For 50 years, the Don Harrington Discovery Center has given generations of Amarillo-area children a place to explore science, ask questions and, perhaps most importantly, discover that learning can actually be fun.
This Labor Day weekend, the Discovery Center is inviting the community to help celebrate that milestone — and it looks like Amarillo is getting quite a party in return.
Discover! 5.0 is scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 5, with a full day of activities culminating in an outdoor Amarillo Symphony performance and a choreographed drone show.
The City of Amarillo is partnering with the Discovery Center on the 50th anniversary celebration, helping make much of the event accessible to the entire community. Outdoor festivities at John Ward Memorial Park will be free, while admission to the Discovery Center will be reduced to $5 per person and includes access to the Dinosaurs Around the World exhibit.
That combination is what makes Discover! 5.0 particularly appealing.
Families don't have to spend a fortune to participate. They can enjoy yard games, bounce houses, community booths and local performances outside without paying admission. Food trucks and vendors will also be on site, along with face painting and Discovery Center merchandise.
Those willing to make a donation can even get a little revenge on some familiar community leaders.
Discovery Center CEO Wendy Taylor, Amarillo City Council Member Don Tipps and other local leaders are scheduled to take turns in a dunk tank as part of the festivities.
The entertainment schedule also showcases a broad cross-section of the Amarillo community.
A walking parade honoring America's 250th anniversary begins at 12:30 p.m., followed throughout the day by music from the Amarillo Suzuki Program and performances from Al Son Del Folklore, the Caprock High School Caprockettes and Palo Duro High School Don Diamonds.
The Amarillo Fire Department will participate with a Touch-a-Truck experience, while the Randall County Sheriff's Department and Amarillo Museum of Art will offer additional community activities. A Panhandle Warbirds flyover is scheduled for 12:52 p.m., and local band Insufficient Funds will also perform.
Then the celebration gets considerably bigger after sunset.
The Amarillo Symphony is expected to take the outdoor stage behind the Discovery Center at approximately 7:30 p.m. A choreographed drone show is scheduled to bring the 50th anniversary celebration to a close at approximately 9 p.m.
It's the kind of event Amarillo could use more often.
Community celebrations work best when they're actually designed for the entire community, rather than becoming expensive outings that price families out. Between free outdoor activities, inexpensive admission to the Discovery Center and free transportation, Discover! 5.0 appears designed to remove many of those barriers.
That transportation will also be important because parking around the Discovery Center will be restricted.
“Street parking is not permitted, and parking in unauthorized areas in and around the Harrington Regional Medical Campus will not be allowed. Towing will be enforced to help mitigate traffic congestion and ensure access for hospitals and emergency responders,” officials said.
The City of Amarillo will provide free shuttle service beginning at 11:30 a.m. from Amarillo College's West Campus and AmTech Career Academy.
Those who can't make it to the celebration can listen to a live broadcast on High Plains Public Radio, 105.7 FM in Amarillo or through the station's app or website.
The Discovery Center reaching its 50th anniversary is worth recognizing. Institutions that survive for half a century don't do so simply because they have a building or some interesting exhibits. They survive because generations of families continue finding value in them.
Discover! 5.0 gives Amarillo a chance to celebrate that history without turning the anniversary into an exclusive affair.
For a place built around discovery, opening the celebration to as much of the community as possible seems like exactly the right way to mark 50 years.
