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Exhibits arriving for kids’ science center
YOUNGSTOWN
A 10-foot-tall hurricane simulator chamber and 64 feet of water exhibits will be delivered Tuesday as officials prepare for the May 12 opening of Oh Wow! The Roger and Gloria Jones Children’s Center for Science & Technology.
The center has raised $1.5 million toward its $2.25 million capital campaign goal, said Bruce Sherman, chairman of the Science Makes Cents fund-raising committee.
“The support of businesses, foundations and individuals of the community has been overwhelming, but we still have a way to go,” he said Friday at the center as part of a press conference to update what’s happening with the project.
The center will have 24 permanent exhibits when it’s complete, said Suzanne Barbati, its executive director.
The hurricane chamber will allow people to feel the experience of being in winds of 150 mph, and the water exhibits will include an interactive fountain table, Barbati said.
The 16,000-square-foot center is at 11 W. Federal St. in downtown Youngstown in the former McCrory’s building. The building has been vacant for 18 years, Barbati said.
The center, formerly called the Children’s Museum of the Valley, was located at 139 E. Boardman St. from August 2004 until it closed in December 2009 to prepare for its relocation.
Oh Wow! will provide a hands-on, interactive center for children up to age 14 to learn about science and technology, Barbati said.
To donate to the center’s capital campaign, call 330-744-5914, or go to its website: OhWowKids.org.