Discovery Science Place will close for three weeks beginning Sept. 19 in order to complete capital renovations and bring in new exhibits, executive director Chris Rasure announced.
The Discovery Science Place will re-open to the public from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 8. Special science presentations are planned throughout the day in the theater.
Renovations are part of the museum's 2016 "Raise the Roof" capital project.
Earlier in 2016, reconstruction of the roof on the museum's 110-year-old building was completed. During the closing, further renovations will include new flooring in all main galleries, updated lighting and interior paint in all main areas.
In the Hometown Gallery, a new permanent exhibit, Imagination Playground, will be installed.
With a collection of custom-designed, oversized blue foam parts, Imagination Playground provides a changing array of elements that allow children to turn their playground into a space constantly built and re-built by their imagination. This new exhibit is the result of a grant awarded to Discovery Science Place from Dr Pepper Snapple Group (DPS) and national nonprofit KaBOOM!
Also new to Hometown Gallery will be an interactive model train exhibit. Four different model trains pull passenger and boxcars through a display of mountains, streams, buildings and more. The exhibit includes constant movement, scale scenery and push-button features for families to enjoy. This display is provided by the ARC of Smith County, Billy Hibbs Jr. and the "Lucky Den 13" Cub Scouts.
Several other exciting exhibit updates and renovations are planned during the closing.
For more information, contact development director Whitney Patterson at 903-533-8011 or whitney@discoveryscienceplace.org. Information can be found on their website.
- KYTX CBS 19