LSC After Dark borrows inspiration from ‘Lion King’ for safari event
Hakuna matata!
On Thursday, July 18, Liberty Science Center threw its latest LSC After Dark event for guests 21 and over. This month’s theme, “Born to Be Wild,” was inspired by The Lion King, and came just in time for the new movie remake!
Guests filled the building for this safari adventure. Here are some of our favorite highlights from the night:
Eating bugs at the Bug Buffet
Did you know more than two billion people across the world eat bugs on a regular basis? The UN even encouraged people to eat insects as a means of ending world hunger.
At “Born to Be Wild,” guests visited the Bug Buffet to enjoy tasty crickets and mealworms while learning about “entomophagy,” which is the practice of eating insects. Delicious!
Exploring the Pride Lands in The Lion Guard: The Exhibit
Did you know The Lion King spun-off into a TV series called The Lion Guard, starring Kion, the son of Simba and Nala?
At “Born to Be Wild,” guests experienced The Lion Guard: The Exhibit, based on the show. Visitors immersed themselves in the Pride Lands, going down the slide, swinging on the vine, climbing the rock wall, and more!
The Lion Guard: The Exhibit will be at LSC through Sept. 8, 2019.
Experiencing Sean Kenney’s Art Made with LEGO® Bricks
Guests also experienced LSC’s premium exhibition, Sean Kenney’s Art Made with LEGO® Bricks!
This exhibition features beautiful works of art made from LEGO bricks – all created by Brooklyn artist Sean Kenney, using 1 million+ LEGO pieces – to explore animal endangerment, the balance of ecosystems, and mankind’s relationship with nature. Pandas, tree frogs, polar bears, and hummingbirds are just a few of the incredible sculptures included in the exhibition.
The exhibition also includes a hands-on play zone where guests can make their own creations using LEGO bricks!
Sean Kenney’s Art Made with LEGO® Bricks will be at LSC through Sept. 2, 2019.
Playing Disney trivia
Do you consider yourself a Disney expert? Our friends from Trivia, A.D. joined us this month for a competitive game of Disney Trivia! Congratulations to the winners!
Apollo to the Moon planetarium show
LSC After Dark: Born to Be Wild coincided with the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 Moon Landing, when humans stepped on the Moon for the first time.
Guests headed to the Jennifer Chalsty Planetarium to enjoy the Apollo to the Moon live show, which explores all the events leading to the historic Moon landing. Some of these highlights included the Soviet Union’s launch of Sputnik, a beach ball-sized satellite that spurred the Space Race, and President John F. Kennedy’s “We choose to go to the Moon” speech in 1962 at Rice University.
Blue Moon beer tasting and specialty cocktail bar
Yum! As another part of our Moon landing anniversary celebration, Blue Moon Brewing Company joined us for a beer tasting and specialty cocktail bar.
Meeting the astronaut
Blue Moon brought along a very special guest – the astronaut! To join in our Apollo 11 anniversary celebration, the astronaut came out and took pictures with our guests.
After getting their photos taken, guests learned about the famous astronauts who made up the Apollo 11 mission: commander Neil Armstrong, lunar module pilot Buzz Aldrin, and command module pilot Michael Collins.
Lion King-inspired drinks
Speaking of cocktails, we also served drinks inspired by The Lion King! All night, guests enjoyed themed drinks such as the “Sahara Sunset” and “Hakuna Matata.”
Creating habitats for cockroaches
For cockroaches, there’s no place like home. Guests learned about different habitats for different animals, and even created their own habitat for LSC’s Madagascar hissing cockroaches.
There’s a lot to consider when creating a habitat – such as, would a cockroach be happy with lots of plants? (Yes, because they mainly feed on rotting plant material!).
After building the habitat, guests watched as a cockroach tried it out, and looked for signs whether the cockroach was pleased or not. Madagascar hissing cockroaches at LSC spend approximately 78 percent of their time resting, so if the cockroach spends most of its time resting, then that means success!
Painting with cockroaches
Step aside, Picasso! Over in our Eat and Be Eaten exhibition, guests did “art” with “arthropods” and watched as our Madgascar hissing cockroaches had their feet painted (with non-toxic paint) and then created beautiful works of art.
Guests even took some of the paintings home with them!
Discovering the future of agriculture and health coaching at the Innovation Station
Every month at LSC After Dark, our Innovation Station brings guests the latest in must-see tech. This month, we were joined by the companies AeroFarms and Wellory.
Guests learned more about the future of agriculture with AeroFarms. Based in Newark, this company is setting the standard for totally-controlled agriculture, using 95 percent less water than field farmed-food and providing pesticide-free produce all year round. Their headquarters in Newark is the world’s largest indoor vertical farm!
Then, guests learned more about Wellory, which uses an online platform to provide one-on-one personalized health coaching and accountability plans from certified wellness experts.
Enjoying views of the skyline
For such a beautiful night, guests headed to the Observation Deck to enjoy beautiful views of the city skyline!
Meeting the dinosaurs
The astronaut wasn’t our only special guest. At the end of the night, we also brought out some dinosaur friends to tell guests about our next LSC After Dark event, “Wine-O-Saurs"!
Thanks to everyone who came out! Get tickets now for LSC After Dark: Wine-O-Saurs on Aug. 15, 6:00 pm – 10:00 pm. At this prehistoric party, you’ll dance with dinosaurs, enjoy wine tastings, and search for fossils in LSC’s popular summer exhibition, Dino Dig.
