May 2000

Circle the date: Bubbles and balloons on 18 June

Kids of all ages can celebrate Father's Day at UCAR's most extravagant public event in five years. The Bubble and Balloon Festival will explode on the mesa Sunday, 18 June, from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. It's a highlight of the year-long series of events honoring UCAR and NCAR's 40th anniversary. Modeled on a similar event at the Pacific Science Center, but with a unique UCAR/NCAR flavor, the festival combines art, music, and science to explain the workings of bubbles and balloons. The current agenda looks like this:

• Bubble-ologist Casey Carle will thrill young and old with his comic performance and amazing soap bubbles.

• Renowned juggler and dancer Peter Davison will perform.

• Balloon artist Bongo will fashion fantastic balloon creatures.

• ATD technicians will demonstrate research radiosondes and their balloons.

• A hot-air balloon will be tethered on site with explanations of how it works.

• Hands-on fun with bubble vats, bubble art, and a bubble-gum-blowing contest will give visitors an interactive good time.

• NCAR's new science store will be open for business with weather-related books and gifts, including weather-themed coffee mugs and the 40th anniversary T-shirt. Next month's Staff Notes Monthly will spotlight the new store, which will take up permanent residence in the ML lobby later this spring.

•Bob Henson

Ribbon-cutting, too A 2:00 p.m. ribbon cutting will mark the official debut of the ML 40th- anniversary exhibit. This interactive addition is being installed in the north mezzanine and the square stairwell descending to the SCD machine room. Six panels will cover UCAR and NCAR history, complexity in the earth system, the human-climate intersection, and how models and measurements combine to yield forecasts. The exhibit is partially funded by Bank One, TIAA-CREF, PacifiCare, Holland & Hart, and Marsh USA.

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