The Missouri State Museum will be offering extended hours in 2012.

The "Museum after Hours" will be held on the first Wednesday of each month. The first event will be Jan. 4 when the Missouri State Museum galleries in the State Capitol will remain open until 8 p.m.

The museum will feature a special interpretative program on Jan. 4 about Ella Ewing, who was from northeastern Missouri and toured with the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus because of her extreme height. The Missouri State Museum has several artifacts from Ewing, including her shoes.

Evening entry to the museum for all after-hour events will be through the carriage entrance on the south side of the building underneath the grand staircase.

(The Associated Press contributed to this report.)