by Dot Cannon
“Cock-a-doodle-doo!” greeted us as we walked into Imaginology 2019, at the Orange County Fairgrounds in Costa Mesa, on Saturday.
This handsome fellow had apparently appointed himself to the welcoming committee.
“Imaginology” is a three-day annual exploration of science, technology, engineering, art and math. Admission is free. The first day of the weekend is usually field-trip day for the local schools.
And at the very core of this exploration is one crucial ingredient.
Fun.
As in the past, Imaginology was a kaleidoscope of science, technology, engineering, art and math.
Polynesian dancers, an electricity-generating display and 3D printing, were just three of the attractions we saw, in a matter of minutes.
At the Centennial Farm, finding a “volunteer” for sheep shearing did not appear easy…
…but once selected, the candidate didn’t seem to mind.
And shades of Wilbur! This cutie wasn’t visible at first, near Mama and two other siblings.
The word “runt” doesn’t convey how cute a small piglet can be!
New this year at Imaginology 2019 was the “E-Sports” gaming tournament, where “League of Legends” aficionados could show their stuff.
A particular favorite for us was the drone display, hosted by Autonomy Foundation.
Young participants first learned at a “flight simulator”. Then, they could control one of the drones!
We also especially loved seeing a coloring table, where young girls were encouraged to draw their dream careers.
And over in the Costa Mesa pavilion, these young aerialists from the Ruby Karen Project wowed everybody. An announcer told the audience the performers were the youngest of the group: ages seven and eight!
A visitor’s “makeover”
Meanwhile, across the room, several young attendees had an opportunity to–pet a snake.
This is “Rubber”, who is a rubber boa, and who was onsite courtesy of Oak Canyon Nature Center. And “Rubber” is shedding his skin!
“He just shed that much skin this morning,” a staffer told us.
Aspects of imagination
As always, creativity was on display at Imaginology 2019. These dresses were fun to see…
…and so was the “steampunk hat” station. Meanwhile, beginning leatherworking, woodworking and printing were among additional options the young visitors could explore.
“Why didn’t they have events like this when we were eight?” we asked, for about the dozenth time since our first visit to Imaginology, four years ago.
But Imaginology more than makes up for that. We get to watch the next generation of scientists, technologists, engineers, artists and mathematicians explore their future paths!
Imaginology 2019, at the Orange County Fairgrounds in Costa Mesa, runs through this Sunday, April 14th. Sunday hours are 10 am to 4 pm. Admission is free, and parking, on Sunday, is $9.