, most of South Dakota averages about 30 inches of snow each year but parts of the Black Hills can get up to 70 inches.
Curious about how snowflakes form and why two are never alike? NOAA says a snowflake begins to form when a cold-water droplet freezes onto a pollen or dust particle in the sky, creating an ice crystal. As the ice crystal falls, water vapor freezes onto the primary crystal, building new crystals into the six arms of the snowflake. Since individual snowflakes run into slightly different atmospheric conditions as they fall, each flake’s crystals form in a unique pattern.
Museum hours are 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. CST (8 a.m.-3:30 p.m. MST) Monday through Saturday and 1-4:30 p.m. CST (12-3:30 p.m. MST) Sundays and most holidays. Museum admission is now free for South Dakota adults and all children. For more information, visit the website above or call 605-773-6011. For information about membership in the State Historical Society, visit history.sd.gov/membership or call 605-773-6000.
About the South Dakota State Historical Society
The South Dakota State Historical Society is a division of the Department of Education. The State Historical Society, an Affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution since 2013, is headquartered at the South Dakota Cultural Heritage Center in Pierre. The center houses the society’s world-class museum, the archives, and the historic preservation, publishing, and administrative/development offices. Call 605-773-3458 or visit www.history.sd.gov for more information. The society also has an archaeology office in Rapid City; call 605-394-1936 for more information.
