Trevor and Brooklyn promoting marbles!

Marble Mania & Grand Opening of Science Spy Training Center, Sept. 26 At Creative Discovery Museum Science Theatre at Northgate Mall

Creative Discovery Museum's Science Theatre at Northgate Mall celebrates the grand opening of its newly remodeled space with a special Fourth Friday Family Fun Night devoted to marbles. The event will be held on Friday, Sept. 26, from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

"Marble Mania" will be a hands-on celebration of the fun and science of marbles, with a world-renowned marble expert, some young marbles champions and lots of activities.

Children can make their own marble maze, using a 44-foot long pegboard on the wall, to see how slowly they can make a marble roll from four feet up on the wall into a bucket on the floor. They can also make marbles; learn about the energy, forces and motion of marbles; and try to win a bag of marbles by hunting for hidden marbles.

Guests can play in marble games and tournaments, with guidance from an adult marbles expert and two children who are marbles champions. Shawn Hughes is the Park Interpretive Specialist at Standing Stone State Park in Hilham, Tennessee and organizer for the annual National Rolley Hole Marbles Championship, known as the "Super Bowl of Marbles." The Rolley Hole competition has been featured by ESPN, Sports Illustrated, National Geographic, Charles Schultz's Peanuts, ABC, NBC, and CBS.

"The game I will be showing the guests will be Ringer," said Shawn. "Ringer is the

official marble game for kids. It is fast paced and children and adults love it!  In fact it has a National Championship in Wildwood, NJ each June."

Shawn will bring two Tennessee marbles champions with him: Trevor Norrod, age 14, from Hanging Limb, Tenn. and Brooklyn Cherry, age 13, from Celina, Tenn. Both have won multiple marbles championships, including runner up (Trevor) and third place (Brooklyn) for the 2008 National Marbles Tournament.

Marble Mania is a one-day event, but the 44-foot long marble maze will remain at the Science Theatre and become part if it's regular "simple machines & forces" workshops in the Science Spy Training Center.

Half of the former laser theatre has been converted to a workshop space called the Science Spy Training Center. The Sept. 26 Marble Mania program will be held in the newly renovated space and in the Theatre's lobby

"The Science Spy Training Center is about training kids to find the science wherever they go. It's now a very flexible space. The laser show was about all you could do in this space before. We can do a lot of different things here now," said Science Theatre manager Karen Dewhirst.

Theatre curtains and seating have been removed from the former laser theatre and replaced with new lighting and bright colors, Half of the angled theatre floor has been leveled and filled with lab tables for hands on activities. This is the first part of renovating the entire laser theatre space. She hopes to complete phase Two in the next 12-18 months.

Upcoming 4th Friday Family Fun Nights:

* Oct. 24 -- Slime

* No program in Nov. or Dec.

Cost is $9 per child ages 4 and up for the general public. Creative Discovery Museum member cost is $7 per child. Parents are free. Call 423-875-8522 to pre-register. Web site: www.cdmScienceTheatre.com.

Creative Discovery Museum Science Theatre is located inside Northgate Mall. The entrances is on the back side of the mall between JC Penney and Belk.