Museum's Messtival: 'A big messy day' for all

For young children, days are filled with commands and warnings.

"Stay out of the mud."

"Don't play with your food."

Yet, the Museum of Discovery knows that if there's one thing kids love, it's getting dirty.

"We're around kids quite often," says Chief Marketing Officer Kendall Thornton. "We know that they love to make a mess. But the trouble with making a mess is somebody has to clean it up."

The solution? The museum's annual Messtival, a festival centered on getting as slimy and muddy and sticky as possible.

Yes, parents and kids will need to clean themselves off after, but the big mess is left to the museum staff.

For the Messtival, the museum closes down parts of President Clinton Avenue and Sherman Street in front of the building. There, they'll set up a laundry list of hands-on stations where kids and their parents can dive right in.

One of the most popular stations is bubble play and this year they've brought back the Bubble Tron 2000, a "giant fan that spews bubbles" built by the exhibit shop workers.

They'll also have a mud kitchen, the Slopstacle Course, a sloppy slingshot and Messy Twister. Kids can also make mashed potato sculptures, engage in a pie fight and pummel rotten food with a mallet.

There will, of course, be slime.

Thornton says, "You can't be a science museum and not have some type of slime."

Substances meant to mimic bird droppings will be dropped from the parking garage above in an attempt to hit kiddie cars parked along the street.

For the first year, the festival has a sponsor: Zips Car Wash. So, they're going to have a Human Car Wash station. Thornton explains that they had a car wash last year, but it was a small affair. This one will have sprinklers, foam and an air dryer.

"Obviously, you're going to need it after you get messy."

They will have cleaning stations to deal with the aftermath and parents are encouraged to take changes of clothes and towels. Thornton also recommends people dress in older clothing and water shoes with backs on them. Flip flops, she says, are not advised due to all the wet, slippery ground.

It's not just for kids. The museum encourages parents to get right in there with the kids.

"The parents seem to enjoy it too," Thornton says. "They start off a little apprehensive, then just sort of get in it and have a great time."

In case of rain, Thornton says they'll most likely postpone rather than outright cancel. It's not exactly something they can just move inside.

But, weather cooperating, there will be bubbles and slime and dirt and pie fights.

"We'll just have a big messy day," she says. "What more could you ask for?"

Weekend on 05/16/2019