Get Messy On January 2 at Carnegie Science Center

Kick off 2011 with one-of-a-kind MessFest

PITTSBURGH, – Carnegie Science Center is breaking out its messiest, sloppiest, grossest activities for a one-of-a-kind celebration guaranteed to kick off 2011 with a plop, splash, squish, and fizz with its fifth annual MessFest on Sunday, Jan. 2. In previous years, MessFest took place on New Year’s Day, but this year the Science Center will be closed on New Year’s Day because of the Winter Classic.

MessFest features a variety of exciting, hands-on activities available only once a year. From 10 am to 5 pm, visitors will have the chance to get slimy with Oobleck, a gooey substance that feels solid when picked up, but then slips through the fingers like a liquid. The Egg Drop activity invites visitors to encase a raw egg in various packing materials, then to drop it over the outdoor railing to see whether it breaks. Kids can become messy artists with finger painting, create their own ‘Mars’ soil as they explore the characteristics of the Red Planet’s ‘dirt’, make sidewalk chalk out of plaster of Paris and tempera paint, and blow bubbles of all shapes and sizes.

“This is one of the most popular days of the year here at Carnegie Science Center,” Jessica Lausch, director of Visitor Experience, explains. “MessFest is our opportunity to bring out some of our messiest activities in one day and celebrate the kid in all of us. It includes a lot of fun programming and mixes in some subtle, yet very real, science lessons.”

In addition to a messy load of hands-on activity tables, visitors also can experience the Science Center’s most explosive, high-energy, and grossly entertaining theater programs. “Blow it Up Extravaganza” will highlight the physics and chemistry of everyday items as they interact with one another. “Plant Pop Extreme”, held in the Kitchen Theater, features fizzy reactions between baking soda and vinegar. Returning this year is “Do You Dare…MessFest Challenge,” a family trivia game that will test just how much science the contestants know, then dare them to take on a variety of messy physical challenges.

“If you’re coming to MessFest, don’t dress up!” advises Lausch. “You’re bound to get messy with the rest of us.”

Carnegie Science Center will be open from 10 am to 5 pm on Sunday, Jan. 2, for MessFest. MessFest 2011 is sponsored by Fantastic Sams and WSHH 99.7 radio. WSHH will be on site from 10 am – noon, and Fantastic Sams will be onsite from 11 am – 2 pm. MessFest 2011 activities are included with general admission to the Science Center: $17.95 for adults, $9.95 for children ages 3-12, and free for children under 3 and members of Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh.

About Carnegie Science Center
Carnegie Science Center is dedicated to inspiring learning and curiosity by connecting science and technology with everyday life. By making science both relevant and fun, the Science Center’s goal is to increase science literacy in the region and motivate young people to seek careers in science and technology. One of the four Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh, the Science Center is Pittsburgh’s premier science exploration destination, reaching more than 700,000 people annually through its hands-on exhibits, camps, classes, and off-site education programs.

About Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh

Founded by Andrew Carnegie in 1895, Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh is a collection of four distinctive museums dedicated to exploration through art and science: Carnegie Museum of Art, Carnegie Museum of Natural History, Carnegie Science Center, and The Andy Warhol Museum. In 2009, the museums reached more than 1.2 million people through exhibitions, educational programs, outreach activities, and special events.