Creation Station a fair hit

In one section of the Alaska State Fair, the kids' eyes lit up with amazement and squeals of excitement could be heard coming from children of all ages Thursday night.

No, it wasn't the midway. It was the Creation Station, where science -- yes, educational stuff -- was thrilling the crowd.

"There's a buzz of excitement around here during the entire fair," said Lincoln Garrick, the program director of the Imaginarium's Creation Station exhibits. "It's hands-on, it's fun and it's entertaining."

This year, flight is the name of the game in the Creation Station. The Imaginarium has a real plane inside the building, as well as interactive displays that describe the various sciences of flight, including force, aerodynamics and thrust.

There are computerized flight simulators that reinforce those ideas in a fun manner, as well as models of planes in a small wind tunnel that illustrate the different forces of nature and how they relate to flight.

"All of these pieces were developed for the Imaginarium and we wanted to show them off for the first time in front of large audiences," Garrick said.

Another top attraction has been the NASA Starship 2040 traveling exhibit. The special trailer allows people to walk through the control, passenger and engineer compartments of a futuristic spaceliner.

"It's the first time NASA has brought something like this to Alaska. They broke their one-day attendance record during the fair, with 7,000 people," Carrick said. "It's going to be in Alaska for 28 days, here, at Mat-Su College, in Kenai and in Anchorage."

As her 10-year-old son Damon exited the Starship 2040 exhibit, Gretta Tyson said she should have stopped by the Creation Station on her way into the fair, not on the way to the car.

"I spent 50 bucks on rides today, and he's more excited about all this stuff," Tyson said while pointing at a radar gun that times people's throws. "And this is all free. We've been in here for 40 minutes already, playing with all the stuff."

While the adults scurried to keep a grasp on their children, different exhibits pulled them in all directions. There's an electronic balance, places where you can line up with another person seated across from you and watch as your faces "morph" together, places where you can capture a friend in a giant bubble and spots to make music.

"This is cool," said 13-year-old Jackie Gilliam as her face morphed with her mom's. "How do they do that?"

That's a question Garrick hopes kids keep asking, both at the fair and throughout their educational careers.

Keeping kids engaged -- while still enjoying themselves -- is the key to keeping them motivated.

"This shows them that science is fun," Garrick said.

When asked which exhibit is their favorite, many kids had a hard time identifying just one.

"I like the bubbles the best, but I also liked the spaceship," said Chadd Harris. "My dad has his own plane and he already knows all this stuff but I don't. I'm going to fly someday, too."