Pawn Stars’ Mark Hall-Patton Launches 2020 Dome Talks Known as the “Beard of Knowledge,” provides history expertise on popular History Channel series
Mark Hall-Patton, a frequent visiting expert on Pawn Stars and museums administrator for the Clark County Museum, will be the featured speaker at 2020 Dome Talks on Thursday, Jan. 16, at 7 p.m.
Hall-Patton, instantly recognizable by his trademark red shirt, wide brim Amish-style hat, and gray beard, has overseen the Clark County Museum, Howard W. Cannon Aviation Museum, and Searchlight History Museum for the last 23 years. A native of Santa Ana and graduate of UC Irvine and the University of Delaware, Hall-Patton began his museum career at the Bowers Museum in Orange County and later served at the Anaheim Museum and Orange Community Historical Society.
His appearances on History Channel’s hit series Pawn Stars began in 2009 and he soon attracted fans internationally. On the show his broad knowledge of history and artifacts is used in scenes where featured pawn shop guests are seeking to authenticate items.
Now in its fourth year, the Dome Talks speaker series brings prominent, provocative, and quirky speakers to the region to discuss current books and topical issues. In 2020, these evening discussions are scheduled monthly from January through July.
Future Dome Talks speakers are:
Feb. 19, Sarah Milov, Assistant Professor of History at the University of Virginia, author of The Cigarette: a Political History.
Mar. 24, Terry Tempest Williams, naturalist and author of Erosion: Essays of Undoing.
Apr. 16, Evan Hilgemann, mechanical engineer at Jet Propulsion Laboratory, NASA, “How to Drive a Rover on Mars and Other Necessary Skills for the Itinerant Space Traveler.”
May 21, Marilyn Berlin Snell, author of Unlikely Ally: How the Military Fights Climate Change and Protects the Environment.
June 25, Ruth Kassinger, author of Slime: How Algae Created Us, Plague Us, and Just Might Save Us.
July 16, Larry Burns, author of Secret Inland Empire: A Guide to the Weird, Wonderful, and Obscure.
All Dome Talks evenings open at 6:30 p.m. for a light reception sponsored by the San Bernardino County Museum Association, Amparo Serrano, and Lorenzi Estate Vineyards and Winery. Presentations start at 7 p.m. and include book sale and signing when applicable. Author’s books are available for sale in the Museum store.
Tickets for individual evenings are $20 each ($16 museum members) and can be purchased online at www.sbcounty.gov/museum or at the door. Full Series Passes for all seven evenings are $130 ($100 museum members). Advance ticket purchase is strongly encouraged as walkups are not guaranteed.
The San Bernardino County Museum’s exhibits of regional cultural and natural history and the Museum’s other exciting events and programs, including Dome Talks reflect the effort by the Board of Supervisors to achieve the Countywide Vision by celebrating arts, culture, and education in the county, creating quality of life for residents and visitors.
The San Bernardino County Museum is at 2024 Orange Tree Lane, at the California Street exit from Interstate 10 in Redlands. Parking is free. For more information, visit www.sbcounty.gov/museum. The museum is accessible to persons with disabilities.