Bloomington bubbles

An ice-less skating rink, a beautiful sunny day and the smell of good old liquid soap were the perfect ingredients for a fun-filled Bloomington summer afternoon.\nLast week, over 2,000 participants flocked to Frank Southern Ice Center, 1965 South Henderson St., to experience a day of bubble fun for the seventh annual Bubblefest. A joint effort by WonderLab Museum of Science, Health and Technology and the Bloomington Department of Parks and Recreation, the six-hour adventure is modeled after a California science hall publication. \nFor the young and young at heart, people from all over the area came to Bubblefest to experience everything from making frozen bubbles, painting and stacking bubbles, and even getting their entire bodies inside one. Children as young as two could find something to suit their abilities.\n"It's been well over a 2,000 (person) participation," said Leslie Kaiser, community event specialist with the Bloomington Department of Parks and Recreation. \n"It must be because of the great location and the gorgeous day," Kaiser said. "It's been a big hit."\nFor just $1 admission, bubble-goers were given their own handy bubble wand and access to the various festival activities. Some children could even be seen trapping their parents in a giant bubble.\nBy dipping a large circular structure in a soapy solution with someone standing in the middle, participants bring bubbles over the heads of adventurous individuals.\n"The most popular event seems to be the giant body bubbles," said Sonya Wolen, programs director for WonderLab. "Being inside a bubble is just an unusual setting and everyone loves it."\nWolen said the Lawrence Hall of Science at the University of California-Berkley produced a publication entitled, "Bubble Festival," which gave fuel to the idea that would create a seven-year-long hit in the Bloomington area. \n"The day really promotes cross-generation communication," she said. "Just look at the families here with kids and grandkids. It's wonderful."\nSaundra Eagan, grandmother of two, traveled to Bloomington from Williams, Ind., to meet up with her grandchildren from Greenwood.\n"We saw the brochures from last year for Bubblefest, and it just looked like a lot of fun," Eagan said. "You get to learn about all the different ideas on how to make bubbles, and it's great for the kids. We're going to go on vacation to the beach and we're definitely going to take bubbles with us."\nWhile waiting in line to have his turn at stacking bubbles by blowing air into a clear, two-piece structure, 9-year-old Bubblefest participant Greg Sanders said the day shows him things he can do with simple household items.\n"Now I can just go home and get out my mom's string and play around with soap," Sanders said. \n"She can't yell at me for making a mess either. Come on, it's soap."\nWolen said the day couldn't take place without the approximate 120 volunteers on hand who were pooled from WonderLab, the Bloomington Volunteer Network, replies to newspaper ads, Target corporation volunteers and various other outlets.\nWonderLab is offering a variety of other activities throughout the rest of this summer. "Get With the Beat!" will take place on July 20, where children can make their own percussion instruments and have the opportunity to be included in participatory concerts. On July 27, "Spiders Galore" participants will meet with a spider biologist from Purdue University and learn about the world of spiders. Finally, on Aug. 10, "Live: The Endangered Tiger," the Exotic Feline Rescue Center will have baby tigers on display for two 40-minute presentations to educate participants about how tigers survive in the wild.\nAlso taking place this summer are the final weeks of Wondercamp 2002. Children between kindergarten and sixth grade have the opportunity to participate in the summer's last two week-long camps, which include the topics (depending on age), "Wonders of Water," "Science Sleuth," "Magic for Muggles," "Play Ball," "Starship Science" and "Celebrate It With Science." \nWolen said WonderLab is always accepting volunteers and will need them especially upon moving to its new location on Fourth Street scheduled to take place sometime next spring.\n"Anyone with a love for science and a love for kids should come," Wolen said. "People should come visit us and test the water."\nTo check on dates, application procedures and age groups for the camps, interested individuals can log on to www.wonderlab.org for more information.