Circus is in town for the summer with new Exploration Place exhibit opening Friday

There’s no need to run away to join the circus. The circus — in the form of a science-focused exhibition — is coming to town for the whole summer.

“Circus! Science Under the Big Top” will open Friday, May 26, and run through Sept. 4 at Exploration Place.

Billed as showing the science behind the spectacle, “Circus!” includes attractions where visitors can guess “Who Dung-it?” in a display of faux feces, discover the psychology behind circus sounds, and learn about circus music maestros. One display will show how the brain lights up when it experiences humor, while another will allow visitors to enjoy the smells of carnival food.

There’s even a sideshow tent with some interactive displays. During a pre-opening tour, Daniel Bateman, exhibits and program manager for Exploration Place, demonstrated how visitors can test their strength against the Mighty Atom strongman and get a reading on how strong they are, starting from the Tiny Terror level. In another area of the tent, an X-ray display shows the pathway of the sword in Countess Vanessa’s sword-swallowing act. Visitors can even try to contort their bodies to fit into an acrylic box (probably best left to the smaller, more flexible folks).

In another immersive display, kids can dress up in costumes ranging from circus animals to ringmasters.

There also will be two harnessed attractions, available on a first-come, first-served limited basis. Visitors can try out a high wire act 9 feet in the air or get the sense of being a trapeze artist with the use of bungee cords and a trampoline.

Tickets to participate in the harnessed attractions will be available at a kiosk in the exhibit. Only six passes for each attraction will be available for each 30-minute time slot and will be handed out at the top of each hour. The minimum required height to participate is 46 inches, and the maximum weight allowance is 250 pounds for the elastic acrobatics act and 400 pounds for the high wire act. Closed-toe, tight-fitting shoes are required on the high wire act.

To ensure participant safety, a dedicated crew has been hired to go through safety protocols and run the harnessed attractions, Bateman said.

If you don’t get a chance to try out the high wire, there’s a display where you can test your balance as if you were walking across a tightrope.

“It’s something everyone, no matter their size, height, shape or weight, can try,” Bateman said.

The “Circus!” exhibition was created more than 20 years ago by the Ontario Science Center in Canada and has since traveled across North America and to parts of Asia, said Mike Chisholm, project manager with the Ontario Science Center, who oversaw the installation at Exploration Place this week. All information panels on the displays appear in both English and French, Canada’s two official languages.

To go along with the theme of the exhibit, Exploration Place has scheduled four nights of an interactive showing of “The Greatest Showman,” the 2017 film starring Hugh Jackman as P.T. Barnum, founder of the famous traveling Barnum & Bailey Circus. The film showings at 7 p.m. June 8, 15, 22 and 29 will include performances by local music artist and former “American Idol” contestant McKayla Stacey. Tickets are $18.

A second exhibition will also open on Friday at Exploration Place, along with “Circus!”

“Pixel Palace,” an in-house created exhibit that will run through Oct. 22, uses the advanced technology of motion sensors, touch screens and projection displays to create an immersive game room experience. The exhibit includes an Everbright wall, a sort of high-tech version of a Lite Brite display that has dials that can be turned to different colors, rather than lighted pegs. The wall will eventually be put on permanent display elsewhere in Exploration Place, Bateman said.

‘Circus! Science Under Big Top’ exhibit

Where: Exploration Place, 300 N. McLean Blvd.

When: Friday-Sept. 4; hours are 10 a.m.-5 p.m. daily with extended hours until 8 p.m. Thursdays

Admission: $12 for ages 12-64, $10 for ages 3-11 and 65 and older, free for members and ages 2 and under for exhibits only.

Budget tip: Kansas families with kids in pre-K through 12th grade can visit for free by using the one-time visit All Access Pass available through the Sunflower Summer app, which is funded through the state’s education department. The program allows up to two accompanying adults to visit for free too. The program runs through Aug. 13 or until funding runs out.

More info: 316-660-0600 or exploration.org