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Cincinnati Museum Center hosts annual Grandparents Weekend

CINCINNATI – How much does Mrs. Claus feed Santa to keep him in jolly shape? Is there a secret for getting syrup out of your beard? What do you do when a reindeer gets sick? What exactly is a Sugarplum Fairy? And why are there dragons in the museum? Find the answers to all of these questions at Cincinnati Museum Center this weekend. Really. The Museum Center has so many hands-on, family-friendly events planned they needed two days to fit them in.
The weekend’s activities kick off Saturday with the FutureVet program in the Duke Energy Children’s Museum. Presented in partnership with Banfield Pet Hospitals, FutureVet gives children an opportunity to speak with a veterinarian and their tail-wagging friends to learn more about the needs, health and care for your favorite animals, including what to do when they’re sick. “It’s very inspiring for children to speak with real veterinarians,” says Tony Lawson, Director of the Duke Energy Children’s Museum. “FutureVet helps the Museum Center inspire and educate children and we may even create future veterinarians as they learn about the care of living things.” The FutureVet program runs from 11 a.m. to noon, Saturday, December 7.

Or you could catch a holiday classic as the Otto M. Budig Dance Academy takes you on journey through the land of the sweets with their free performance of the Nutcracker. Meet Spanish Coffee, Chinese Tea and the Sugarplum fairies as the region’s most talented young dancers present this timeless holiday tale. The Otto M. Budig Dance Academy will do two performances Saturday so if you like it the first time, see it again! Performances are at 11:30 a.m. & 1:30 p.m., Saturday, December 7.
Wake up Sunday with an appetite and a wish list and join us for Pancakes with Santa . “Pancakes with Santa is becoming a tradition for so many families,” says event co-chair Lindsay Reynolds, “and building traditions is what the Museum Center is all about.” Santa, Cincinnati Museum Center’s CCO (Chief Cheer Officer), stops by for a visit while children help themselves to a decorate-your-own pancake buffet and other family-friendly activities. Tell him your Christmas list, show off your pancake portrait of him (complete with whipped cream beard) and ask him if his elves really have to help wash the syrup out of his beard. Reservations are require, so call (513) 287-7001 to reserve your spot at the table. Pancakes with Santa begins at 11:30 a.m., Sunday, December 8.

After you’ve decorated your pancakes, decorate a lantern in the Rotunda as we celebrate the Chinese New Year. Travel around the world as you celebrate this holiday and learn how each year is a different animal and what they represent. You can even make your own dragon! Activities run from noon to 3 p.m., Sunday, December 8.
For a complete list of the weekend’s activities visit cincymuseum.org/holiday/grandparents-weekend.