PRESS RELEASE

For Immediate Release Contact: Lisa Lambert
355-9547, ext. 24

THE DON HARRINGTON DISCOVERY CENTER
SAYS GOODBYE TO ITS ANNUAL LABOR DAY FUNDRAISER

Amarillo, Texas, July 11, 2005 - - After 16 years of Labor Day festivities and extraordinary fireworks, Discover! has grown too large to be held at its present location. The Harrington Regional Medical Center has experienced phenomenal growth over the past few years, making it difficult to accommodate Discover! While the Discovery Center has adjusted to the growth of the area, this year it has become obvious that use of the original site will put too many visitors, patients, and residents in jeopardy.

The growing Medical Center simply cannot support Discover! any longer. With over 40,000 people in attendance each year, adequate space is lacking for the event.

The tremendous support of the community has made 16 years of Discover! possible, ranging from the City of Amarillo to individuals, businesses, and organizations throughout Amarillo and the Panhandle. “Discover! has been an enormous community accomplishment, as well as a beneficial fundraiser for the Discovery Center and we are extremely grateful for the support of Cellular One of Amarillo, volunteers, donors and countless others who have helped make it successful for so many years,” said Jim Allison, president of the Don Harrington Discovery Center’s Board of Directors. “We are sorry to see an end to Discover! However, we are looking forward to giving the community a new and exciting Discovery Center with the renovations of Phase II, which are currently being developed.”

Danny McWhorter, vice president of Cellular One of Amarillo, noted, “Throughout the years, we have used our sponsorship of the Labor Day fireworks to say thank you to the many citizens of Amarillo and the surrounding areas who have made Cellular One of Amarillo such a big success. We were prepared to provide these amazing Grucci fireworks to the people of Amarillo in 2005 and regret that they cannot happen this year. Cellular One is prepared to offer fireworks again, should the opportunity arise.”

“The Don Harrington Discovery Center is committed to providing this wonderful community a science center that is not only pertinent to our children, but educational and dynamic for all of us,” promised Lisa Lambert, interim director of the Discovery Center. “We are sad to say goodbye to Discover!, but we intend to focus on Phase II of our renovation that will be complete in the fall of 2006.”

The Don Harrington Discovery Center renovation will provide exciting learning resources that engage children in play and active exploration together with their parents and other adults to expand their capacity to learn. It is designed to be educational and just plain fun.

The renovation includes outdoor exhibits emphasizing renewable resources in solar and wind energy. Inside the Center will be an area devoted to physical and natural sciences, with an interactive tiltrotor, a walk-in wind tunnel and aerodynamic testing. Natural sciences will emphasize the unique environment of the Great Plains, with lakes and water tables. The life sciences area allows children to walk through the five stomachs of a cow, milk a dairy cow, and ultimately buy milk and other foods at the United grocery store. An interactive information center allows in-depth learning and an area for further instructional learning.

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The Don Harrington Discovery and Space Theater makes science exciting, relevant and interesting to all types of learners by providing interactive exhibits and programs that actively engage children, adolescents and their families. It fosters inquiring minds and nurtures the individual genius that is within each of us.