WATERTOWN — Thousands of out-of-town visitors are expected to converge on Thompson Park on the day of the total eclipse to experience lasting memories of the sky darkening and to
Stephen A. Karon, executive director for the Sci-Tech Museum of Northern New York, has worked for over a decade furthering the mission of the nonprofit founded in 1983, set on helping the public gain a better understanding of science and technology. While the COVID-19 pandemic may have slowed things down, the mission hasnât changed, and the museum has adapted with the times. Mr. Karon spoke with NNY Business magazine to discuss the museum, his role with it and how he came to be there, as well as plans for the future.
NNYB: Are you originally from the north country?
KARON: No, Iâm originally from around the Boston area.
WATERTOWN â This is another installment in the Sci-Tech Museumâs âHomebound Scienceâ program.
The Sci-Tech Museum, 154 Stone St., launched the program last year during the stateâs PAUSE order relating to the pandemic. The science program involves âhands-onâ experiments to try with materials found around homes or in nature.
CATCH A SNOWFLAKE
Materials you will need:
1) Glass microscope slide, or other flat glass object such as a small picture frame with glass protector, or the mirror in a compact. Make sure your slide is glass, not plastic.
2) Artistâs spray fixative, or clear acrylic spray coating, or hairspray. Make sure that the product you use is not water-based. (Note, some hair sprays use butane as the propellant, which will not work at the low temperatures this experiment needs.)
Julie R. Garnsey, executive director of the Thousand Islands Performing Arts Fund, stands for a photo at the Clayton Opera House on Thursday in Clayton. Kara Dry/Watertown Daily Times Kara Dry
Live entertainment venues that went dark last spring with COVID-related lockdowns and lockouts saw some signs of hope in late December with the passage of the coronavirus relief package signed into federal law.
The $900 billion in relief includes the Save Our Stages provision, providing $15 billion to independent venues such as live music stages, movie theaters and museums shuttered by the pandemic.
In June, U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., and Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, introduced the Save Our Stages Act to provide Small Business Administration grants for independent venue operators affected by the coronavirus pandemic. The grants could provide six months of financial support to keep venues afloat, pay employees, and, the senators say, âpreserve a crit