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Kids Gala 2023 Recap
From the moment families entered the Discovery Center on August 25th 2023, they were transported into a superhero wonderland. With each step, they found themselves immersed in a new world such as Batman’s Cave, Pollinator Planet, Comic Book Shop, Fortress of Solitude, Super Chickens, and Mayor Matt’s Magical Hill. Kids adorned in Agua Hedionda capes and their favorite superhero costumes flew between planets to have a chance to participate in all the activities offered.
The Comic Book Shop offered an escape from the real world with virtual reality superhero games where players were given headsets and controllers to explore what life would be like to swing from a building or fly above a cityscape.
Looking for an underground experience, families explored Batman’s Cave and sat to enjoy incredibly lively storytelling by author Claude Jones. Like in every comic book, these superheroes learned important lessons about kindness and problem solving from books such as Astro and the Creepy Kid and Astro and the BIG School Project. Moving outside to the Fortress of Solitude, AHLF staff brought out various Animal Ambassadors (some even wearing capes of their own) to meet guests. These fluffy, scaly, and feathered creatures taught the mini superheroes all about the importance of taking care of our planet.
Tired and hungry from all their travels, families ventured to Pollinator Planet for delicious food from Flippin Pizza, Rubio’s Coastal Grill, Broad Street Dough Co., and Board & Brew. Once they built up the energy, the mini superheroes continued the exploration of the Discovery Center Universe by flying to Learning Island for some SUPER science. Thermo Fisher Scientific pulled out all the stops for our mini Superhero Stewards by showing what DNA looked like under a microscope and having the option to create their very own DNA bracelet.
Another world away, on a planet run by chickens, beloved teacher Mr. Banana, taught superheroes about composting and challenged them to try to compost correctly for a prize.
After the intense training to become the best Steward Superhero they could be, it was time to celebrate the end of the evening with Face Painting from Kids For Peace and the finale magic show by the Meigs Family Foundation on Mayor Matt’s Magical Hill!
The magic show was a tapestry of awe-inspiring illusions that ranged from classic sleight of hand to mind-bending tricks. With assistance from the mini superheroes in the audience, tricks were revealed with squeals of laughter and joy. Magician Bob saved the best for last. His biggest trick of the night was to unveil a Discovery Mural created by over 100 community supporters, many of which attended this reveal. The mural is a collection of 128 hand painted tiles featuring various nature and animal themes. It is a beautiful collection of color and design that will live on Mayor Matt Hall Hill for any visitors to see!
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The Agua Hedionda Lagoon Foundation is an exempt organization as described in Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code; EIN 33-0411888.