The Chico Museum’s “Amazing Grains: The Story of Rice in California and Beyond” exhibit has finally closed. Almost 6,000 people came to see the display, making this the third highest attended exhibit in the museum’s 26-year history. And it wasn’t just the locals who came to visit: we had people from 11 countries, 26 states, and every county in California!
Included in the visitors were over 2,600 schoolchildren, who learned how rice is grown, the use of rice around the word, why it’s so good for you, what the farmers do all year long, and the importance of the rice fields to the Pacific Flyway birds and so many other critters. Learning that white rice and brown rice were the same, just at different stages of milling, was a real surprise to the kids.
Everyone who came in to explore the display learned something new….including more than a few rice farmers themselves! Visitors from as close as the Bay Area were amazed to learn that rice is grown right here in California. Learning about the actual water usage, the huge reduction in rice straw burning, and the local history of this crop were other eye-openers for most people.
The Chico Museum thanks all the wonderful people involved the rice industry for helping us to make this such a successful exhibit. It’s been a real pleasure working with you, and we so appreciate your support.
Be sure to check out our next exhibit The Bicycle: Life on Two Wheels, beginning March 3.
Melinda Rist is Manager of the Chico Museum.
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