(Palm
Beach,
FL)
Fifty
never
looked
so
fabulous!
From the
blinking
invitations
calling
guests
to “come
fill
your
beaker,”
to the
lab-coat
wearing
‘mad
scientist’
servers
at Café
Boulud,
the
South
Florida
Science
Museum’s
Golden
Anniversary
kick off
was a
memorable
and
perfect
start to
the
Museum’s
milestone
year.
Hosted
by
Museum
trustee,
Frances
Fisher
and her
husband
Jeffrey,
the
party
honored
new
Museum
president
and CEO,
Lew
Crampton,
and
announced
a series
of
planned
special
events
for 2011
– the
Museum’s
50th
anniversary
year.
Guests
entered
the
courtyard
at the
Brazilian
Court on
a
perfect
South
Florida
evening.
Blinking
“cosmic
crush”
cocktails,
beautiful
passed
hors
d’oeuvres
and a
fountain
full of
special
takeaways
set the
tone for
fun
among
vintage
Museum
pictures
and
displays.
Nearly
200
special
new and
old
friends
of the
Museum
gathered
to toast
Crampton
and
learn
about
next
year’s
exciting
plans.
“As
parents,
it’s
been
very
special
for my
husband
Jeff and
me to
experience
the
museum
through
the eyes
of our
six-year-old
son,”
said
hostess
Fisher.
“Harrison
saw the
twinkle
of the
constellations
for the
first
time in
the
planetarium;
he’s on
a first
name
basis
with all
the fish
and sea
animals
in the
touch
tanks
and
aquariums;
and we
credit
our
experiences
at the
Museum
for
sparking
his
curiosity
about
everything
from
dinosaurs
to moon
rocks.
Our son
is a
wonderful
example
of the
hundreds
of
thousands
of
children
in our
community
who have
been
inspired
and
touched
by this
museum
for five
generations.”
The
South
Florida
Science
Museum
delivers
entertaining
and
educational
journeys
through
the many
worlds
of
science
and
technology
for
curious
minds of
all
ages.
Located
just off
I-95 and
Southern
Blvd. in
West
Palm
Beach,
the
Museum
features
more
than 50
hands-on
exhibits,
a
digital
planetarium,
freshwater
and
saltwater
aquariums,
as well
as
natural
history
exhibitions.
Each
year the
museum
welcomes
more
than
125,000
visitors
and
reaches
more
than
45,000
students
through
workshops
at the
museum
and
outreach
programs
to local
schools.
Established
in 1961
by the
Junior
League
of the
Palm
Beaches,
the
museum
is
dedicated
to
exciting
curiosity
and
furthering
the
understanding
and
appreciation
of
science
and
technology.
In fact,
according
to
Fisher,
the
Museum’s
2011
Gala,
Fete du
Soleil,
will
honor
its
“founding
mothers”
on April
1st
as the
Museum
pays
tribute
to the
Junior
League
and its
influence
on the
museum’s
growth
in Palm
Beach
County
for the
past 50
years.
“The
museum
was born
at a
time
when
putting
a man on
the moon
was
still
science
fiction,
but it
was the
Junior
League
of the
Palm
Beaches
that
marshaled
the
resources
to build
a
visionary
educational
facility
that
opened
its
doors in
Dreher
Park in
1961,”
continued
Fisher.
“Joining
me in
the
leadership
of our
Fete
du
Soleil
gala is
Matt
Lorentzen,
President
of the
Board;
our
fellow
trustees,
Harvey
Oyer and
Dale
Hedrick;
our
Historical
Chairman,
Nancy
Myers
whose
tenure
with
museum
extends
throughout
its
history
beginning
as the
second
President
of the
Board;
as well
as our
Honorary
Chairs,
Sydelle
Meyer
and John
Niblack.
The
Fete du
Soleil
promises
to be an
exciting
evening
on
Friday,
April 1st
at a
magnificent
Palm
Beach
estate,
and we
hope you
will
make
plans to
join
us.”
In
addition
to its
Golden
Anniversary
gala,
the
Museum
will
also
collaborate
with the
Palm
Beach
Zoo and
the
Marshall
Foundation
for an
eco-focused
luncheon
on March
25th,
featuring
environmental
author,
Richard
Louv.
“We have
spent
the
second
half of
2010
readying
this
Museum
for
great
things
in our
milestone
year,”
said
Crampton.
“And
with a
series
of
special
activities
and
collaborations,
we’ll be
using
next
year’s
anniversary
to
position
the
Museum
so that
down the
road we
can
build a
planned
12,000-square-foot
expansion
and
begin a
collaboration
with the
Palm
Beach
Zoo to
make
Dreher
Park a
destination
as our
region’s
‘eco
park.’
These
are
exciting
and
pivotal
times
for the
Museum
and we
need the
community’s
support
to make
some
important
changes.”
The
South
Florida
Science
Museum
is
located
at 4801
Dreher
Trail
North in
West
Palm
Beach.
Museum
admission
is:
Adults,
$11.95;
Seniors
62+,
$10.50;
and
children
ages
three-12,
$8.95,
children
under
three
years
and
Museum
members
are
free.
For more
information
about
the
South
Florida
Science
Museum,
Fete du
Soliel,
or other
Golden
Anniversary
year
activities,
please
call
561-832-1988
or visit
www.sfsm.org
.