By Christina Georgiou
Mayor Sal Panto said the Crayola Experience drew more than 6,000 people to Easton this past Memorial Day weekend, which are the first days it's been open since recently expanding and remodeling.
About 2,700 visited the hands-on museum on Saturday, 2,300 came on Sunday, and somewhere between 1,100 to 1,200 were there on Memorial Day, he said this Monday at a press conference at city hall.
"This translates into dollars for the city," Panto said, adding that revenue for the city's Pine Street parking garage was up 50 percent over the same weekend last year, though he didn't have an exact estimate of how much more money the city made at hand.
"There's been no increases in the parking rate (at the garage), so that's really good," he said.
The Crayola Experience reopened on May 24, after closing for a few months to complete renovations and a planned expansion.
Showing posts with label Crayola expansion. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Crayola expansion. Show all posts
Tuesday, June 4, 2013
Friday, May 24, 2013
Kids Delight in Crayola Experience Reopening
By Christina Georgiou
With about 100 children, parents, and teachers excitedly watching, the newly expanded Crayola Experience reopened in a flurry of colorful confetti this morning.
Isabella Roselli, 11, of Florida, had the honor of cutting the ribbon--crayon-themed, of course--as the crowd cheered and applauded. Isabella gained the honor after winning Crayola's contest to give nicknames to the original colors in the classic crayon eight-pack.
First graders from Tracy Elementary School in Forks Township, where Crayola's industrial factory is located and churns out six billion crayons annually, were on hand to witness the event and spent the school day enjoying attractions at the Crayola Experience.
"We wanted to bring the Crayola brand to life, and we wanted kids to have fun," said Vicky Lozano, stressing the newly redesigned hands-on museum is all about fostering creativity. "We wanted this to be a place where kids can imagine."
Mayor Sal Panto enthusiasticly endorsed Crayola's efforts.
"I can't say how much this means to the City of Easton," he said. "They've done a great job with this facility. It's unbelievably awesome."
Isabella Roselli, 11, of Florida, had the honor of cutting the ribbon--crayon-themed, of course--as the crowd cheered and applauded. Isabella gained the honor after winning Crayola's contest to give nicknames to the original colors in the classic crayon eight-pack.
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| Isabella Roselli, 11, of Florida, cuts the ribbon, officially reopening The Crayola Experience Friday morning. |
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| First-graders from Tracy Elementary School in Forks Township watch the reopening ceremony Friday morning at The Crayola Experience. Click any photo for a full-size view! |
Crayola executives, along with Easton officials, were on hand to celebrate the event too.
"We wanted to bring the Crayola brand to life, and we wanted kids to have fun," said Vicky Lozano, stressing the newly redesigned hands-on museum is all about fostering creativity. "We wanted this to be a place where kids can imagine."
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| Vicky Lozano, vice president of corporate strategy for Crayola, welcomes visitors at The Crayola Experience's grand reopening ceremony Friday morning. |
"I can't say how much this means to the City of Easton," he said. "They've done a great job with this facility. It's unbelievably awesome."
Saturday, May 18, 2013
Crayola Experience Repens in Less Than a Week--Here's a Sneak Peek!
By Christina Georgiou
The total of 21 unique attractions are sure to please kids--and their parents--for hours when they visit the interactive museum.
Some of the exhibits and activities will be familiar to those
Creativity, play, and fun, with a dose of education thrown in for good measure, is front and center of the experiences Crayola has on offer, including the store and cafe.
"Scarlet" and "Turq(oise)", two digital Crayola crayon character mascots assist the human "Crayonologist" in demonstrating the process and show how crayons are made, inspected and packaged.
"Kids are having fun, but they're also learning about things like color blending too," Luise says.
Old favorites, like coloring stations, are still part of the Crayola Experience, but the real adventure lies in the other 19 colorful, creative exhibit stations. From bright, interactive digital displays to the opportunity to an entire floor dedicated to melted wax and what you can make with it, the museum is engaging and interesting in the non-stop kind of way kids are famous for loving.
One old-turned-new display is "Water Works", which locals that visited the National Canal Museum when it was still on Centre Square, may vaguely recognize. But the 85-foot-long waterway is now home to "Crayonopolis" and features colorful Crayola boats that kids can load, unload and drive, rather than mule barges, making it more fun than ever.
Not only is every part of the experience interactive, but the result is lots of goodies for visitors to take home with them too, the vast majority of which come with the price of admission, though there are plenty of opportunities to purchase add-ons too, like the green screen photo booth, where visitors can pose with a giant "macaroni and cheese" colored crayon and choose the background their image will be printed on.
But the best of the take-home items, other than those found in the gift shop, come with the price of admission or the tokens that come with it.
"There's nowhere else in the world where you can make a personalized crayon," Luise said.
An annual all-access pass is available for $29.99 too, which may be of more interest to those close by, since it offers a savings after only two visits.
A private room is now also available too, on the third floor, designed for birthday parties and other special events.
A full list of the newly expanded Crayola Experience exhibits:
Art Alive! - Create digital works of art and project them onto the wall to become part of a bigger
scene. Walk up and touch your drawing to bring it to life!
Be a Star - Everyone is a star at this coloring page photo booth! Kids can appear in their very own coloring page along with some of Crayola's characters.
Crayola Store - Explore the largest selection of Crayola products and discover one-of-a-kind Crayolasouvenirs not found anywhere else in the world. This is the only place you’ll find a genuine 2-lb. crayon that you can customize with your very own name. You can also turn your creative masterpieces into wearable works of art (i.e. t-shirts) and puzzles, and you can even pick your very own color collection of Crayola crayons and markers.
Crayon Factory - Join Scarlet & Turk (Turquoise), our animated crayon friends, as they show you how crayons are made—along with our resident Crayonologist in a live theatre show.
Doodle in the Dark - In this interactive dark room, you can make bright marks on backlit doodle boards. Choose from several games to play on the interactive floor that responds to your motions. Become one of Crayola's recognizable crayon pals when you step in front of a special screen that mirrors your every move.
Marker Mania - Create a custom marker by injecting two ink colors into the marker's center. Then, watch the process of putting all the marker parts together. Finally, watch how your colors mix and flow down to the
marker tip and into your finished clear barrel marker.
Meltdown - Choose from a variety of melted crayon colors to create wax art on paper.
Modeling Madness - Sculpt colorful creations using Crayola Model Magic—you can roll it, mold it, and even blend and swirl your own colors. Take your molded creations to the next level with Model Magic accessories. Add bright and silly feet to create a stompin' monster or swirl and press into charms for a fashionable new accessory.
Paint Palette - No Crayola day would be complete without a painting project! A visit to our larger-than life drying oven ensures your masterpiece is ready to take home and display on the fridge. (additional fee)
Puzzle It! - In this kid-powered attraction, you can press your own hand-drawn design through rolling puzzle makers. Choose to cut your creation into 6 or 12 pieces to bring home and show your friends!
Say Crayola - Join Tip in Crayola's ultimate green screen photo booth. Customize your photo with a giant crayon prop and choice of background. Memorialize this colorful adventure with a high quality picture that prints in a flash. (additional fee)
Toddler Town - This area lets Crayola's youngest fans learn and play in colorful ways! Make silly faces in wacky mirrors and play with a multi-colored pegboard. Interact with a giant ball maze where you control the outcome.
Water Works - Be the captain of your own Crayola toy boat, splashing through a working lock and canal system. Work the levees, load your cargo, and take in the sights of Crayonopolis in this one-of-a-kind 85-foot water table attraction.
Workshop - Projects range from airbrush art to fabric art and much, much more! (additional fee)
Wrap It Up! - Personalize and print an authentic Crayola crayon label, wrap it around your crayon, and create your own unique crayon!
The newly expanded Crayola Experience interactive museum won't reopen until next Friday, May 24, and workers are busily putting the finishing touches on every aspect of the attraction, but The Easton Eccentric recently got a sneak peek this week of the 60,000 square-foot, four-story monument to creativity, fun, play, and of course, lots and lots of color.
Even those unfamiliar with the City of Easton won't be able to miss the Crayola building, which has been adorned with a bright crayon-themed mural on the Pine Street side, and features many Crayola favorites, including giant crayon statues and marker pillars on the Centre Square quadrant.
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Click on any image for a full size view!
|
The total of 21 unique attractions are sure to please kids--and their parents--for hours when they visit the interactive museum.Some of the exhibits and activities will be familiar to those
who've been to the Crayola Experience before, but they've all been "dialed up", in the words of marketing manager Kristin Luise, who said every aspect of the attraction was scrutinized to see how it could be made better.
 |
| More than a million crayons and markers grace the "Pick Your Pack" wall. |
"It's all about those elements that make the place special. We want kids to have a sense of wonder and excitement, no matter what room they go in," Luise said.
Creativity, play, and fun, with a dose of education thrown in for good measure, is front and center of the experiences Crayola has on offer, including the store and cafe.
Basics, like how Crayola crayons are made, and coloring stations are still there, but the digital age has greatly expanded the possibilities, and the Crayola Experience is taking full advantage.
"Scarlet" and "Turq(oise)", two digital Crayola crayon character mascots assist the human "Crayonologist" in demonstrating the process and show how crayons are made, inspected and packaged. "Kids are having fun, but they're also learning about things like color blending too," Luise says.
Old favorites, like coloring stations, are still part of the Crayola Experience, but the real adventure lies in the other 19 colorful, creative exhibit stations. From bright, interactive digital displays to the opportunity to an entire floor dedicated to melted wax and what you can make with it, the museum is engaging and interesting in the non-stop kind of way kids are famous for loving.
One old-turned-new display is "Water Works", which locals that visited the National Canal Museum when it was still on Centre Square, may vaguely recognize. But the 85-foot-long waterway is now home to "Crayonopolis" and features colorful Crayola boats that kids can load, unload and drive, rather than mule barges, making it more fun than ever.
There's even a two-story play facility with a maze-like layout, that features a dizzyingly-fast spiral tube slide.
"One of the things we learned is that no matter how interesting and exciting, there's always that point where a kid needs to get it all out," Luise said of the Color Playground station. "And this is that spot."
Not only is every part of the experience interactive, but the result is lots of goodies for visitors to take home with them too, the vast majority of which come with the price of admission, though there are plenty of opportunities to purchase add-ons too, like the green screen photo booth, where visitors can pose with a giant "macaroni and cheese" colored crayon and choose the background their image will be printed on.
But the best of the take-home items, other than those found in the gift shop, come with the price of admission or the tokens that come with it.
Personalized crayons, melting crayons into shapes that can then be colored with later, coloring a picture that kids then cut themselves into a puzzle, are all part of what's sure to be a exhilarating visit.
"There's nowhere else in the world where you can make a personalized crayon," Luise said.
A public grand reopening and ribbon cutting ceremony is planned for this coming Friday, May 24 at 9:30 a.m. Crayola executives, along with Easton Mayor Sal Panto, will be on hand, and the ribbon will be cut by the 11-year-old winner of Crayola's recent contest to give nicknames to the basic colors in the company's original iconic 8-crayon pack.
Festivities continue throughout Memorial Day weekend for Crayola Experience visitors.
The admission price has risen from $12 to $15.99, but for all the experience has to offer, the cost seems reasonable. Three tokens come with the ticket, matching the three activities that require a token to participate. One can purchase additional tokens too.
An annual all-access pass is available for $29.99 too, which may be of more interest to those close by, since it offers a savings after only two visits.
A private room is now also available too, on the third floor, designed for birthday parties and other special events.
For more about what's new at the Crayola Experience museum, visit www.crayolaexperience.com
A full list of the newly expanded Crayola Experience exhibits:
Art Alive! - Create digital works of art and project them onto the wall to become part of a bigger
scene. Walk up and touch your drawing to bring it to life!
Be a Star - Everyone is a star at this coloring page photo booth! Kids can appear in their very own coloring page along with some of Crayola's characters.
Café Crayola - Enjoy Crayola-inspired foods from colorful cupcakes to design-your-own pizzas.
Color Playground - This is sure to be a hit with kids who have energy to spare.
Colossal Caddy - Visit this popular classic— a giant caddy that holds thousands of crayons!
Crayola Store - Explore the largest selection of Crayola products and discover one-of-a-kind Crayolasouvenirs not found anywhere else in the world. This is the only place you’ll find a genuine 2-lb. crayon that you can customize with your very own name. You can also turn your creative masterpieces into wearable works of art (i.e. t-shirts) and puzzles, and you can even pick your very own color collection of Crayola crayons and markers.
Crayon Clinic - Load your favorite crayon color into the machine and watch your crayon melt into a Crayola Experience keepsake!
Doodle in the Dark - In this interactive dark room, you can make bright marks on backlit doodle boards. Choose from several games to play on the interactive floor that responds to your motions. Become one of Crayola's recognizable crayon pals when you step in front of a special screen that mirrors your every move.
Drip Art - Load a fresh crayon into the Drip Art machine. Watch it melt and drip crayon wax onto your paper as it spins to create a swirlywhirly masterpiece.
marker tip and into your finished clear barrel marker.
Meltdown - Choose from a variety of melted crayon colors to create wax art on paper.
Modeling Madness - Sculpt colorful creations using Crayola Model Magic—you can roll it, mold it, and even blend and swirl your own colors. Take your molded creations to the next level with Model Magic accessories. Add bright and silly feet to create a stompin' monster or swirl and press into charms for a fashionable new accessory.
Paint Palette - No Crayola day would be complete without a painting project! A visit to our larger-than life drying oven ensures your masterpiece is ready to take home and display on the fridge. (additional fee)
Puzzle It! - In this kid-powered attraction, you can press your own hand-drawn design through rolling puzzle makers. Choose to cut your creation into 6 or 12 pieces to bring home and show your friends!
Toddler Town - This area lets Crayola's youngest fans learn and play in colorful ways! Make silly faces in wacky mirrors and play with a multi-colored pegboard. Interact with a giant ball maze where you control the outcome.
Workshop - Projects range from airbrush art to fabric art and much, much more! (additional fee)Wrap It Up! - Personalize and print an authentic Crayola crayon label, wrap it around your crayon, and create your own unique crayon!
Thursday, April 18, 2013
Rare Colonial Coin, Pottery, Bones Unearthed on Centre Square
By Christina Georgiou
A coin dating to 1788, two shards of colonial pottery, and as many as 13 to 14 bones and a number of oyster shells were unearthed on Wednesday below the sidewalk on Easton's Centre Square by workmen digging to place foundations for new crayon sculptures as part of the Crayola Experiences expansion and museum update.
The discoveries halted work for the day, said marketing manager Kristen Luise, and Crayola called local police when the bones were found.
"The city asked that we stop digging," Luise said, adding that authorities called the Northampton County coroner to the scene.
The bones are not thought to be human, but likely come from a large animal, such as a cow or a horse, she said.
The coin, which features a shield, the date "1788" and the motto "E. Pluribus Unum", appears to be a "New Jersey copper", also sometimes called a "New Jersey nickel". States minted their own currency before money was issued by the federal government.
New Jersey coppers are rare, and their usual value varies from a few hundred to a couple thousand dollars, though an extremely rare variety of the coin commanded more than $100,000 on eBay a couple of years ago.
The shards of pottery seem to date to a similar period, she added.
Some have speculated the bones are an artifact of the Centre Square's long history, known to date back to the city's founding in 1752 if not earlier, of being used as a marketplace. The area is still home to the Easton Farmers' Market in season, which is set to begin again next month.
Oyster shells were sometimes used to pave sidewalks and as roadbed material in days of old, as oysters were a popular staple food in the local area at one time, and it put the literal tons of leftover shells to good use. The oysters themselves may have come from the Delaware River near Philadelphia, where they were abundant until overharvesting and pollution decimated the supply.
Luise said it's not certain what Crayola will do with the finds, though selling the pieces is not likely an option. They may end up being displayed at the museum, she said.
"Right now we're just working with the city to make sure it's all preserved," Luise said. "We definitely want to respect the city's history."
It's uncertain when work will begin again to place the sculptures, but their delay in placement won't affect the Crayola Experience's planned reopening celebration, set for Friday, May 24.
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| The New Jersey copper found on Easton's Centre Square early Wednesday afternoon. Photo courtesy of the Crayola Experience. |
The discoveries halted work for the day, said marketing manager Kristen Luise, and Crayola called local police when the bones were found.
"The city asked that we stop digging," Luise said, adding that authorities called the Northampton County coroner to the scene.
The bones are not thought to be human, but likely come from a large animal, such as a cow or a horse, she said.
The coin, which features a shield, the date "1788" and the motto "E. Pluribus Unum", appears to be a "New Jersey copper", also sometimes called a "New Jersey nickel". States minted their own currency before money was issued by the federal government.
New Jersey coppers are rare, and their usual value varies from a few hundred to a couple thousand dollars, though an extremely rare variety of the coin commanded more than $100,000 on eBay a couple of years ago.
The shards of pottery seem to date to a similar period, she added.
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| The future site of one of the Crayola Experience's crayon sculptures, where artifacts of Easton's history were unearthed Wednesday. Work has been halted for now. |
Oyster shells were sometimes used to pave sidewalks and as roadbed material in days of old, as oysters were a popular staple food in the local area at one time, and it put the literal tons of leftover shells to good use. The oysters themselves may have come from the Delaware River near Philadelphia, where they were abundant until overharvesting and pollution decimated the supply.
Luise said it's not certain what Crayola will do with the finds, though selling the pieces is not likely an option. They may end up being displayed at the museum, she said.
"Right now we're just working with the city to make sure it's all preserved," Luise said. "We definitely want to respect the city's history."
 |
| A rendering of the southwest corner of Easton's Centre Square will look like when the Crayola Experience's work is complete. |
It's uncertain when work will begin again to place the sculptures, but their delay in placement won't affect the Crayola Experience's planned reopening celebration, set for Friday, May 24.
Wednesday, November 14, 2012
Current Parking Rates Could Double, Run 12 Hours Per Day
By Christina Georgiou
Easton City Council members considered further raising parking rates from the current 50 cents an hour to $1 and enforcing metered parking on most days of the week for 12 hours a day at their budget discussion Tuesday evening.
"I don't see any reason we shouldn't go 'til 9," said councilman Roger Ruggles. "It's just easier to remember, 9 to 9...It's just less confusing."\
"I'm on the same page as that--uniformity," said fellow councilman Ken Brown.
With a minimum charge for those using credit cards at the new smart meters the city is testing being $1, the council also seems inclined to making the rate for metered street parking $1 per hour too.
"I think we need to go to $1 too," said Mike Fleck, who also added he feels the city should add a way for those who are ticketed to pay parking fines online.
City officials also said they are considering running metered parking on Sundays, from noon to 9 p.m. as well.
"Here's the question: Do you want Main Street and Ambassadors? This is a great use for that money," said Mayor Sal Panto.
"In 2005, city council raised the rates to a dollar, but then there was a push back," he added.
Only Councilman Jeff Warren voiced uncertainty about doubling the rates.
"I don't believe 75 cents is unreasonable. Is $1 unreasonable? Not necessarily, but that's still a bit of a shock," he said. "A good way to polit the baby is we do the dollar when the new technology comes in."
Some of the rate hike and projected increased revenue from extended meter enforcement times will go to pay for 200 new solar-powered smart meters the city wants to replace some of their 936 parking meters with, city officials have said. While they would be paid for over several years, at about $500 apiece, plus another $30,000 to $40,000 for multi-space meters at city parking lots, the new equipment still needs to be paid for, something a rate hike would do.
Lt. Matthew Lohenitz, who heads the traffic division for the Easton Police Department, said the new meters are easily programmable and that configuring them to be able to take more denominations of change would allow visitors that are just running in and out of shops to be able to just drop small change in their meter rather than having to spend a whole dollar.
"During the day, they're short stays," said Lohenitz of people's parking times. "you're evening stays are the longest, but we're not enforcing then."
"I really don't think people will change their shopping habits over a quarter," said city finance director Chris Heagele.
"The extra quarter could generate an extra $150,000 that could go to Ambassadors and Main Street," Fleck said.
The days of free parking on Sundays also seems likely to end too.
"I talked with the Downtown pastors, and obviously they're concerned," Panto said. "(But) we're paying $500,000 to keep Crayola here, and we need to recoup that."
Panto said parking enforcement times should be noon to 9 p.m. on Sundays because that would reflect when Crayola's opening time. He added that those attending church could be given a placard to put on their cars reflecting that, so they wouldn't be ticketed.
The mayor noted that the change would likely mean the city would issue--and see revenue--from more resident parking permits too.
"As we encourage more people to live Downtown, we want more people to get a parking permit," he said. "We need to do a better job on getting the word out (about them)," Panto said.
Resident parking permits for Downtown residents are $100 per year, and $60 for seniors.
The matter is to be discussed again at Wednesday evening's city council meeting, and the mayor said he encourages the public to join the discussion.
"This needs to get out for us by tomorrow, so people can tell us why we shouldn't do this," he said. "Or why we should."
Panto added that while parking rates may go up, not all areas of the city will immediately be getting the new smart meters.
"They don't become cost effective in all areas. You don't want to put them on Bushkill Street," he said. "In the next few years though, maybe the cost of the wifi will get cheaper, and maybe we'll do all of them."
City council meets again this evening at 6 p.m. on the sixth floor of City Hall, 1 South Third St., where it is expected the matter will be discussed again. The public is encouraged to attend.
"I don't see any reason we shouldn't go 'til 9," said councilman Roger Ruggles. "It's just easier to remember, 9 to 9...It's just less confusing."\
"I'm on the same page as that--uniformity," said fellow councilman Ken Brown.
With a minimum charge for those using credit cards at the new smart meters the city is testing being $1, the council also seems inclined to making the rate for metered street parking $1 per hour too.
"I think we need to go to $1 too," said Mike Fleck, who also added he feels the city should add a way for those who are ticketed to pay parking fines online.
City officials also said they are considering running metered parking on Sundays, from noon to 9 p.m. as well.
"Here's the question: Do you want Main Street and Ambassadors? This is a great use for that money," said Mayor Sal Panto.
"In 2005, city council raised the rates to a dollar, but then there was a push back," he added.
Only Councilman Jeff Warren voiced uncertainty about doubling the rates.
"I don't believe 75 cents is unreasonable. Is $1 unreasonable? Not necessarily, but that's still a bit of a shock," he said. "A good way to polit the baby is we do the dollar when the new technology comes in."
Some of the rate hike and projected increased revenue from extended meter enforcement times will go to pay for 200 new solar-powered smart meters the city wants to replace some of their 936 parking meters with, city officials have said. While they would be paid for over several years, at about $500 apiece, plus another $30,000 to $40,000 for multi-space meters at city parking lots, the new equipment still needs to be paid for, something a rate hike would do.
Lt. Matthew Lohenitz, who heads the traffic division for the Easton Police Department, said the new meters are easily programmable and that configuring them to be able to take more denominations of change would allow visitors that are just running in and out of shops to be able to just drop small change in their meter rather than having to spend a whole dollar.
"During the day, they're short stays," said Lohenitz of people's parking times. "you're evening stays are the longest, but we're not enforcing then."
"I really don't think people will change their shopping habits over a quarter," said city finance director Chris Heagele.
"The extra quarter could generate an extra $150,000 that could go to Ambassadors and Main Street," Fleck said.
The days of free parking on Sundays also seems likely to end too.
"I talked with the Downtown pastors, and obviously they're concerned," Panto said. "(But) we're paying $500,000 to keep Crayola here, and we need to recoup that."
Panto said parking enforcement times should be noon to 9 p.m. on Sundays because that would reflect when Crayola's opening time. He added that those attending church could be given a placard to put on their cars reflecting that, so they wouldn't be ticketed.
The mayor noted that the change would likely mean the city would issue--and see revenue--from more resident parking permits too.
"As we encourage more people to live Downtown, we want more people to get a parking permit," he said. "We need to do a better job on getting the word out (about them)," Panto said.
Resident parking permits for Downtown residents are $100 per year, and $60 for seniors.
The matter is to be discussed again at Wednesday evening's city council meeting, and the mayor said he encourages the public to join the discussion.
"This needs to get out for us by tomorrow, so people can tell us why we shouldn't do this," he said. "Or why we should."
Panto added that while parking rates may go up, not all areas of the city will immediately be getting the new smart meters.
"They don't become cost effective in all areas. You don't want to put them on Bushkill Street," he said. "In the next few years though, maybe the cost of the wifi will get cheaper, and maybe we'll do all of them."
City council meets again this evening at 6 p.m. on the sixth floor of City Hall, 1 South Third St., where it is expected the matter will be discussed again. The public is encouraged to attend.
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