Union Station’s newest exhibit and summer sensation for families opens Friday, May 22. The Chronicles of Narnia: The Exhibition is produced by the Becker Group, Ltd., which recently combined operations with Exhibitgroup/Giltspur, in partnership with Walt Disney Pictures and Walden Media. Based on the blockbuster film series and C.S. Lewis’ beloved fictional books, the 10,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art entertainment and educational experience offers visitors the opportunity to tour scenes from the famed literary world of Narnia. Through authentic costumes, props and set dressings from the magical Narnia films, visitors will enter a three dimensional world that combines the wonders of science with aspects of fantasy. Tickets are on sale now at unionstation.org.
Hours are 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and noon to 5:30 p.m. Sunday. The exhibit is also open 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Memorial Day, Monday, May 25. Tickets are $14 for adults (13 and older); $9 for children (3-12) and $7 for Union Station Members and groups of 15 or more with advance reservation and payment. The exhibit runs through Aug. 23. Purchase an Anytime Ticket and come any day, any time.
Visitors to the exhibition will view artifacts from C.S. Lewis’ personal study and experience exciting environments such as the famous attic and wardrobe. Once inside Narnia, visitors will encounter falling snow and other interactive and instructive elements including:
- A replica of the White Witch’s Throne where visitors can sit on the icy throne and feel the chill. A nearby display describes the impact of climate change on our planet and investigates whether our planet could be frozen for 100 years, like the world of Narnia.
- An area featuring King Miraz’s Castle from The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian where visitors have the opportunity to build an arch, while learning about the architectural structure and strategy involved in the design.
- An area highlighting the mythical creatures of Narnia, which allows visitors to create their own creatures featured in the film. Three stacks of rotating, square blocks stand in three-, four- and six-foot configurations, each level featuring different aspects of a creature. By rearranging the different levels, visitors can create well-known characters from the Narnia films or mix and match the squares to create new characters.
Opening weekend for the exhibit will feature Medieval characters from the Renaissance Festival greeting guests as they enter Union Station. Visitors can also watch the 2009 crowning of the Festival King and Queen at noon on Saturday, May 23. Visitors can watch juggling and have their face painted from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday and noon to 3 p.m. Sunday.
Memorial Day Weekend at Union Station also features the grand opening for the regional headquarters of the National Archives and the annual patriotic symphony concert, Celebration at the Station featuring the Kansas City Symphony. This free outdoor concert is Sunday, May 24 beginning at 7:30 p.m. Fireworks will follow the concert.
About Union Station Kansas City
Union Station Kansas City is a historical landmark and civic asset renovated and reopened to the public in 1999. It features a science center, national traveling exhibits, the region’s only 3D giant screen movie theater, live theater, shops and restaurants. A bistate cultural sales tax, the first of its kind in the country, funded nearly half of the $250 million renovation. Union Station is a nonprofit 501c3 organization. The Station is an affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. Union Station Kansas City, Inc. also operates the Kansas City Museum in Kansas City’s historic northeast neighborhood. This fall, Union Station will host the world class exhibit Andy Warhol Porfolios: Life and Legends.
About Exhibitgroup/Giltspur
Exhibitgroup/Giltspur (EG) is an award-winning experiential marketing agency known for creating meaningful and memorable connections between leading companies and their customers. By producing powerful brand experiences through exhibits, events, mobile marketing tours, permanent installations, and temporary retail environments, EG helps clients accelerate the sales process, deepen brand loyalty and consistently deliver superior results. The company also creates branded entertainment experiences that surprise and delight audiences worldwide. Backed by the financial strength of its parent company, Viad Corp (NYSE: VVI), EG employs nearly 600 industry professionals in 28 client care centers throughout the world. For more information about EG, please visit www.e-g.com. For more information about “The Chronicles of Narnia: The Exhibition,” please visit www.narniaexhibition.com.
Additional Narnia Programming at Union Station
May-August 2009
Science City
Demonstrations and Craft Activities
Science City educators will offer daily demonstrations and crafts inside the science center related to Narnia. Demonstrations and activities are included with regular Science City admission. Themes will rotate between the following three topics.
Always Winter and Never Christmas
Watch a spoonful of crystals magically turn into a handful of artificial snow. Learn what makes ice so slick and why sleigh and sled tracks are superior to wheels in winter. Create your own snowflake out of paper and decorate it too!Court Life
Make your own crown or tiara. Learn about the ancient art of mapmaking while studying maps of Narnia. Discover how to say “hello” and “thank you” in many foreign languages. Design your own shield crest to represent who you are, then turn it into a shrinky-dink pendant to take home. Uncover the origins of many of Narnia’s mythological creatures.Siege Tech
Study the art of castle defense as engineered by medieval architects by examining the fortifications as built into a model castle. Battering rams, ballistae, catapults, and trebuchets: attacking a stack of paper cups was never so exciting as it will be in Science City. Build your own catapult to take home and conquer cup-scapes of your own design.
Saturday Family Workshops
Parents and children explore science together in these workshops held at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Workshops last about 1 hour & 45 minutes. Admission to the workshops is $15.95 for members (one adult and one child), plus $5 for each additional person, or $29.95 for non-members (one adult and one child), plus $10 for each additional person. Workshops include admission to Science City.
Engineerium: Robotic Adventures in Narnia
Design, build, and program a robot to navigate through the magical world of Narnia. Pretend you are with the Pevensie’s trekking through the Great Woods, crossing the bridge of Beruna, or maneuvering through the bustling city of Tashbaan.
June 6
July 4
August 1
September 5Turkish Delight & the Science of Obsessional Cooking
Tempt your taste buds with the irresistible flavor of Turkish Delight and scrumptious chocolate treats. Learn how to make these tasty treats while exploring the chemistry behind food cravings. See how your senses can trick you when you sample our Aslan Apple Pie made without any apples at all!
July 18The White Witch’s Wicked Water Magic
During her reign, the White Witch forced all of Narnia into a 100-year state of ice and snow. Discover the science behind her magic as we observe water in all three states of matter: solid, liquid and gas. We’ll also create our very own water cycle to see how water reacts to changes in the weather.
August 15
Live on Stage
Theater for Young America presents The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. The C.S. Lewis classic book comes to life on stage in this adaptation that will delight children and adults. Now showing through June 20, tickets are $8 per person. Buy a ticket to the Narnia exhibit and save $2 on a ticket to the show. For show times and to purchase tickets, visit www.unionstation.org.