MEDIA ALERTFor Immediate ReleaseJanuary 2, 2008Contact: Mike Marcus412.237.1657Save your snowballs for the summer solstice
Carnegie Science Center to offer free admission with preserved snowball
PITTSBURGH, PA, January 2, 2008 – The first snow of 2008 is on the ground, and there’s a good reason to celebrate – free admission to Carnegie Science Center on the first day of summer! Anyone who makes a snowball this winter, saves it in their freezer, and brings it to the Science Center on the Summer Solstice, Friday, June 20, 2008, will receive free general admission.
June 21 is the first day of Carnegie Science Center’s Freezing Hot Summer Kickoff, and those who bring snowballs that day will have the opportunity to launch them into the Ohio River via a giant slingshot from aboard the USS Requin submarine.
“Last year we had thousands of snowballs arrive on the first day of summer,” said Ron Baillie, Carnegie Science Center Chief Program Officer. “There were some families that arrived with extra snowballs, in case other visitors didn’t know about the snowball day. That kind of fun home experiment -- trying to keep a snowball in your kitchen freezer for several months -- combined with the science of heat and cold at the Freezing Hot Summer Kickoff – it’s a great event and a great learning experience.”
More than 3,000 snowballs survived the spring of 2007 in freezers throughout the region and beyond, making their way to Carnegie Science Center on the Summer Solstice and redeemed for free admission. Snowballs arrived at the Science Center in coolers, freezer bags, frosty coffee cans and plastic storage containers, including a couple of snowballs that survived a trip from Washington, D.C.
While packing your snowballs, remember these snowy facts!
· Snow forms from tiny crystals in clouds. Snow is not frozen rain; that’s called sleet.
· When tiny frozen crystals collide and stick together, they form snowflakes.
· Most snowflakes melt before reaching the ground.
· Because of the molecular structure of water, snowflakes are always hexagonal.
· No two snowflakes are identical.
About Carnegie Science Center
Carnegie Science Center brings the world of science alive for visitors of all ages. One of the four Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh, the Science Center features hundreds of hands-on exhibits, three live demonstration theaters, a four-story IMAX® Dome theater, an interactive full-dome digital planetarium, a science-of sport exhibition, a Cold War submarine moored on Pittsburgh’s Ohio River, and a world-renowned model railroad display. Carnegie Science Center is located at One Allegheny Avenue on Pittsburgh’s North Shore next to Heinz Field. Visit www.CarnegieScienceCenter.org or call 412.237.3400 for more information.
