The biggest-yet Spark! fundraiser for the Arkansas Museum of Discovery drew raves about the activities, demonstrations and the food, a feast for the eyes and the taste buds, by chef Shane Henderson of Ben E. Keith. Held on Nov. 1 at the museum, the fourth annual event reeled in about 400 people (average attendance, said museum Chief Executive Officer Kelley Bass) and netted a record $150,000. Silent and live auctions also contributed to the museum's till.
Guests braved a tunnel of sparklers to enter and were rewarded with Champagne once inside. Over the next few hours, they played like big kids on some of the museum's interactive exhibits and took in demonstrations of cutting-edge technology provided by the University of Arkansas at Little Rock Emerging Analytics Center.
One observer, a professional in the field of technology, said, "This is my favorite charity event. The format is so great."
Toward the end of the evening, Kevin Delaney, director of visitor experience for the museum, demonstrated the theory behind what he called a "hail cannon." Delaney's five appearances as the fun -- and funny -- science guy on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon have helped boost attendance at the museum considerably over the last year or so, Bass said.
Spark! Stars -- event honorees whose careers have required intensive study of science, technology and/or math -- were Terry Talley, Andrew Sustich, Jamilyn Noble, Nancy Gray, Polly Davenport, Carolina Cruz-Neira, Elizabeth Childers and Jeff Amerine
-- Story and photos by
Cyd King
High Profile on 11/13/2016