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The Punxsutawney Weather Discovery Center · 201 North Findley Street · Punxsutawney, PA 15767 · (814) 938-1000 · info@weatherdiscovery.org
Recent News from the Weather CenterWeather Center Battens Down the Hatches for New ExhibitTuesday, January 29, 2008 The perfect storm is about to strike. In what is becoming a Groundhog Day tradition in its own right, crews from Design Craftsmen of Midland, Mich. -- again led by Todd Hartley -- traveled to Punxsy last week to install a new exhibit at the Punx-sutawney Weather Discovery Center, an interactive display that allows guests to create their own thunderstorm. “This is the big one of Phase II,” said Mary Jean Johnston, project administrator at the center. Last year, the crew installed Phil’s Burrow, the Weather Lore Landscape, a kinetic weather balloon, the Post Office History Case and the Meteorologist Hall of Fame. As guests enter the new display -- called “The Perfect Storm” -- they will see intermittent flashes of light created by a lightning tube, as well as rumblings of thunder. Guests can also create their thunderstorm with the four different stations housed in the display. At one station, a person operates a strong updraft fan by using a large floor-mounted crank, while on the other side, another person counteracts the updraft by operating a downdraft using a similar crank, only this fan directs the air downward. At the third station, a person races back and forth with a moisture particle securely fastened to a track, touching it at each end of the cloud. By repeating this process a set number of times, guests can build up “static” and release it in the form of a lightning strobe that fills the space with a flash of bright light. With the wind racing and the lightning flashing, the last group of people adds “thunder” to the mix using their hands to beat on a series of “thunder drums.” Johnston said the new display -- on which work began Wednesday and concluded Saturday -- is just one of the new areas and features that can be found at the Weather Discovery Center. Design Craftsmen designed six different, colorful banners depicting six different weather conditions for display in the main gallery. The banners were constructed locally by Standard Pennant, Johnston said. The center is also adding two new computers to its lab, she said, where guests can play interactive weather games online. Members of the center’s board plan to put final touches on cleaning and organization Wednesday night, Johnston said, and the center -- which has been closed while the new exhibit was built -- will be ready to re-open Friday. The center’s popularity continues to grow not only among organized groups, but also guests stopping in town. Johnston said between last Groundhog Day and June 2007, there were 2,500 people -- school and Scouting groups -- that toured the center. The summer traffic was steady, she said, and in fact, over three days in August, there were families from both Japan and Italy that stopped by for a visit. There are tours of the center booked for school groups through May, “and there’s room for more,” Johnston said. “Since we are the Weather Capital of the World, it is good to have this here,” she added. By Tom Chapin of The Spirit |