If you offer a day of race cars, drivers, racing gear and hands-on activities, you'll attract the attention of grandfathers, fathers and children alike, Everett's Imagine Children's Museum found out last year.
That's why, for Father's Day this Sunday, the museum staff has scheduled a return visit from the Monroe Mini Stock Car Club and various guest drivers.
"We had just opened our Gravity Alley exhibit around Father's Day last year, so our focus for a Father's Day event became, 'How can we tie something in, to teach kids about gravity?' " said museum creative director Raniere, who uses only one name.
"Since it went so well last year, we decided to do it again, and the same group, the Monroe Mini Stock Car Club, was also really excited to do it again."
On Sunday, Imagine's visitors can explore Wall Street from Hoyt to Colby avenues, as that area will be closed to traffic during the event. Fifteen cars will be set up for spectators to look at, climb in and sit behind the steering wheels and discuss with drivers.
"It's kind of cool for kids to get to see all this stuff and meet the racers," Raniere said. "Kids love things like that. This will be a fun, loud, hands-on day for children to get the sensory experiences of race-car driving."
Featured cars also will include Herbie the Love Bug, of Disney fame, and the Nintendo Mario Kart Wii Car.
Visitors will find hands-on activities within the museum, as well. For example, guests can participate in a craft project of making Wobbleracers, which are objects that must be designed to hold a golf ball or a marble, and then can be decorated and entered into a race measuring which craft will cross the finish line first, whether or not it wobbles.
