From live alligators to live rockets, Science In the Park was a sight to behold.
Held at Hayward's Alden Oliver Sports Park on Saturday, Oct. 1,the event was a “reawakening” of the Union City Science, Earth, and Health Festival, which was started in 1997 by Richard Valle, event chairman and CEO of .
The festival had a 10 year run, took a break and was reinvented for 2011 as Science In the Park.
“The event is now a collaborative effort between Union City and Hayward communities, schools and city groups,” according to Michael Ritchie, publicist for Science In the Park.
Saturday's turnout was so great that attendees had to park their cars in the nearby Pepsi and Kaiser Permanente lots, Valle said.
Throughout the day, Hayward and New Haven Unified School District children and their parents experienced the fun of 40-plus science exhibit booths.
One of the main highlights was the water balloon toss with local elected officials, according to Valle. The friendly game raised $1,000 with equal amounts of $500 going to the Hayward and New haven Unified School Districts.
More than simply being a show-and-tell type of day, Science In the Park invited attendees to take part in a number of games, including the egg drop challenge. The object of this game was to release a raw egg encased in a protective container of one’s creation from a 60-foot drop (courtesy of a fire truck ladder) and see how it held up.
Another one of the day’s main attractions was a name synonymous with science -- NASA. The space-related booth offered a chance to explore concepts of physics.
In addition, kids were invited to make water-powered rockets which they sent soaring into space powered by water and air pressure.
A number of people also flocked to the animal exhibits provided by Classroom Safari and the Hayward Area Recreation and Park District, among others.
