POP Havre de Grace Day Ramble & Luncheon Cruise   June 5 Everything You’ve Ever Wanted to Know About POP! Pop on down to Havre de Grace, Maryland, for a memorable day out with your North Museum friends. On Thursday, June 5, hop onto the bus at ??am for a fascinating look at the history and science of the plastic soda pop bottle. In the morning, we’ll be visiting Constar International, Inc., one of the world’s largest suppliers of PET (polyethylene terephthalate) plastic containers. Constar is a packaging solutions leader for the beverage and food industries. Museum volunteer Joe Lester will be one of the leaders for this tour. While working as an engineer for DuPont, Joe became involved in the development of the plastic bottle for carbonated beverages. Also joining us will be North Museum’s Jim Ringlein, who—while employed at Alcoa—was involved in bottle top engineering. Clearly, there’s more to POP than meets the eye! After our tour of Constar, we’ll board the Lantern Queen, a Mississippi Riverboat replica, for a paddlewheel luncheon cruise along the Susquehanna River and the waters of the majestic Chesapeake Bay. Lunch will feature an assortment of salads and desserts—relax with great food and conversation while enjoying the sights along the river and historic Havre de Grace. After our cruise, we’ll go to town for a couple hours of strolling along the boardwalk, visiting local attractions (historic Concord Point Light House, the Havre de Grace Maritime, or Decoy Museum), or just shopping if you like. We’ll climb back on board our bus at about 4:30 pm, and be home before 6:00. Not coincidentally the North Museum is embarking on a new, national initiative called PoP, or Portal to the Public. During part of our trip, we will share with you an insider’s look at this National Science Foundation project. Learning, eating, playing, and laughing—enjoy a pleasant day by the sea for only $55.00 for each person.* Contact Erika Snitzer for details and to reserve your seat: erika.snitzer@fandm.edu or 717-291-4149. *Due to safety considerations at the Constar plant, day trippers must be 16 or older.

Antarctica or Bust! Travel way far south with the North! Our next international Ramble is headed to Antarctica in January 2009. Veteran Antarctic traveler Andy Appel will lead our group from Lancaster to South America to board our ship for an eleven-day cruise. After crossing the famous Drake Passage, we’ll make two landings a day (weather permitting) on the Antarctic Peninsula. See penguins, whales, seals, and more during this adventure of a lifetime! Interested? Plan to attend the trip preview meeting on May 19, at 7 pm in the Kinsey Room. Andy and Craig Haberle of AAA Travel will unveil all the details. Please call Jamie Alton at (717) 358-4712 or email him at james.alton@fandm.edu to RSVP for the meeting or to request information.