Scene from last year’s ScienceFest. Photo by John McHale/ladailypost.com

Scene from last year’s ScienceFest. Photo by John McHale/ladailypost.com

By KIRSTEN LASKEY
Los Alamos Daily Post
kirsten@ladailypost.com

Buckle your seat belts and hold on to your hats; the community is about to embark on a wild and fun ride courtesy of Los Alamos MainStreet and Creative District.

MainStreet is offering the public a full schedule of activities throughout the summer, including its major event, ScienceFest.

Los Alamos MainStreet and Creative District Executive Director, Jaquelyn Connolly and the MainStreet Event and Social Engagement Coordinator, Vai Reddy-Kruse met with the Los Alamos Daily Post June 8 to break down what MainStreet has in store for the community.
The pinnacle event of the summer, ScienceFest, will kick off July 7 and run through July 18. To celebrate its start, Los Alamos MainStreet is sponsoring the Friday night summer concert on July 7. The headlining performer will be Shamarr Allen and the opening band will be the Quemazon Combo.

Connolly and Reddy-Kruse addressed the schedule for Discovery Day, one of the main events during ScienceFest, which will be held 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. July 8 at Ashley Pond Park. This year’s theme for ScieneceFest is “Energy,” which will be evident in the wide range of STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics) programs during Discovery Day.

For instance, there will be a Mathamuseum booth hosted by Liz Martineau and Gordon McDonough. Explora, the Children’s Museum, UNMLA, and the University of New Mexico Geology Department, will be at Discovery Day, too, along with the American Chemical Society.

A beer garden provided by Bathtub Row Brewery will be open for business in front of Fuller Lodge. Plus, local photographer Minesh Bacrania will exhibit his photographs of historic structures in the Manhattan Project Historical National Park. Bacrania’s photographs will be appearing in a future issue of The Smithsonian Magazine.

The fun continues with the Bradbury Trailers, the Drone Zone, and the Electric Vehicle Show. Down the street, SALA Los Alamos Event Center, at 2551 Central Ave., will offer guests a first-hand look at its proposed immersive experience project with interactive demos. All during ScienceFest SALA will host its Oppenheimer movie series. The series is sponsored by New Mexico Real Estate Group.

The festivities continue with a Los Alamos Big Band dance 6-9 p.m. Sunday, July 9, at Fuller Lodge. Connolly said people are encouraged to come dressed in 1940s attire.

While Discovery Day is for all ages, there will be a Play Crawl, STEAM for Adults, 6-8 p.m. July 15, in Central Park Square. Connolly said the activities are geared toward older participants because they are more complex and have a higher risk level. Afterwards star gazers can head to Overlook Park and look at the skies, with expertise on hand, courtesy of Pajarito Astronomers Society.

This year ScienceFest will end with a bang in the form of a closing party 6-8 p.m. July 18 in Central Park Square.

Reddy-Kruse and Connolly noted that ScienceFest stands apart from other festivals. Connolly pointed out that many festivals draw vendors from outside the community, but Los Alamos is fortunate to have many experts right in its county limits.

“We really tried to create a zone with quality science, demonstrations and activities,” she said.

Part of the reason why these activities are good quality is because they are interactive, Reddy-Krus said.

“Our focus is much more interactive and hands-on,” she said.

The release of the highly anticipated movie, “Oppenheimer” on July 21 is also a focus for ScienceFest.

Connolly said she sees the film inspiring a lot of good conversations about Los Alamos regarding the Manhattan Project and the work that is currently being done at the laboratory. Plus, it is going to put Los Alamos in the national spotlight.

“This is just the beginning,” she said.

ScienceFest may be the big summer blockbuster for Los Alamos but it certainly isn’t the only event on the schedule.

Connolly pointed out that Los Alamos MainStreet and the Creative District are producing the Atomic Follies’ “Champagne Wishes and Cabaret Queens” 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. June 18 in LA Cantina. The event will showcase brunch and drag queen performers. Tickets are $50 and include a Mediterranean buffet. The event is for ages 18 and up.

“The Atomic Follies has been running their Cabaret series for over a year now. This creative outlet has been vital to many of the participants. They often say the members are like family to one another. But they are always supportive to new performers or crew. Their efforts have had a great impact on the creative community and the Creative District has been proud to be a supporter,” Connolly said.

There will be another Atomic Follies show at 7 p.m. Aug. 19. Follow MainStreet and Creative District on Instagram and Facebook for more information.

MainStreet has a busy schedule this summer. Amongst plans for ScienceFest and other events, Connolly said it also is working on a special project that is partially funded by a grant from the New Mexico Resiliency Alliance. Los Alamos Commerce and Development Corporation is sponsoring the project, too.

The details are still under wraps, but Connolly said it is for an outdoor pop-up space with a large-scale mural as well as seating, shade structures and lighting.

“Be on the lookout for a special installation brought to you by MainStreet and Creative District later this summer,” she said.
Another large-scale art project in the works is an exhibit of Minesh Bacrania’s photographs taken ‘Behind the Fence’ and installed in the windows of the former CB FOX building. The show is expected to be installed in July and go through December.

Whether helping to usher in public art or organizing an event, Connolly said MainStreet’s goal is to help improve the economic vitality of Los Alamos.

“One of MainStreet’s … goals is to support the business community and by doing so, promote economic vitality … it is really important in terms of these events … drawing attention to the creative economy, which shows the economic impact of the arts,” she said. “We are supporting the Arts and Cultural organizations to bring more people downtown, thereby positively impacting the businesses and the quality of life for the community. There is over 20 years of research proving the contributions of the arts to the US GDP, the return on investment, and the immeasurable contributions to the enrichment of our society. Supporting the creative economy is one of the best investments we could be doing.”

There is more in development for the coming year, Connolly added.

“There’s exciting news coming in the next year,” she said. “MainStreet and the Creative District are laying the groundwork to gather our arts and cultural organizations together to build a vision for the community … meanwhile we are providing them resources from New Mexcio MainStreet.”

For more information on ScienceFest and other programs, go to https://www.losalamosmainstreet.com/events

Scene from last year’s ScienceFest. Photo by John McHale/ladailypost.com