Category: Outdoors

Kiddie Pool 22/05/05

Family fun for the weekend

Fantastical adventures

See a performance of The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical at 3S Artspace (319 Vaughan St., Portsmouth) on Friday, May 6, at 7 p.m., and on Saturday, May 7, at 2 and 7 p.m. Adapted from the best-selling book The Lightning Thief, by Rick Riordan, the show is directed and choreographed by UNH senior Ro Gavin. It follows the story of Percy Jackson, the half-blood son of a Greek god, who discovers he has powers he can’t control. Admission starts at $25. Visit 3sarts.org.

All natural

It’s New Hampshire Day at the Squam Lakes Natural Science Center (23 Science Center Road, Holderness) on Saturday, May 7, from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., when Granite Staters may visit the live animal exhibit trail for an admission of $5. Advance tickets are required and are online at nhnature.org.

Fun at the farm

Visit with the animals of Charmingfare Farm (774 High St., Candia) every Saturday and Sunday, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., beginning May 7 and through September, and on select Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays through June, July and August. Charmingfare Farm is home to all kinds of animals, from alpacas and cattle to donkeys, horses, ponies, pigs, chickens, turkeys, rabbits and more. Admission is $22 per person (free for kids under 23 months old) and tickets must be purchased online.

Play ball!

The New Hampshire Fisher Cats return home for a six-game series against the Binghamton Rumble Ponies, Tuesday, May 10, through Sunday, May 15. Game times are at 11:05 a.m. on Tuesday, 6:35 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday and 1:35 p.m. on Sunday. Stick around after the May 14 game for a special fireworks display courtesy of Atlas Fireworks. Kids will also get to run the bases following the conclusion of the May 15 game. Tickets start at $8 per person. Visit nhfishercats.com.

Save the date: for Mutts Gone Nuts

Join the Dana Center for the Humanities at Saint Anselm College (100 Saint Anselm Drive, Manchester) for Mutts Gone Nuts, a show on Friday, May 13, from 7 to 9 p.m., featuring comedy duo Scott and Joan Houghton. They bring a unique blend of humor and circus acts to stages worldwide, their show participants all from animal rescues. Admission is $40. Visit muttsgonenuts.com/tour to purchase tickets.

Love your lawn

It may be time to rethink your outside space

It’s about the right time to do a little work on your lawn if it needs it. According to Paul Sachs, owner of North Country Organics and the author of several books on lawn care, if you want to fill in bare spots, wait until the lawn greens up after winter.

To fix bare spots I use a short-tined garden rake to scuff up the soil. Then I scatter some seed with my hand, just sprinkling it over the spot. Next I sprinkle a thin layer of compost or fine garden soil over the seed. Finally, pat it down with your foot, lightly, or with a metal tamper.

It’s important that the seed not dry out while it is getting ready to grow, so often people shade the seed with a fine layer of hay or straw. Of course hay has seeds, so straw is better, albeit more expensive. You can leave the straw and just let the seed grow through it.

Why do places in your lawn need help? Most lawn grasses do not like to grow in compacted soil. So if you park cars on the lawn, or walk over it every day on your way to the mailbox, it will get compacted. Enter (drum roll) CRABGRASS. Crabgrass will grow in compacted soil, but it is an annual, so it dies each winter — or by late summer if it gets too dry. The solution is simple: Build a stone path to the mailbox and park cars only in designated parking areas.

Let’s rethink the concept of a lawn. Why do we need a large patch of short grass at an even height all around our house? Sure, people with kids and dogs need some place to play ball or Frisbee. And if you like to have friends over and sit around a barbecue grill, a little lawn is nice. But do you really like mowing an acre of lawn once a week, or paying someone else to do it? Maybe it’s time to reduce the size of your lawn and plant some more native trees and shrubs.

Entomologist Doug Tallamy is the author of a terrific book called Nature’s Best Hope: A New Approach to Conservation That Starts in Your Yard. He suggests that we can help birds and pollinators by growing native trees and shrubs — and by adding more to replace some lawn, especially in new subdivisions and in-town lots.

Birds depend on the caterpillars of moths and butterflies to feed their young. He determined that 6,000 to 9,000 caterpillars are needed to feed a clutch of chickadees from hatching to fledging. That’s an amazing number of caterpillars, especially since most of us never even notice them.

Those butterflies and moths will mostly only lay their eggs on trees and shrubs they know: our natives. Even if your barberry or burning bush has been growing in your yard for 50 years, they probably will ignore it and look for an oak, a cherry or a willow — trees they evolved with over tens of thousands of years.

Dr. Tallamy makes a great suggestion about how to think about lawns: Think of lawn as you might throw rugs, not wall-to-wall carpeting. Bump out with trees planted along the edges of your property line, reducing the lawn with native trees. Create nice curves, then add some understory shrubs along the edge of the newly “forested” area.

In addition to the oaks, native cherry and willow trees, other “keystone” trees include birches, poplars (he calls them cottonwoods) and elm. He said just five percent of the genera of plants support 75 percent of the caterpillars. Great perennials include goldenrod (the absolute best), asters, and members of the sunflower family. There are many tame goldenrod species that will not take over your garden, so expand your plant palette to include “Fireworks” goldenrod and other nice varieties.

But back to lawns. My philosophy of lawns is this: If it is green and you can mow it, it’s a lawn. It need not be free of dandelions and Creeping Charlie. Yes, dig out thistles, or anything that hurts your bare feet. But violets? Sure, why not? Anything that blooms will provide nectar or pollen for bees and other pollinators.

Clover actually helps your lawn, despite being called a weed by the companies that promote using the “Weed-n-Feed” chemicals that kill it. Clover fixes nitrogen, taking it from the air and putting it into the soil, reducing a need for lawn fertilizer.

If you want a rich, lush lawn, don’t cut it too short. The longer the grass, the more food produced to grow grass roots.

When you add grass seed to fill in spots, I recommend a mix of seeds, not a pure Kentucky bluegrass, which is the neediest of all grasses. It needs fertilizer, and watering. A “conservation mix” will do better for you. And if you are planting in a shady area, get a mix made for shady places. Those sun/shade mixes are not as good for shady areas as those designed for them.

Soil pH is a measure of soil acidity. If you are serious about your lawn, buy a kit at the local feed-and-grain store or garden center to test the pH. If you have chlorinated water, buy some distilled water to use with the kit. If the soil pH is lower than 6.2, add some lime (ground limestone) to your soil to bring up the number. Lawns don’t do so well in highly acidic soil.

When I see a weed-free lawn, I know it’s been treated with chemicals, and so I won’t walk on it. You, your kids and dogs shouldn’t either.

Featured photo: Volunteers built this greenhouse that was paid for by a grant. Photo by Henry Homeyer.

Kiddie Pool 22/04/28

Family fun for the weekend

Family chickens

Learn all about the care and keeping of backyard chickens at the Beaver Brook Association’s Maple Hill Farm (117 Ridge Road in Hollis; beaverbrook.org, 465-7787) on Friday, April 29, from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. The cost is $25 per person (children are free but need to be registered in advance).

When the chicken class is done, stay for a hike. Find hiking trail maps and a guide to early spring flowers on the Association’s website.

Take them out to the ball game

The New Hampshire Fisher Cats continue their run of home games at Northeast Delta Dental Stadium in downtown Manchester against the Reading Fightin’ Phils through Sunday, May 1. Games through Saturday, April 30, start at 6:30 p.m.; the Sunday, May 1, game starts at 1:35 p.m. See milb.com/new-hampshire for tickets and the lineup of promotions such as the pop-it giveaway (Friday, April 29) and Princesses at the Park (on Sunday, May 1).

Kids on stage

The Palace Youth Theatre presents its production of 101 Dalmatians Kids on Saturday, April 30, at 11 a.m. at the Palace Theatre (80 Hanover St. in Manchester; palacetheatre.org). Tickets cost $15 for adults, $12 for kids.

A week of storytimes

• Bookery Manchester (844 Elm St. in downtown Manchester; bookerymht.com) finishes up its vacation week schedule of daily storytimes. Register online; storytimes are free, crafts cost $10. On Thursday, April 28, at 10 a.m. the story will be Ada and the Galaxies and the craft will be a galaxy jar. On Friday, April 29, at 10 a.m. the storytime will focus on Ralph Baer, the Manchester-based father of video games, with the book The Boy Who Thought Outside the Box.

Vacation days outings

• Squam Lakes Natural Science Center (23 Science Center Road in Holderness; nhnature.org, 968-7194) opens its public trails season on Sunday, May 1, with regular daily hours from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. (last trail admission at 3:30 p.m.). The three-quarters of a mile live animal exhibit trail features coyote, fisher, foxes, bobcats, black bear, river otters, deer, owls, raptors and more, according to the press release, which recommends planning a two-and-a-half-hour visit to walk the trail, which winds through meadows, forests and march boardwalks. Admission costs $22 for adults, $20 for ages 65+, $16 for ages 3 to 15 and is free for children 2 and under.

• The Aviation Museum of New Hampshire (27 Navigator Road in Londonderry; aviationmuseumofnh.org) is regularly open Fridays and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sundays from 1 to 4 p.m. This week the museum will also be open Thursday, April 28, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission costs $10 for 13 and over and $5 for 65+, children ages 6 to 12 and active military and veterans. Children 5 and under get in free and the family maximum is $30.

• The Currier Museum of Art (150 Ash St. in Manchester; currier.org) is open Thursdays from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Fridays through Sundays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. On Thursdays from 5 to 8 p.m., admission is free as part of the Art After Work programming, when the museum features live music, tours and live music: This week, Old Tom and the Lookouts is slated to perform on April 28. Otherwise, admission costs $15 for adults, $13 for 65+, $10 for students and $5 for ages 13 to 17 (children under 13 get in free).

• The Children’s Museum of New Hampshire (2 Washington St. in Dover; childrens-museum.org, 742-2002) is open Tuesdays through Sundays, with sessions from 9 a.m. to noon all six days as well as from 1 to 4 p.m. Wednesdays through Saturdays. Admission costs $11 per person, $9 for 65+ (no charge for children under 1). (The museum has mask-required and mask-optional sessions; see the website for details.)

This week’s lineup of activities includes World Culture Thursday, when the museum features a craft or other activity celebrating a different culture around the world. On Science Fridays, kids can participate in messy experiments and activities that demonstrate a scientific concept, according to the website. These programs are part of regular admission. As of April 25, there was still availability for the 2 p.m. programs.

• The SEE Science Center (200 Bedford St. in Manchester; see-sciencecenter.org, 669-0400) is open Tuesdays through Fridays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturdays and Sundays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Purchase reservations in advance via the website (masks are required for all visitors age 2 and up); admission costs $10 per person ages 3 and up.

• The McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Center (2 Institute Drive in Concord; starhop.com, 271-7827) is open daily through Sunday, May 1, from 10:30 a.m. through 4 p.m. There will be four planetarium shows daily, according to the website, which recommends purchasing timed tickets in advance. Admission costs $11.50 for adults, $10.50 for students and seniors and $8.50 for kids ages 3 to 12 (admission is free for children 2 and under; masks required for visitors over the age of 2). Planetarium show tickets cost $5 per person (free for children 2 and under); see the website for the schedule of planetarium shows and for the mask requirements by day.

Save the date: for Dad

The Educational Farm at Joppa Hill (174 Joppa Hill Road in Bedford; theeducationalfarm.org) is holding a Dad & Me Expedition on Saturday, June 18, with start times at 9 a.m., 10 a.m. and 11 a.m. Meet at the farm stand and enjoy an all-ages-friendly walk in the woods, according to the website. The cost is $18 per family.

Growing to share

Gardening for a community

I recently went to Brattleboro, Vermont, to meet with the organizers of Edible Brattleboro. It is an informal group of people who believe that “access to fresh healthy food is a right for all, regardless of means. This serves as the basis of the work we are doing, and we do our best to eliminate barriers to benefitting from our work, and thus everything we offer is free.”

The prime movers behind this movement are Tom Green and Marilyn Chiarello, who have been working to turn empty spaces and lawns into places for food production. Both are retired school teachers. Marilyn saw a TED talk by Pam Warhurst in 2015 and decided that something similar could be done in Brattleboro.

That first year Edible Brattleboro approached the local food cooperative and asked for a strip of land between the parking lot and the Whetstone Brook. The Coop agreed, and volunteers built a 4- by 8-foot raised bed. They have since expanded this space, growing strawberries, tomatoes, herbs and more. Volunteers plant, weed and water as needed. Anyone can help themselves to the free food; there are no questions asked.

By now there are gardens and fruit trees all over town that were started by Edible Brattleboro. I went around with Tom and Marilyn and looked at some of their projects. Three cherry trees are planted in front of the town hall, and other fruit trees are planted on school property. Another garden is at an addiction recovery center, Turning Point, where there are raised beds in the front lawn.

Another garden is at the Root Social Justice Center, at the edge of their parking lot. Volunteers made container gardens using food-grade plastic 55-gallon drums using designs Tom found online. They have water reservoirs so that water wicks up into the soil in the drums, and daily watering is not needed. Tom also got some one-cubic-meter “intermediate beverage containers” that originally held sugar syrup. Again, he fitted them with water reservoirs to avoid daily watering.

Edible Brattleboro has had good luck getting small grants to support their activities. Although not a 501(c)3 themselves, they work under the auspices of Post Oil Solutions, a local nonprofit that sponsors them. But they will work with any organization that will help in their efforts.

Often low-income residents do not have the tools they need to garden. Fortunately, in Brattleboro that is not a big issue as the town library has a “lending library” of tools and kitchen equipment that they furnished with a grant from the Vermont Foodbank. The library’s grant included money to purchase a simple wooden structure in their parking lot to house the tools, and a part-time librarian to check out tools at specified times. For beginning gardeners, having a source for the basic tools can be an important saving.

We also visited a large greenhouse for extending the season and growing things like tomatoes and peppers in a controlled environment. Tom Green and volunteers put it up this winter, and they look forward to using it shortly. It sits on space offered by the Brattleboro Retreat Farm, a nonprofit.

There is a weekly farmers market in Brattleboro and Tom and Marilyn couldn’t say enough good things about the generosity of the farmers. At the close of the market each week volunteers from Edible Brattleboro visit the market and collect produce donated by farmers. They got a grant to buy a large refrigerator to hold perishables, and have an outdoor “Share the Harvest” table the next day at Turning Point.

So what can you do? All communities have both gardeners and people in need. What is needed in most towns are people like Tom and Marilyn. People with a commitment to helping, time, and organizational skills. Except for Tom’s work building the green house and large self-watering containers, no special skills were needed for what they have done.

Some sort of organizational structure is needed. I like the idea of joining up with an existing nonprofit so that grants and donations can be made to a certified 501(c)3, allowing donors to take tax deductions. That also lets people know that their money will be used properly.

There are organizations you could link up with, perhaps. You probably already know about soup kitchens and food banks in your town or a nearby town. So you could plant a little extra this year with the idea of sharing. Or you could help to organize others in your area to join with you.

Churches are another good place to start gardens. They generally have lawns in full sun, and people who want to help others. The soil in any lawn generally needs improving, but I bet most farmers would be delighted to donate some compost or composted cow manure to add to the soil. Garden centers are generally willing to donate some seeds or seedlings when the time comes, or perhaps a few bags of compost. So all you need is people power. I bet you will be gratified at how willing others will be to help.

Featured photo: Volunteers built this greenhouse that was paid for by a grant. Photo by Henry Homeyer.

Book it

Celebrate Indie Bookstore Day

If you love your local bookstore, this Saturday, April 30, is your chance to support it — and get some good deals, exclusive merchandise and prizes — during national Independent Bookstore Day.

“Independent bookstores are the hearts of the communities they serve,” Michael Herrmann of Gibson’s Bookstore in Concord said. “We’re glad for this opportunity to thank everyone who makes it possible for us to be here.”

At Gibson’s, thank-yous will come in the form of raffle prizes and the chance to earn discounts and a tote bag of Advanced Reader Copies.

The Bookery in Manchester is celebrating the day with games, contests and giveaways.

“I think there’s been more of an awareness even in the past few years about the importance of local businesses,” Bookery events coordinator Lily Foss said. “People think we’re a dying breed but we’re still very much vibrant. … We have the pleasure of bringing in authors and [hosting] other special events.”

Saturday will bring a performance from magician DaSean Greene at 11:30 a.m., and Foss said they’re thrilled that he’s coming back.

“The kids absolutely loved him,” she said. “They were all crowded around him.”

The Bookery will also have a special Indie Bookstore Day tote bag and special merchandise for sale, and they’ll be giving away small prizes with the “very popular prize wheel,” which people can spin if they purchase a certain amount, Foss said.

“People get so excited,” she laughed. “No one has ever refused to spin.”

Toward the end of the day, Foss — a former Jeopardy! contestant — will be hosting a literary trivia event that she said is a combination of Jeopardy! and pub trivia, with people playing on teams. She said she went through the online “J-Archive” and compiled an entire game’s worth of literary trivia from various shows throughout the years.

“It has been tested by customers and booksellers to make sure the questions aren’t too hard or too easy,” she said.

Foss is also including one question from her own stint on Jeopardy!. She said she was the youngest contestant that night by at least 10 years, and she was at a disadvantage with categories like “90s Pop Culture.” But it was worth the experience: “It was my 15 minutes. … And I got $1,000.”

“I’ve been wanting to bring trivia here for a while,” she said, “so I’m really looking forward to that. And we do serve libations … coffee, tea, beer, wine and canned cocktails, so it will have that pub trivia [atmosphere].”

Independent Bookstore Day is one of the biggest days of the year for local booksellers, as they thank their customers and their customers thank them for offering a bookstore experience that you can’t get at chain stores.

“As we struggle to return to something that looks like normalcy, it’s more important than ever to celebrate community,” Herrmann said.

“It’s such a fun day,” Foss said. “It’s just a big party, celebrating our customers [and] thanking them for choosing us.”

Celebrate Independent Bookstore Day

The Bookery, 844 Elm St. in Manchester, will be open from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. with prizes, games and exclusive Independent Bookstore Day merchandise. Magician DeSean Greene will perform at 11:30 a.m., and Literary Trivia will be held at the end of the day.

Gibson’s Bookstore, 45 S. Main St., Concord, will be open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. It will be doing double stamps all day (two stamps for every $10 on your Frequent Buyer Stamp Card), a tote bag of Advanced Reader Copies for every $100 spent, and a raffle ticket for every book purchased, with raffle items that include a Gibson’s Bookstore merchandise bundle, a Personalized Shopping Experience and an Indie Bookstore Day merchandise bundle. Bonus: If you wear any Gibson’s Bookstore merch (shirts, hats, pins, etc.) now through April 30, you will get a full stamp card, good for 20 percent off an entire transaction.

Toadstool Bookshop, 375 Amherst St., Nashua, will be open from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. and will be celebrating with cake and refreshments, according to the store’s Facebook page. There will also be an Advanced Reader Book Table set up for people to browse and select books for $1 each, which will be donated to the Nashua Soup Kitchen and Shelter.

Featured photo: This aluminum shovel is lightweight and good for cleanup. Courtesy photo.

Kiddie Pool 22/04/21

Family fun for the weekend

For the littles

• The Nashua Public Library and the Greater Nashua Smart Start Coalition are holding an Early Childhood Fair on Saturday, April 23, from 10 a.m. to noon, at Greeley Park on Concord Street in Nashua. The day will include a performance by children’s musician Mr. Aaron, storytelling by Uncle Bobby, storytimes with Nashua area libraries and representatives from local agencies with resources for kids (such as Beaver Brook Association, NH Hunger Solutions, Constellations Behavioral Health Services, area libraries, Little Pilgrim School, UNH Cooperative Extension: Nutrition Connections and more), according to a press release. Contact the library at 603-589-4631 or kids@nashualibrary.org for more information.

A week of storytimes

• Bookery Manchester (844 Elm St. in downtown Manchester; bookerymht.com) has multiple storytimes in the upcoming week, starting with a reading of Lobstah Gahden: Speaking Out Against Pollution with a Wicked Awesome Boston Accent! by Alli Brydon and illustrated by EG Keller on Saturday, April 23, at 11:30 a.m. This special Earth Day storytime will also include a recycled water bottle lobster craft. On Monday, April 25, at 10 a.m. the book will be Just Be Jelly and the craft will be a jellyfish. On Wednesday, April 27, the 10 a.m. storytime will feature Eddy the Manchester Police Department’s comfort pony. On Thursday, April 28, at 10 a.m., the story will be Ada and the Galaxies and the craft will be a galaxy jar. On Friday, April 29, at 10 a.m. the storytime will focus on Ralph Baer, the Manchester-based father of video games. And be sure to save the date for Saturday, April 30, which is Independent Bookstore Day.

See the show

• As of April 18, tickets are still available to Peppa Pig’s Adventure, a live show based on the popular cartoon, at the Capitol Center for the Arts (44 S. Main St. in Concord; ccanh.com) on Friday, April 22, at 6 p.m. Doors open at 5 p.m. Tickets cost $39 through $59; a $50 VIP add-on gets you a post-show photo experience.

And speaking of beloved characters: Dog Man: The Musical, based on the comics of George and Harold (in the books by Dav Pilkey), a live musical about the titular hero, will come to the Cap Center on Saturday, May 14, with shows at 1 and 3 p.m. Tickets cost $15 per person or you can get a family four-pack for $50.

Museum outing

Looking for an activity during April vacation? Here are the operating hours of area museums.

• The Currier Museum of Art (150 Ash St. in Manchester; currier.org) is open Thursdays from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Fridays through Sundays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. On Thursdays from 5 to 8 p.m., admission is free as part of the Art After Work programming, when the museum features live music, tours and more (Kevin Horan is slated to perform on Thursday, April 21, and Old Tom and the Lookouts is scheduled for April 28). Otherwise, admission costs $15 for adults, $13 for 65+, $10 for students and $5 for ages 13 to 17 (children under 13 get in free).

• The Aviation Museum of New Hampshire (27 Navigator Road in Londonderry; aviationmuseumofnh.org) is regularly open Fridays and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sundays from 1 to 4 p.m. For vacation week, the museum will also be open Thursday, April 28, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission costs $10 for 13 and over and $5 for 65+, children ages 6 to 12 and active military and veterans. Children 5 and under get in free and the family maximum is $30.

• The Children’s Museum of New Hampshire (2 Washington St. in Dover; childrens-museum.org, 742-2002) is open Tuesdays through Sundays, with sessions from 9 a.m. to noon all six days as well as from 1 to 4 p.m. Wednesdays through Saturdays. Admission costs $11 per person, $9 for 65+ (no charge for children under 1). (The museum has mask-required and mask-optional sessions; see the website for details.)

The museum will celebrate Earth Day — Friday, April 22 — with special craft activities, a scavenger hunt, a Science Friday project to make a mini window greenhouse (at 10 a.m. or 2 p.m.), a project to plant a flower to take home (at 11 a.m. or 3 p.m.) and more.

And little makers may want to save the date now for a Fairy House and Gnome Home Spring Celebration in May. On Saturday, May 7, learn to make a fairy house at a child and adult workshop (the cost is $20 for one pair plus $5 per additional child). On Friday, May 13, bring a homemade fairy house or gnome home to drop off at the museum (or attend the museum to make one there) and then have them added to a display of fairy houses and gnome homes in Henry Law Park and the museum Play Patio. Kids can make houses on-site throughout the weekend, when the museum will host special performances and activities.

• Though normally closed on Mondays, the SEE Science Center (200 Bedford St. in Manchester; see-sciencecenter.org, 669-0400) will be open Monday, April 25, as well as Tuesdays through Fridays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturdays and Sundays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Purchase reservations in advance via the website (masks are required for all visitors age 2 and up); admission costs $10 per person ages 3 and up.

• The McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Center (2 Institute Drive in Concord; starhop.com, 271-7827) is open daily through Sunday, May 1, from 10:30 a.m. through 4 p.m. There will be four planetarium shows daily, according to the website, which recommends purchasing timed tickets in advance. Admission costs $11.50 for adults, $10.50 for students and seniors and $8.50 for kids ages 3 to 12 (admission is free for children 2 and under; masks required for visitors over the age of 2). Planetarium show tickets cost $5 per person (free for children 2 and under); see the website for the schedule of planetarium shows and for the mask requirements by day.

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