ELLY GRIMM
• Leader & Times
The end of Liberal Memorial Library’s summer reading program is drawing to a close, and staff will be bringing in a bit of madness to coincide with that.
Mad Science will be making its way to Liberal Memorial Library Friday, June 27 as part of the library's party that will see the end of this year's summer reading program. The show will start at 1 p.m., and the mad scientists will be bringing their program 'Artsplosion.'
“Every year, librarians from across the U.S. come up with a new theme for the summer reading program, and this year's theme is 'Color Our World,' so our show will be talking about that intersection between art and science,” coordinator Derick Brock said. “We'll be focusing on things like art and technology, wearable art based on technology, groups and facilities that use art and science together, and we'll also teach everyone a craft project they can do at home, a spectroscope. Our program is all about engagement and seeing that hands-on interaction from the children in the audience.”
Brock added this year’s theme inspired a lot of excitement.
“A couple years ago, we were able to incorporate a few cool new things into our Mad Science program, and we're going to be able to do the same this time around. We're working with the group Finer Arts, the founder of which came to work full time with us and brought his program,” Brock said. “When we were looking at that intersection of art and science, it was almost like looking in a mirror of what we did just a couple years ago, and we're able to share that idea of just how alike science and art can be and how much they depend on each other. And Dr. Huddleston, who wrote our show, he got really into the process and this is my absolute new favorite show. The fact that we can really show that intersection, that makes things really fun for us.”
Mad Science has made its way to Liberal many times, and Brock said he is always happy to include Liberal Memorial Library in the schedule.
“One of the main things that makes us so excited about Liberal is the fact that we've been there multiple times over the past decade or so, which is really great,” Brock said. “The audience in Liberal is always great, and we always feel really welcomed by everyone, and it'll be great seeing Dorothy's House again. We love being able to interact with the children in our audiences – oftentimes, with the audiences we see in bigger cities like Wichita or Kansas City or Oklahoma City, there's so much going on that when we get to Liberal, it's a real treat because we have more of that one-on-one engagement. And it's not just Liberal we feel that about, we feel like that about all the towns we get to visit in that Western Kansas area. The big draw is us focusing on the entertaining part of education, we really like to keep our shows lively and entertaining. The presenter who will be there in Liberal is studying performance art in college, and this is his third year working with us, and he's great about portraying that almost childlike wonder along with the children when the really cool stuff in the show happens.”
And as Brock tells it, this is actually the second round of shows Mad Science will be performing in Western Kansas.
“This is actually our second tour this summer into that Western Kansas area – we were just in that area a couple weeks ago and got so much interest from some of those smaller towns that we had to schedule a few more shows, which is amazing,” Brock said. “The most exciting part for me is the fact that we're bringing this show to children and their parents/guardians, and everyone has fun throughout the show, so it's great seeing everyone laughing at the jokes and being mesmerized by the experiments we do. In the more rural areas, shows like ours aren't really a thing, so we're really happy to be able to travel to some of those areas and bring that what I call 'edutainment' to them. With this year's show, I've always been somewhat fascinated by that intersection of art and science and that idea of how all of that comes together, and there have even been ways shown of how science can make art better and vice versa. It's all about coming together and making our world a better place to live. I feel like we're pretty successful with the audiences in Liberal since we keep getting invited back, and like I said earlier, the audiences there are always great. And we don't just work in the summer, we've also got great programs for Halloween and Christmas and every other time in between.”
That audience interaction, Brock said, is among the best parts of the job.
“Even though we take the same show to every town we roll into, the audience interaction is always different, and as cliché as it might sound, the show is never the same twice in a row,” Brock said. “Sometimes we get some parents involved in the show, sometimes we get librarians involved, and there's always that element of 'What's going to happen THIS time?' when we go somewhere, which is always fun.”
Overall, Brock said, the show should be a fun time for everyone.
“We do programs all year long, and if you work at a school or daycare center or community center that could use a bit of extra entertainment, we would be more than happy to do that for you,” Brock said. “We have special programs for schools, the holidays, and other parts of the year, so we can tailor to what you want. We hope to see everyone there at the library in Liberal, and we hope everyone has a lot of fun!”
