We arrived and milled about, checking out various displays. Daegan really liked the rocket launcher (you select a load, an amount of fuel, and see if you can make the rocket hit the ceiling):

The scheduled day began with a presentation about life as an astronaut, with lots of NASA film footage and some artefacts for the kids to examine. Here’s Gareth checking out the macaroni and cheese packet, with velcro circles on the back so it can be “attached” the the astronaut’s special dinner tray (which uses velcro and magnets to keep items from floating all over):

We learned how astronauts do all the necessary things in space: eat, drink, shower, sleep, and yes, even use the bathroom. Remember, there is no up or down in outer space:

We then had a short break before the next class, allowing the kids to explore a bit more. Both boys loved the “how to fly an airplane” demo—there was a lot of wind blowing towards you (note Gareth’s hair) and if you manipulated the controls correctly, you could get the airplane to lift off the ground.

Then it was time to build your own launching rocket, using paper, tape, a film canister (remember them?) and ‘fuel’ of alka-seltzer and water:

Daegan’s finished rocket:

Gareth’s rocket being alka-seltzered and put in the pan in the corner, for lift-off:

Next it was on to a group project, to build a “monster machine” to help humans live on a new planet that has been discovered that can support life. The boys’ groups made a rover with solar panel and windmill for energy source, and it could plow snow as well as act as a heater. It was dubbed “Solar-wind rover…aka koala” so as to incorporate everyone’s ideas.

Each group then went up on stage, said their names and explained their monster machine. And yes, my little hams quite enjoyed having a microphone:

We had lunch, then headed off to Star Lab, a portable constellation dome they set up in a corridor of the airport. Yeah, it raised a few eyebrows.

Inside Star Lab the kids learned about constellations and their myths. Gareth was quite enchanted by this part, and came home to tell Jim about how the constellation Cancer has no stars visible to the naked eye—you need a telescope. I found the description of Leo’s stars as forming a backwards question mark quite amusing. That’s my sign, and at times I feel indeed like an enigma of an enigma.

In the final presentation of the day, we learned a bit more about NASA history (including the tragedies, something I commend them for not ignoring), as well as about Newton’s Three Laws. Gareth got to go up on stage to help demonstrate the second law, by shooting two differently weighted foam balls at a nervous volunteer (who was a great sport).

Daegan got to help demonstrate the third law, about equal and opposite reactions:

The day ended with a couple of complimentary rides. We all went on a space shuttle time travel one (which allowed me to confront simultaneously my motion sickness AND claustrophobia—you are completely sealed in the dark in that one—arrggh!). And then a flying one the boys did solo:

All in all, a really fun day of learning. My favourite fact of the day: I didn’t realize that Calgary airport is an emergency shuttle landing site (not that it matters now), as we have a runway the required length (5 kms). If you haven’t been to Spaceport before, go check it out. They have a homeschool day coming up in January. Give them a call (or check their website if/when they update it) for details.

The boys had such a good time sledding, and it tuckered them out. They must have gone up and down that hill 30 times, at least!

I posted a few videos on facebook. Let’s see if embedding them here works.

We then headed home, with the boys playing in some deep snowdrifts on the way.

They also found some giant snowballs that they insisted on bringing home, because, well…I guess our yard didn’t have enough snow.

When we got home a rosy-cheeked Daegan relaxed on the couch reading Far Side cartoons:

While Gareth made us all some of his special hot chocolate recipe. He wrote it out himself the other day:

We even had vegan whipped cream on hand to add on top. Yum!

Yup. A great day!

Opening Date, Family Membership Prices and Benefits

*Key to Benefits: Ad=Free Unlimited Admission; Disc=Discounts of various sorts, like on movies, summer camps, gift shop, etc.; Guest=Free Guest Admission(s); Inv=Invites to Members-Only Events; News=Newsletter; Other Att Disc=Discounted Admission at other local attractions; Park=Free or Discounted Parking; Rad= Free Reciprocal Admission at other science centres.

Name and Location	Date Opened	Family Membership	Benefits
Montreal Science Centre, Montreal	2000 (Expotec exhibits 1987)	$95	Ad, Disc, News, Other Att Disc, Park, Rad
Discovery Centre, Halifax	1990	$75	Ad, Disc, Guest, Inv, News, Rad
Okanagan Science Centre, Vernon	1990	$56 – $112	Ad, Disc, (Guest@$112), Inv, News, Rad
Science East, Fredericton	1999 (touring exhibits 1994)	$75	Ad, Disc, Inv, News, Rad
Canada South Science City, Windsor	2004	$75	Ad, Disc, Inv, News, Rad
Saskatchewan Science Centre, Regina	1989	$74.50	Ad, Disc, Inv, News, Rad
The Exploration Place, Prince George	2001	$84.95	Ad, Disc, Inv, News, Rad

Telus Spark is simply not “Canada’s first New Science Centre in more than 25 years” as they claim. Here’s what’s under the ‘About TELUS Spark’ link on their mobile site, a claim oft-repeated in the media and by Spark representatives, including their CEO:

Spark is, however, by far the most expensive when it comes to membership at these newer Canadian science centres, even looking at the cheaper ‘green’ prices for a family of 4 (or 6). And Spark’s ‘green’ membership comes with the poorest benefits package in the country. To get comparable benefits to what these other newer science centres offer local families for less than $100/year, Calgarians are being asked to pay $320 (‘gold’ for a family of 4) to $460 (‘gold’ for a family of 6), slightly higher if those kids are teens.

Not convinced Spark’s membership prices are out of line? Compare other major science centres around the country.

Other Major Science Centres in Canada

**Though a Children’s Museum, many of its exhibits are science-oriented and it participates in the reciprocal admission agreement with science centres in Canada

There is simply no other science centre in the country with such high prices and such poor benefits as Telus Spark—not even close! All the above offer benefits comparable to Spark’s ‘gold’ membership, which again costs $320 – $460 (family of 4 – 6, slightly higher if kids are teens). The science centres with memberships closest in price to Spark are Toronto’s Ontario Science Centre, and Sudbury’s Science North, the two largest science centres in the country—Toronto’s is about twice the size of Spark. Toronto has a far more affordable ‘basic’ membership than Spark’s ‘green’, and with better benefits; and similarly a cheaper and better (free movies!) ‘gold’ package. Family membership at Science North in Sudbury comes with benefits comparable to Spark’s ‘gold’ level membership, plus 8 free guest admissions as a perk for early renewal. All this for $180 (not $320 – $460).

Given that Spark does not require these high membership prices to pay for the new $160M building—that was covered via tax-payer dollars and corporate/private donations—why are the membership prices so high? Every one of these other science centres has to cover operating costs, just like Spark, and yet can do so and keep their membership prices accessible for far more local families and their children.

Why focus on membership? Can’t Calgary families go to Spark on day admission passes, which are priced similarly to those of other science centres in Canada? I am focusing on memberships for a variety of reasons:

1) Memberships allow repeat visits more affordably, and allow local families to get more enrichment and education from their science centre than is had by an out-of-town tourist. If Spark is to be a “resource to all Calgarians” above and beyond the resource it is to the tourist, affordable memberships are key.

2) Many families, especially those with young children, find a huge advantage in the flexibility of memberships. They can go to the science centre for just a few hours, here and there, as suits their needs—around nap times, children’s other lessons and activities, and so on. Many families with young children are hesitant to spend $70-90 on day admission knowing their children may only last an hour or two, whereas they’ll happily buy a membership that is affordable and holds good value wrt benefits.

3) Given the reciprocal admission agreement between science centres, where membership at one gets you into other science centres in Canada (and often North America) for free, there is a reason to have a degree of parity between membership rates and benefits. Anyone living 90 miles/150km or more outside Calgary can buy a far more affordable membership at a different science centre and visit Spark for free. Only locals—the very community Spark aims to serve, and the people whose tax dollars helped both build the centre and fund on-going operations via ‘operating grants’ from City of Calgary—have to pay these high membership rates.

My suggestion to Telus Spark: Bring memberships and their benefits in line with other science centres around the country. There are several options here to make memberships more affordable and better value for local Calgary families, like bringing back a family membership pass; or, if sticking with the individual membership structure, allowing families to buy ‘individual memberships’ individually, mixing ‘green’ and ‘gold’ levels as suits their needs; and improving ‘green’ benefits to current ‘gold’ level (save perhaps parking) which is standard with memberships elsewhere. Asking a family of 6 to pay a minimum of $288/year for membership—no discounts, no movies included, no parking, etc—is simply too much for many in this city. Given that our tax dollars helped build the centre and fund ongoing operations via ‘operating grants’, there is a moral argument to be made that Spark should do more to keep itself accessible to locals—our future scientists and innovators will come from all income brackets and from families of all sizes. A completely independent business can charge what they want and we need to ‘suck it up’ if we want to go—that’s capitalism—but a tax-payer subsidized business, and an educational institution at that, should be held to a different standard in my view.

I think Spark should also Improve membership benefits at the ‘gold’ level by offering a more inclusive option (‘gold plus’?) where movies and possibly traveling exhibits are included. Paying $320 – $460 / year and then having the cost of movies and traveling exhibits on top seems exorbitant. Spark could consider offering a broader range of membership options, as is done in Vancouver, with its basic $140 Family Membership to ‘Premier Memberships’ at $350 – $500 which includes the basic Family Membership, 2-4 guest passes, 25 free IMAX movie vouchers, and a $100 – $250 tax receipt. There are countless science centres across Canada and North America that Spark can look to for innovative ideas as to how to run a science centre without going in the red, yet still offer affordable memberships of good value to local families.

Why Telus Spark Science Centre has Lost our Family as Members

Yesterday, we purchased an annual family membership to Edmonton’s science centre. It cost $134.95 (+GST), and came with a slew of benefits, like 50% off IMAX movies. Membership at Calgary’s new Telus Spark science centre with comparable benefits would have cost our 4-person family $320.

We made this choice for both financial and ethical reasons, and despite being long-time members of Calgary Science Centre in the past.

We’re a middle-class family fortunate enough to have $320/year to spend on science enrichment and education for our children. But we need to get good value for that money. For $320, we can buy the Edmonton membership ($135), a Royal Tyrrell membership ($60), visit the new Telus Spark on a day admission ($65.80), and still have money left for family nature classes at Devonian Gardens, tours at Dinosaur Provincial Park, admission to the newly renovated John Janzen nature centre, or Coaldale’s Birds of Prey centre—a place we just discovered this past summer. Or we’ll offer small donations to free places like Calgary’s Inglewood Bird Sanctuary, Lethbridge’s Helen Schuler Nature Centre, or Medicine Hat’s Police Point Park. Or to the Ellis Bird Farm who hosts the Bug Jamboree each August, the University of Alberta who offers ‘Science Sunday for Kids’ each March, or our own Calgary Public Library, where in the past couple weeks our family has taken in a Rock and Fossil show, and a class about bats. We’ve done enriching, hands-on, science-based activities at all these places in Alberta. And all keep prices affordable—in fact, many are free! Yes, there are higher travel costs associated with some of these outings, but several of them are no additional cost to what our family would be doing anyways (my husband sometimes works in Edmonton; we have family to visit in Lethbridge, etc.).

We also want to see our money spent wisely by the institutions we support. We expect them to offer solid, enrichment opportunities—and also to make these opportunities affordable and inclusive, reaching as many of our “future generation of scientists, engineers and innovators” as they can. Reading through science centre annual reports, I’ve learned that in 2010 Edmonton had 27% more visitors than Calgary’s old Science Centre, yet also spent at least $358K less on ‘salaries and compensation’. (It is unclear whether to include the additional $460K in ‘Professional Fees and Contracts’ that Calgary listed under ‘operating costs’ for the old science centre, which would make the total $818K less). So in 2010, Edmonton spent $358K (possibly $818K) less on employees, while accommodating 86,000 more visitors, and while running a larger science centre. Food for thought.

The other factor behind our spending decision is ethical: put simply, my husband and I have little tolerance for “stretching the truth”. I understand Telus Spark needs to attract visitors, and wants to seem as appealing as possible. That’s marketing. But misinformation crosses the line. Spark CEO Jennifer Martin came out swinging in her editorial, claiming folks—including Klaszus and implying me—were stating “inaccuracies”. Since we’re talking about inaccuracies, I’ll address only three, the significance of which I leave you to decide for yourself:

1) CEO Martin stated that the science centre does not receive tax-payer dollars to help fund operating costs. Her words: “…it seems that some members of the community, and Klaszus, are under the impression that our operations are either fully or partially subsidized, which is not the case.” Yet according to their 2010 annual report, Calgary science centre received about $3M in “operating grants”. Just over $1M of that is listed in the annual report as being for the “new science centre”, and just under $2M listed under “operating costs” for the old centre. And the majority of that $3M came from the City of Calgary.

Let’s be clear about what I am upset about here. I am not upset about them receiving grants per se; other science centres, like Edmonton’s, do so as well. And as a friend of mine rightly pointed out, this can help bring tourist dollars into our city, benefitting many Calgarians who work in that field. Edmonton, though, is quite up-front about this, mentioning on page 8 of their annual report “…our unique partnership with the City of Edmonton, our only source of public funding for operations.” They are not denying the fact, nor trying to use that denial to justify high membership prices that keep a science centre less accessible to local families.

2) Telus Spark is under fire for membership fees, and has inaccurate information on their website about how long it takes for membership to “pay for itself”. On their main membership page, they claim memberships pay for themselves “in just 3 to 5 visits”. If you crunch the numbers, you’ll find memberships pay for themselves in 4 to 6 visits. For example, three ‘day admission’ visits for a child costs $38.85 (3x$12.95); a child’s green membership is $42. Three day visits for youth costs $47.85 (membership $48); adult $59.85 (membership $60), and senior $53.85 (membership $54). It takes 4 visits to pay for any of the green memberships. For gold membership, adult and senior do pay for themselves in 5 visits as stated, but child $64.75 ($70 membership), and youth $79.75 ($80 membership) do not. They take 6 visits.

3) Telus Spark on the home page of their website says “Canada’s first new Science Centre in over 25 years”. This phrase has been oft-repeated by the media, and gone unquestioned. Yet Montreal’s science centre opened in 2000, and last I checked Quebec was still part of Canada. I find it particularly amusing that the government of Canada official press release goes along with the “first in 25 years” story, even though they gave funding to both Calgary’s and Montreal’s projects. A simple “first to open in more than a decade” surely would have had a similar impact on the lay public, and been accurate. And for the curious, family memberships in Montreal are $95/year. Edited Nov 23: I have since learned that this claim is even more inaccurate than I thought. I have found at least 7 science centres that have opened in Canada in the past 25 years. For a chart comparing Spark’s membership prices and benefits to those of these 7 centres, and 7 additional major science centres in Canada, see here.

So there you have it. By choosing to spend our money in this way, we are still supporting Spark—they’ll get our $65.80 for a one-day admission. But that is considerably less than we would have given them if memberships were kept in line with every other science centre in Canada (and North America). It’s not just membership money they have lost—we will watch our IMAX movies in Edmonton, buy Christmas and birthday presents for our science-crazy sons at Edmonton’s gift shop, etc. And, in our view, better support Alberta’s many institutions that provide accessible science enrichment for our youth.

Please note: I am only telling my family’s story, with our particular circumstances and values. I in no way disparage you if your family chooses differently—for folks who don’t travel much, or who have preschoolers who will expend energy at the much-improved Creative Kids area this winter, or who value spending locally (in Calgary) more than provincially—buying memberships to Spark makes sense. I fully support your decision. I simply ask you to extend the same courtesy and not disparage our choice. And Spark, if you are listening, why not look at a price structure like Vancouver, where families have more choice—from $140/year for basic membership, to ‘premier’ memberships at $350 – $500, which come with tax receipts, 25 IMAX movie vouchers, and 2-4 guest passes. Surely some Calgary families would jump at this sort of value, and feel good about doing so knowing there were options in place to keep membership affordable (at $140) for far more families in the community.

I honestly do want to see Spark succeed and become a jewel of this city. But I also want value for my family, and value for the money I spend supporting science education and enrichment in Alberta. I will be judging Spark’s success on two grounds: (1) can they make the numbers work? and (2) can they be as accessible as possible to the local Calgary community? Right now, the first remains to be seen—though as a new place, I suspect they will be fine for at least a few years, novelty being a great seller—but they get a failing grade from me on the latter. I hope to see that improve in the coming years.

Bottom line, Spark: we’ve bought memberships in the past, and were planning to again. And we will buy again, if the value for our dollar is there. But between the price jump and the benefit drop, and the many other opportunities to support science education and enrichment in Alberta, we cannot justify it in our family budget.

Risa Kawchuk,

Founder of facebook’s People For an Affordable Calgary Science Centre

1. Membership costs have doubled ($320, family of 4) to tripled ($460, family of 6), for LESS benefits (dome movies no longer free, even on gold membership). This is an outrageous increase at once. Old memberships ran about $160/family. Two years ago they were $130.

2. No other science centre in North America costs anywhere near this much. Compare: Toronto’s science centre, family of 6 $120 (green) or $230 (gold), and gold includes free IMAX movies. Calgary: $288 (green), $460 (gold) and movies extra. Membership prices are $135 in Edmonton, and $140 in Vancouver.
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3. Science centres in North America have a reciprocal admission agreement: membership at any science centre gets you into about 250 other science centres around the continent for free. In other words, only Calgarians are being required to pay these sky high membership prices to see their new science centre. Folks visiting from Toronto, Vancouver, Edmonton, or even Lethbridge (as long as they live over 150kms from Calgary) can buy a much cheaper membership at another science centre, and see ours for free.

4. In the 2010 science centre annual report, they state that “"The New Science Centre fundraising efforts were also successful in exceeding their 2010 targets. By the end of the year, 94 percent of the $160 million Capital Campaign money had been raised. This is truly a remarkable feat…”. If this new building is basically already paid for, why are the membership prices so high? If excellent science centres in other expensive cities—Toronto, Vancouver, New York, Boston, etc.—can run their centres on far lesser membership fees, why can’t Telus Spark?

5. The new science centre has gone to a “individual membership” price structure; there is no Family Membership anymore. They say they have done this so we can “customize” our membership to “the unique needs of our family”. Yet they will not allow a family to buy individual memberships at different levels—like ‘gold’ for a parent for the free parking, and ‘green’ for the children. From their membership page: "Designed to be just as unique as all of our members, our new individual pricing allows you to customize the cost of Membership for you and your family." From their FAQ link off the membership page: "Can I Purchase Green and Gold Memberships together? — Family/Joint memberships will be processed in the same membership category, i.e., all GREEN or all GOLD, in order to maintain family content and benefit consistency.” I say, if you are going to treat us as a family when buying memberships, give us an affordable Family Membership option. To put this sort of family-based restriction on so-called “individual memberships” is unfair.

6. The new science centre is simply unaffordable for many Calgary families. And as this centre was partially funded by these same families’ tax dollars, this seems particularly unfair. This is an educational institution and should be accessible to all! It’s not a country club!

7. The science centre has claimed their prices are not out of line with other Calgary attractions. The zoo, the highest costs attraction, allows individual memberships, so Mom or Dad can buy the "Engage" level to get the parking, and the kids can have the basic "Connect" membership. This would be $75 for one parent, $55 for the other, and $22 per child. For a family of 4: $174/year; for a family of 6: $218. And this would come with free parking. An even more salient comparison is the Glenbow, where you can buy a 2 year family membership for $160. This is one quarter—25% the cost—of the membership to the science centre for my family of 4. A Heritage Park family pass runs $120/year; $159 with rides. There is no other Calgary attraction that would cost a family anywhere near $460/year.

NEWSPAPER ARTICLES

Calgary Herald Sparks Flying at new Telus Science Centre (link here)
Metro News New Science Centre Too Pricey: Parent (link here)
Metro News Science Centre Prices Have Parents Exploring Options (link here)
Calgary Herald: Telus Science Centre Opens With Grand Ceremony, Concerns Over Admission Costs. What Do You Think? [includes poll] (link here)
CBC News Centre Wants to Spark Calgary’s Attention, Despite Price Increase (link here)
Ottawa Citizen New Science Centre Astounds Minds and Pocketbooks (link here)
Calgary Herald: Telus Spark CEO: Science Centre Admission is Less Than a Dollar a Day (link here)
Calgary Herald: The New Science Centre’s Admission Fees: Share Your Thoughts With the Herald Editorial Board (link here)
Calgary Herald: Editorial: Cost could be barrier to many at new Telus Spark science centre (link here)

TV / VIDEO COVERAGE

Global Calgary News Hour segment “Science Centre Cost” (video link here)
Calgary Sun segment “Spark Science Centre Set to Open” (video link here)
CBC’s The National segment “Calgary’s New Science Centre” (video link here)
CTV article Under Fire Over Fees (link here)

RADIO / PODCASTS

CBC Calgary Eyeopener Unconventional Panel – The Price of Calgary (audio link here)
CBC Calgary Homestretch: TELUS Spark (audio link here)

There was a nice range of fossils for hands-on exploration:

There was also a section with minerals, as well as metals. Here, Daegan lifted the different metals, which were arranged from lightest to heaviest (left-to-right). Having played trumpet since I was a kid, I have to say I was quite surprised at how heavy a solid block of brass was!

The scientists and volunteers there were as friendly and helpful as always. This is the aspect of these shows I enjoy seeing the most: my science-loving kids interacting with mentors and role-models.

Gareth spent quite a bit of time with the microscope (note to self: time to buy one of these for our homeschool!):

And Daegan entered a contest to win a bag of fossils.

A fun way to spend an hour or two. Keep an eye out for their next show—check the library program guides. Or contact them directly, at Calgary Science Network. They do presentations for kids and schools.

This only served to confirm what I felt from the beginning: the prices at the new science centre in Calgary are EXTREMELY high. And the benefits we receive for our membership are LESS than folks receive elsewhere. For example, Toronto science centre “gold” members—at considerably less cost than Calgary’s “gold” membership—receive free tickets to IMAX movies. I understand that building a new centre has costs, and so I could understand our membership fees being somewhat higher than elsewhere in Canada (and North America) to offset this. But $204 for a family of 4 just to get in the door—no free parking, no discounts on movies, classes/workshops, cafeteria, gift shop, “special traveling exhibits”, etc.? And $288 for a family of 6? Want the “gold” membership instead, so you get free parking and discounts? That’ll be $320 (family of 4), and $460 (family of 6) per year! Because unlike every other science centre in North America (to the best of my knowledge—and I’ve had hundreds of people checking for me now), Calgary does not offer a “Family Membership”. Memberships are per person only, meaning larger families pay significantly more. Oh, and even that $320 / $460 doesn’t get you into the “dome” (i.e., IMAX-like) movies, or “special travelling exhibits”. You’ll get a discount, but still be paying extra for those. In contrast, last time we bought memberships to the old Calgary science centre, the cost was $160-ish for a family pass, and “Discovery Dome” movies were included. So for a lesser level of benefit, our cost has doubled. For larger families it is even worse—a family of 6 would have their costs almost triple, going from $160-ish to $460 for the ‘gold’ membership—and movies now an extra cost on top of that. Gah!

So after a friend suggested it to me, I started a facebook protest page: “People for an Affordable Calgary Science Centre”. It’s gotten over 100 “likes” in the first 24 hours, and continues to grow. I have a chart on there outlining Calgary Science Centre costs compared to both other science centres in Canada, as well as compared to other attractions in the Calgary area. The one that struck me in the latter category was the Glenbow Museum, which is the largest museum in Calgary, with a 2-year family membership rate of $160. For my family of 4, compared to the Science Centre “gold” membership of $320/year, that works out to one quarter—25%—of the cost. You can see the comparison chart under the INFO tab on the facebook page here.

Why am I making such a big deal of this? After all, given my science-crazy sons, we’d probably go to the science centre enough to get our money’s worth out of our memberships. But this isn’t about me or my family. This is about keeping science education, experience and enrichment accessible and affordable to all. And at current prices, it is out of reach for many Calgary families—many people, including several who have had science centre memberships in the past, have told me they won’t be buying memberships at these rates. And that’s a shame, because they would support the new science centre through memberships if it were more affordable. But for prices to double-to-triple, and for benefits to be reduced at the same time? I can’t say I blame them.

There are a few loose threads about the science centre I’d like to learn more about and see investigated. I’ve heard that according to the 2010 annual report from the Science Centre—a non-profit entity, by the way—the funding for the new science centre was 94% secured, between the Government of Canada, Province of Alberta, and City of Calgary, as well as corporate and community sponsors. So if the new centre was already pretty much paid for, why the high prices? If those high prices are required to offset the “running costs” of the new science centre, why can other cities—including expensive cities like Toronto, Vancouver, New York, Boston, etc.—run their centres for a fraction of the cost (going by what they charge for memberships)? Can anyone shed some light on this? Confirm, deny, explain, clarify?

Hope you’ll join the conversation on this issue on the facebook page People for An Affordable Calgary Science Centre. Please know you are welcome to do so even if you don’t live here. Sharing the costs and benefits you enjoy through membership at your local science centre would be welcome—and no doubt eye-opening to Calgarians. And if this is an issue near and dear to your heart, please spread the word—share, forward, tweet, “like”, etc. Thanks! I hope that by drawing attention to this, we can have a more affordable science centre membership option for Calgary families.

And don’t forget, science centres across North America participate in a “reciprocal admission” agreement which gets members of one science centre into any other science centre for free (provided the centre is over 90 miles / 150kms distant from the person’s place of residence). So Calgarians are the only ones paying the high costs of this new centre. Folks visiting from other cities who have memberships to their local science centre—memberships that cost less money and often offer more benefits—get to see our new science centre for free.

The weirdest thing that happened on this outing—and which unfortunately happened so fast I didn’t get a pic—is I had a muskrat run under my feet! I was sitting on a bench by the Bow River, watching the kids throw rocks and such, and there’s a path connecting where I was to the Jeffries Pond. Out waddles this muskrat—I thought it was a squirrel at first out of the corner of my eye, and then once I saw the long tail I thought, “Eek! Rat!" both of which prevented me from grabbing my camera in time. Before I knew it he’d scooted past me, and dove into the river. I caught the ripple of the splash on my camera…sigh. Too late!

Anyhow, here’s the pictorial highlights of our Thanksgiving (hover your mouse over the pics for details):

After our walk I cooked up our Thanksgiving dinner. It was decadent and delish! We had BBQ chick’n cutlets, twice-baked potatoes, stuffing, ‘shredded brussels sprouts’ (OMG! I finally, after 40-odd years, have found a way to like brussels sprouts!), and chocolate-coconut pie for dessert. Not quite your traditional turkey and pumpkin thing, but we all loved it!

Wishing all my Canadian readers a Happy Thanksgiving. Hope you got to spend time with your friends and family this weekend, doing something that you love.

We then headed inside, and found our seats. Daegan and I read through the program notes. I was pleased to see several familiar cartoon titles; the boys and I spent some time yesterday afternoon watching Bugs Bunny DVDs with high music content to get in the mood for the performance. “Rabbit of Seville” and “Long-Haired Hare”, two absolute classics, were among them.

Here we are, all dressed up and raring to go:

The show looked like this: a large screen with cartoons playing on it, with the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra playing the score (most of the time—they did take a few breaks).

So what did I like about this show? So many things. I liked that the show included well-known clips you’d expect (Rabbit of Seville, Baton Bunny, What’s Opera, Doc? aka ‘Killed the wabbit! Killed the wabbit!’), some song bits (Pepe le Peu singing “Tiptoe Through the Tulips, Avec Moi” and Michigan Frog’s “Hello My Honey, hello my baby, hello my ragtime gal…”) but also lesser known clips. I liked that it wasn’t all Bugs Bunny; there was a Sylvester and Tweety short, a coyote and roadrunner one, as well as cartoon’s outside Looney Tunes: Tom and Jerry competing to conduct an orchestra; as well as Scooby Doo and Flintstone montages. I loved watching these cartoons live with an audience with three generations present(grandparents, parents, and children)—it gave me a sense of what it must have been like seeing these shorts as part of the movie-going experience in the 30s, 40s, and 50s. I liked learning about some of the history of Looney Tunes / Merry Melodies, and the making of this ‘Bugs Bunny at the Symphony’ show, which is now 20 years old. We were all impressed that the original slide guitar which makes the initial sound in this clip:

was part of the show, and played by the regular pianist of the CPO. He had to learn only one chord to play the part! The guitar was found in the ‘deepest basement’ of the Looney Tunes/Warner Brothers building, and was damaged, but was restored by a violin maker. Good thing too: the show had tried all kinds of modern slide guitars, from honky tonk to Hawaiian, and nothing replicated the sound properly. I have to admit I was blown away when the CPO played the opening theme live: it sounded spot on, but sooooo much richer than anything that ever came from my TV set.

I also enjoyed learning how the performance was managed, with the conductor and all musicians wearing headphones to hear the ‘click track’. A click track is a sort of metronome synched to the cartoon, keeping the musicians in perfect time to what you are seeing on the screen; you can read more about it on wikipedia here. It was used all those years ago to score the original cartoons, and is still used today whenever an orchestra is used to do the score for a movie. I’d never even heard of a ‘click track’ before. Learning something new makes it a good day.

I’ll leave off with one of the more amusing moments of the afternoon. After an introduction to the show was given by a a member of the CPO, the orchestra picked up their instruments and began making odd sounds. Concerned that Gareth would be frightened (we’re still overcoming his fear of going to see a movie in a theatre, after previews for Jim Carrey’s Scrooge scared the living daylights out of him when we went to see a G movie), I leaned over and asked him if he understood what they were doing. “No,” he said. “Why are they making those strange noises?” “They are tuning,” I told him, “so that all the instruments sound good together.”

“Yeah,” quipped Daegan. “You could say they are ‘Looney Tuning’”.

If this show tours your area, I highly recommend you go check it out for yourself. It’s not always easy to find good quality entertainment that all ages enjoy, but this fit the bill perfectly for us.

I really liked how he got the kids making the birdhouses themselves. Over the course of the next hour or so, the boys used a hammer, a saw, a file (to smooth the rough edges) and even a power drill!

Gareth found it easiest when Jim would get the nails started:

The Birdman had boards sawn about halfway for the lids. It was the kids’ jobs—with parental help—to finish the sawing. I think this is the first time either of my kids has used a real saw. They did great; all fingers and toes still accounted for!

Here’s the finished product:

And the boys labelled and decorated it afterwards. Gareth even drew a cardinal:

While there were enough supplies to build one birdhouse per kid, Daegan and Gareth decided out family should just build one joint house—and it’s not like we’re lacking for birding gear in our backyard. This also gave Jim a chance to help two other young boys who were there sans parents; he actually helped build 3 birdhouses that afternoon. “What a guy!” (said in best Red Dwarf voice).

All in all, a wonderful way for our family to participate in Arts Days. Many thanks to Birdman Andrew Stiles, as well as the Calgary Public Library.