“Sno-Port” takes over Sci-Port for a unique learning adventure

Awinter wonderland extravaganza is coming to Shreveport. From Nov. 30 2019 through Jan. 30, the first floor of Sci- Port Discovery Center will be transformed into Sno-Port – a temporary, winter-themed interactive exhibit that will showcase the wonders and science of snow.

Sno-Port: The Science and Wonder of Snowflakes will be a timed experience, entertaining about 60 people every 1.5 hours. A few of the hands-on exhibits include the following interactive games and areas:

Blizzard Tunnel: Become a snowflake as you enter the exhibition.

Make A Flake: Make a snowflake as individual as you are to hang from the ceiling with hundreds of other snowflakes.

Ice Fishing: Grab a pole and go fishing in this ice pond. See virtual reality fish as they swim underneath the ice surface.

Snow Chair Lift: How high can you pump up your chair lift experience?

Snowball Castle: Toss a “snowball” into the windows of the snow castle to hear the bells.

There’s No Place Like Igloo: Hang out in a partially enclosed igloo while you create your own igloo with “ice” blocks or make igloos out of white Legos – complete with white bean bags to sit and “chill.”

Snowglobe Discovery: Discover the inner workings of a snow globe as you crawl underneath it and look up into the globe.

After the first half of the Sno-Port experience is over, guests will be taken to the Sci-Port Planetarium to take an interactive virtual reality ride on the Red River Rocket Sled. Guests will feel the excitement of takeoff and the sensation of cool wind as they trek their way through a snow blizzard in downtown Shreveport and Bossier City.

Dianne Clark, executive director of Sci- Port, is looking forward to the opportunity to provide a place where families and friends can share the magic of the holiday season. “Families should come to Sno-Port because we don’t have enough educational, holidaythemed activities in the area,” Clark said.

“Here, they’ll be able to experience snow and learn about the transformation of a water droplet as it becomes a snowflake – all while having fun!” Bonné Summers, owner of Apex Communications and Events, is also excited about the event. “Sno-Port was built specifically for families in which multiple ages can participate in all of the interactive displays. The idea of experiencing snow in some form or fashion appeals to everyone,” Summers said. “While there isn’t real snow to play in, there will be activities to learn more about snow and snowflakes that uses augmented or virtual reality digital programs.”

“Sno-Port will show the transition that many exhibits are taking with the utilization of ‘gamification’ – which is a more interactive hands-on approach to learning,” Summers said. “Some of the 30-somethings that are crafting this exhibition are part of a generation that was brought up with the culture of computers and the digital age and will be reflected in the designs of the exhibit, keeping more in tune with what a younger generation expects.”

This exhibit was designed and produced by the following local creative talent: Apex Communications and Events, JRyan Artist, Fusiform Workshop Designs, Summers Social and CSC Productions. Team members include Ryan McCutcheon, Mitch Landry, Luke Lee, Chuck Gauthiere and Bonné Summers, combining years of experience in prop fabrication, lighting, sound, graphic design, animation, computer technology, exhibit programming and more.

Summers was approached by people affiliated with Sci-Port last spring. “They challenged me to come up with an idea as to how to cost-effectively enhance Sci-Port with a short-term science exhibit that could be used on an annual basis,” Summer said. “I made calls to many of the local creative talents I work with. We got together to brainstorm and came up with the idea of Sno-Port. It’s a great, winterthemed exhibition that ties in nicely with so many other things happening in downtown Shreveport, such as Rockets Over the Red, the new French-inspired market at the Shreveport Aquarium and Rainbow City.”

“Sno-Port will bring new life and new visitors to Sci-Port Discovery Center – which should remain a staple of our economy, an educational support tool to our teachers, a cornerstone of our downtown culture and a tourist attraction, as well as encourage a lifelong appreciation of science to future generations,” Summers said. “We hope Sno-Port becomes an annual event and are already discussing how we can enhance it in 2020.”

Tickets are $10 for adults, $5 for children ages 12 and under and $5 for Sci-Port members. For more information, visit www. sci-port.org, find them on Facebook at facebook.com/sciport/ or visit bit.ly/snoport.