On Thursday, March 4th, California First Lady Maria Shriver and The Women’s Conference are partnering with The California Museum to celebrate National Women’s History Month with an extraordinary all-day free event – Day at The Museum. The California Museum will be open for a free day of education, inspiration and empowerment.

Plus, we'll have a number of special guests including astronaut Sally Ride, environmental activist Erin Brockovich, and Iron Chef Cat Cora. It's going to be a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

(This is a great opportunity for all those who have been unable to make it to The Women's Conference in Long Beach. Tickets sell out fast, the trip is a bit of a committment from Sacramento, etc. But, the event is here! In downtown Sacramento! A free open house version of The Women's Conference is AMAZING in my book.)

All are invited to drop in at any time during the day and to bring friends, family and colleagues. You - women, sisters, mothers, girlfriends, and men (yes, men can come too!) - will have an opportunity to meet and be inspired by the many remarkable women who have shaped – and are continuing to shape – our state through arts, sports, public service, business, literature, cuisine and philanthropy.

The event will begin early with an old fashioned Meet-and-Greet over coffee, as attendees will have the opportunity to meet California's women elected officials. Included in some of those officials are Speaker Emeritus Karen Bass and SF District Attorney Kamala Harris.

The California Museum’s Minerva Award Exhibit and Minerva Arts Project will then come to life, as the public will be able to meet and hear from a number of recipients of The Minerva Awards, which are given by Maria Shriver every October at The Women’s Conference. Many of these inspiring women are pioneers and trailblazers in various professions who are serving on the front-lines of humanity with programs created to combat poverty, addiction, homelessness and other social ills and challenges.

The Minerva Arts Project will be unveiled with an exhibit of over 20 Minerva quilts made by girls in juvenile detention centers, some of whom will be represented at the opening.

Throughout the day, The California Museum will be filled with inspiring California women speaking about their lives and work – authors signing books, chefs demonstrating their skills, filmmakers showing their works, musicians performing and artists exhibiting their pieces.

In the afternoon, the First Lady's Office will be hosting a dessert reception to announce a special partnership with Talbots to support our women in uniform by distributing gift cards for professional attire as these soldiers return from service overseas and embark on civilian life.

At around 5:30 p.m., Maria Shriver will moderate one of her hallmark “Once in a Lifetime Conversations.”

All these activities will revolve around the many exhibits on display at The California Museum, which include California’s Remarkable Women, the California Hall of Fame, Native California Baskets, Uprooted—Japanese American internment during World War II, African American Treasures and California Canines.

Program updates and exciting announcements will be posted here, so keep check back for more information! We hope to see you there!

A Day At the Museum Details:

Date: March 4th, 2010
Time: 7:30am to 7:30pm
Location: The California Museum, 1020 O Street • Sacramento, CA 95814
Parking: All-day parking is available for $5.00: 2311 6th Street, Sacramento CA 95818
(Located between 6th and 8th Streets, and W and X Streets in downtown Sacramento, ¼ mile from the Museum.) A free shuttle service will run between the lot and The Museum.

For more information and program updates, please visit http://www.californiamuseum.org/