Pavilion unveils agriculture-themed science center exhibits

June 25, 2020

Visitors to the Washington Pavilion can pick pretend crops for inspection, sell them at a marketplace, explore tunnels to interact with the bugs that contribute to soil health and climb into a tractor that they can drive virtually around a farm. 

“Our science center was dying a very slow death,” Smith said. “We had four to five years of consecutive decline. We knew there was still appeal to the community, but we really needed to roll up our sleeves and make it happen.”

The project represents the last piece of an overhaul to the third-floor exhibits of the Kirby Science Discovery Center. The floor is sponsored by Avera Health, and the exhibit area is sponsored by South Dakota Corn. 

“Grow-It” helps highlight rural communities in South Dakota, specifically farmers and the work they have to put in every day to help feed the state.

An emphasis was placed on interactivity, immersion and education with the new exhibit area, director of museums Jason Folkerts said. Little details, such as the ceiling painted blue to mimic the sky and a weather vane on the barn, help guests briefly step into the shoes of South Dakota farmers.

“I hope it really gives a fun and educational perspective on how important ag is to the state,” Folkerts said. “You’ll get a first-hand experience on just a little bit of what farmers have to go through every day.”

Folkerts said they had kids come in to help test the space to make any tweaks their target audience felt was necessary.

“Kids are very blatantly honest,” he said. “One thing I’ve learned from this job is to go to your best customer, which in this case is an 8-year-old.”

The consistent updates to the science center seem to be paying off. Smith said the center ended last year with a record attendance of 115,000 visitors. While “Grow-It” marks the culmination of the Pavilion’s multiyear renovation plan, Smith and Folkerts said they’re always looking to keep the science center fresh, with a new exhibit already in the works for the end of the year.

“We’ll never stop doing new things in the center to provide new experiences for our customers,” Smith said.

Here’s a complete rundown of activities in the new exhibit:

The Marketplace

Step inside a bright-red barn and immerse yourself into The Marketplace, complete with bins, scales and counters ready to be filled with crops from the field. Weigh, scan and check out your produce. Ring the bell after your successful sale, and spin the whirly wind vane.

Tractor Experience

Climb into the tractor cab, and imagine a day in the life of a farmer by controlling lights and sounds as well as shifting the throttle to experience driving through a field.

Crop Lab

Explore the different types of crops and their uses. Create your own colorful display of lab instruments through an interactive color-mixing exhibit.

Crop Field

Pick crops from individually marked rows of corn, soybeans, sunflowers and turnips. Harvested crops can be inspected at the Crop Lab or used for pretend play in the Barn Marketplace.

Water and Soil Climber

Crawl into the deep and diverse layers of the earth in the Water and Soil Climber. Explore tunnels to see what happens underground. Discover the inside life of bugs and the valuable role they play in soil health. Zip down a slide that ends in a pretend pool of water.

POET Ethanol Plant

Learn about ethanol, a renewable biofuel, how it’s developed and processed by playing with an amusing, high-energy ball exhibit. Visitors learn that the starch from corn is used to make fuel for vehicles, and the remaining fat, fiber and protein are converted to animal feed and other renewable products.

Weather Experience

Feel the sun, wind and other different types of South Dakota weather in a 4D theater experience inside a sliver silo.

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Pavilion unveils agriculture-themed science center exhibits

Visitors to the Washington Pavilion can pick pretend crops for inspection, sell them at a marketplace, explore tunnels to interact with the bugs that contribute to soil health and climb into a tractor that they can drive virtually around a farm. 

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