Liberty Science Center throws bacon and beer festival – with bugs on the side!
On Sept. 19, 2019, Liberty Science Center was home to Jersey City’s ultimate beer and bacon festival – with a side of science!
That night was LSC After Dark: Bugs, Bacon & Beer, our latest event for guests 21 and over. Guests indulged in creative, bacon-infused treats presented by local food vendors, courtesy of Midnight Market, then washed it all down with drinks at the bar.
After guests had their fill of bacon and beer, we dared them to try some tasty insects at the Bug Buffet!
It was a fantastic night! Here are just a few highlights from the event:
Sampling all kinds of bugs at the Bug Buffet 2.0
If you’ve been to an LSC After Dark event before, you may have tried some tasty bugs at our Bug Buffet. This month we introduced the “Bug Buffet 2.0,” with more bug flavors than ever before, including sour cream and onion crickets, honey mustard crickets, BBQ bamboo worms, hot mealworms, Sriracha crickets, chocolate coffee crickets, and more.
At the Bug Buffet 2.0, guests also learned about the practice of eating bugs, known as entomophagy, and discovered its many sustainable benefits. Did you know insects are likely to produce fewer environmentally harmful greenhouse gases than other livestock, according to the UN?
Exploring the Spider Maze
It was a beautiful night for the return of the Spider Maze, LSC’s popular autumn activity! Guests tried to find their way out of our 4,000-sq-ft webby labyrinth, home to eight different kinds of spiders. It’s an autumn maze unlike any you’ve ever experienced before – and it’ll be at LSC every day through October! (Click here to learn more about Fall Fest at LSC.)
Meet and greet with real bugs
Over in our Eat and Be Eaten exhibition, guests enjoyed a “Meet and Greet” with some of LSC’s own bug residents! One of the many creatures that guests met was the rose hair tarantula. Did you know these creatures are venomous, but their venom is so mild that it’s no threat to us?
Enjoying bacon treats
Midnight Market returned again this month with delicious food from local vendors, at only $5 per plate! This month, each of our vendors included a bacon-inspired dish on their menu, such as bacon-infused pecan hand pies from Tayby & Co. Bake Shop and bacon mac and cheese empanadas from Empanada Papa. Yum!
Dissecting real pig hearts
At this month’s LSC After Dark, we took 9th grade biology class to the next level! Guests dissected real pig hearts (staying with the “bacon” theme) and learned some fascinating things about the body part – for example, did you know pig hearts are the closest anatomically to human hearts? That’s what makes them so interesting to dissect!
Discovering beer in space
This month, guests enjoyed a new planetarium show in LSC’s Jennifer Chalsty Planetarium, the biggest planetarium in the Western Hemisphere! The show – ”Beer in Space” – was all about the surprising places in the universe, including nebulae, exoplanets, and other galaxies, where you can find the ingredients of beer.
Guests also rocked out to The Beatles Laser Show, playing in the dome that night as well!
Playing Bug or No Bug?
One of the coolest activities of the night was our Bug or No Bug? game. Guests were challenged with eating chips and cookies (blindfolded!) and deciphering whether they were eating regular chips and cookies, or snacks made with bugs. Surprise – some of these treats contained mealworms and cricket powder!
Finding microorganisms with microscopes
Over on the fourth floor, guests looked for bug-like microorganisms using microscopes in our “Pond-er This” lab! While finding real microorganisms, guests also learned about the characteristics of ponds – for example, did you know a pond is smaller than a lake, and no more than 1.8m deep?
Discovering the future of transportation and note-taking
The night wasn’t just about bugs, bacon, and beer. Over at our Innovation Station – where we show off the latest in must-see tech – guests learned about White Fox, a docked e-scooter rental service that allows users to rent electric scooters from the tip of their fingers. It’s an eco-friendly transportation option, paving the way for a more sustainable future.
At the Innovation Station, we were also joined by the company Knowt. Guests learned about their app that uses artificial intelligence to turn notes into review quizzes! Built for students by students, the app can import notes from Google Drive or via photos of actual handwritten notes.
Enjoying the gorgeous weather and views
For the final LSC After Dark event of the summer, we opened our rooftop so guests could enjoy the fantastic weather and views of the NYC skyline! An incredible sight to see!
Rocking the dance floor
All night, guests rocked out on the dance floor with DJ Gary W. It was a blast!
Thanks to everyone for coming out! Tickets are now available for LSC After Dark: The Upside Down on Oct. 17. Don’t miss Jersey City’s ultimate Halloween event, with a “Stranger Things” twist! Click here for tickets.
