The museum celebrated the end of the Halloween season with the community by hosting a candy give-back event.
The Halloween season came to a lively close with the Dr. Samuel D. Harris National Museum of Dentistry’s (NMD) first community event since reopening in August, a vampire-themed candy give-back event titled “Dracula Needs a Dentist!”
The event included Halloween-themed activities with an oral health twist. At a vampire crafting table run by a museum volunteer, kids and adults alike created their own vampires out of dentist-approved lollipops as well as their own clothespin vampire bats.
Dentist-approved Halloween treats, a spooky selfie station, and eerie décor in the galleries set the mood for families to remember the importance of good vampire (and human) oral hygiene habits just in time for the sugary holiday season. Guests came in costume and children poured generous bags of their own Halloween candy into Dracula’s coffin, amassing an impressive donation that was gifted to children and families being served by the Ronald McDonald House of Maryland.
Just when the museum atrium began to fill, Dracula arrived — with a raging toothache! Desperate for a dentist, Dracula (portrayed by actor Conrad Deitrick) toured the galleries, approaching children and their caregivers for advice and leaving waves of laughter in his wake. Midway through the night, he entranced the children once more with a storytime featuring tales of vampire dental woes. “Vampires need dentists, too!” he said.
Actor Ann Turiano brought the evening home with her delightful performance of Dr. Willa B. Biting, Dracula’s vampire friend-turned-doctor of dental surgery. After fixing up Dracula with one gold fang, the vampires joined the party (and were part of several selfies). The night culminated with a costume contest and raffle drawing with dental-themed toys and electronic toothbrushes as prizes for the winners.
The event was organized by Elise Petersen, education coordinator at NMD. Turiano and Deitrick, affiliated with Baltimore theatre nonprofit Sisters Freehold, volunteered their time and talents.
About the Dr. Samuel D. Harris National Museum of Dentistry
The National Museum of Dentistry, a Smithsonian Affiliate and recognized by Congress in 2003 as the official museum of the dental profession, is a lively national center where visitors learn the importance of a healthy smile and are fascinated by the rich history of dentistry. The permanent exhibition, “32 Terrific Teeth,” is home of celebrity smiles, Queen Victoria’s gilded dental instruments, George Washington’s not-so-wooden teeth, and the Tooth Jukebox-playing vintage dental commercials. Located at 31 S. Greene St. on the campus of the University of Maryland, Baltimore, the museum is open Wednesday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.