Creative Discovery Museum's Science Theatre at Northgate Mall celebrates the grand opening of its newly-remodeled space with a special Fourth Friday Family Fun Night devoted to marbles. The event will be held on Friday, from 6:30-8:30 p.m.

Marble Mania will be a hands-on celebration of the fun and science of marbles, with a world renowned marble expert, some young marbles champions and lots of activities.

Children can make their own marble maze, using a 44-foot long peg board on the wall, to see how slowly they can make a marble roll from four feet up on the wall into a bucket on the floor. They can also make marbles; learn about the energy, forces and motion of marbles; and try to win a bag of marbles by hunting for hidden marbles.

Guests can play in marble games and tournaments, with guidance from an adult marbles expert and two children who are marbles champions. Shawn Hughes is the Park Interpretive Specialist at Standing Stone State Park in Hilham, Tn., and organizer for the annual National Rolley Hole Marbles Championship, known as the "Super Bowl of Marbles." The Rolley Hole competition has been featured by ESPN, Sports Illustrated, National Geographic, Charles Schultz's Peanuts, ABC, NBC, and CBS.

"The game I will be showing the guests will be Ringer," said Mr. Hughes. "Ringer is the official marble game for kids. It is fast paced and both kids and adults both love it. In fact, it has a National Championship."

Mr. Hughes will bring two Tennessee marbles champions with him: Trevor Norrod, 14, from Hanging Limb, Tn. and Brooklyn Cherry, 13, from Celina, Tn. Both have won multiple marbles championships, including runner up (Trevor) and third place (Brooklyn) for the 2008 National Marbles Tournament.

Marble Mania is a one-day event, but the 44-foot long marble maze will remain at the Science Theatre and become part if its regular "simple machines & forces" workshops in the Science Spy Training Center.

Half of the former laser theatre has been converted to a workshop space called the Science Spy Training Center. The Sept. 26 Marble Mania program will be held in the newly renovated space and in the Theatre's lobby.

"The Science Spy Training Center is about training kids to find the science wherever they go. It's now a very flexible space. The laser show was about all you could do in this space before. We can do a lot of different things here now," said Science Theatre Manager Karen Dewhirst.

Theatre curtains and seating have been removed from the former laser theatre and replaced with new lighting and bright colors, half of the angled theatre floor has been leveled and filled with lab tables for hands on activities. This is the first part of renovating the entire laser theatre space. She hopes to complete phase two in the next 12-18 months.

Upcoming 4th Friday Family Fun Nights:
Oct. 24 - Stupendous Slime - Who knew there were so many different kinds of slime? Create ooey, gooey, slippery, sticky, stinky, rubbery, bubbly and many other types of slime by mixing simple ingredients. Each type of slime represents a different science concept, but they are all super fun.
There will be no program in November or December.

Cost is $9 per child ages four and up for the general public. Creative Discovery Museum member cost is $7 per child. Parents are free. Call 423 875-8522 to pre-register.

Creative Discovery Museum Science Theatre is located inside Northgate Mall. The entrances is on the back side of the mall between JC Penney and Belk.

Trevor Norrod and Brooklyn Cherry receive two of their many marbles championships.