DURANT, Okla. -- A full schedule of activities are on tap in coming weeks, leading up to the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Services exhibit Jan. 9-Feb. 19, 2010 in Durant. Durant Main Street has been chosen by the Oklahoma Humanities Council to host Journey Stories as part of the Museum on Main Street Project.

On Nov. 4-6, Southeastern Oklahoma State University is holding its eighth annual Native American Symposium and Film Festival: Images, Imaginations, and Beyond. The event features presentations on Native American literature, history, sociology, education, science, art, and film. Scholars, artists and members of Indian Nations from across the United States and beyond will come together to discuss topics related to the Native American experience.

On Nov. 12, the Three Valley Museum will host "Night at the Museum." It will begin at 6:30 p.m. and will have live models in place of mannequins, depicting trades and professions from the past. There also will be a movie, cowboy tales and demonstrations.

The Robert L. Williams Public Library will feature an advanced genealogy workshop on Nov. 14. Class size is limited and pre-registration is required. The library has subscriptions to online programs that facilitate researching family history.

On Nov. 21, Durant Main Street and Preservation Oklahoma are partnering to host a "This Place Matters" tour. The afternoon will begin at 1 p.m. at the Robert L. Williams Public Library with a presentation on Governor Williams' private collection by Library Director Dottie Davis. Scenes and stories from the judge and former governor's daily footsteps will be relived, including stepping inside the lobby of the Bryan Hotel where he lived.

The month will end with a Pow Wow on Nov. 28 at the Choctaw Events Center. This colorful event features people from throughout the United States who come to share their heritage.

The Journey Stories host committee is hoping to attract school field trips to the January and February exhibit along with families from throughout the region. Educational activities include an opportunity to display art created by students, writing assignments encouraging recording of family histories, and historic presentations that teachers may share in their classrooms. Lesson plans are available online through www.museumonmainstreet.org.

Journey Stories, the focal point, is an exhibit fabricated by the Smithsonian Institution that examines the human drive for freedom. The story is diverse and focuses on immigrants coming in search of promise in a new country; stories of individuals and families relocating in search of fortune, their own homestead, or employment; the harrowing journeys of Africans and Native Americans forced to move; and, of course, fun on the open road. Engaging images with audio and artifacts will be used to tell the individual stories that illustrate the critical roles travel and movement have played in building the diverse American society. Communities are encouraged to tell their own special journey story through exhibits and other public programming, thus customizing the national theme to Oklahoma's unique history.

Local programming will feature Tuesday and Thursday "Topics," as well as Saturday seminars. Topics will allow speakers to share experiences of the past including the Trail of Tears, steamboat travel along the Red River, the railroad, the Butterfield Trail, Colbert's Ferry, the establishment of Durant, Armstrong Academy, Carpenter's Bluff Bridge, and many more. Each topic of discussion will be completed by attendees bringing photographs.

Southeastern's Native American Collection and the private collection of Robert L. Williams will be showcased at the university library and the public library respectively. Storytellers, poets, and a Choctaw Elder will be highlights.

To learn more, visit www.journeystories.org or www.museumonmainstreet.org. Support for Museum on Main Street has been provided by the U.S. Congress, the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, and the Hearst Foundation.