This article orginally appeared on www.Barrett-Jackson.com June 10, 2019 here>>
Barrett-Jackson’s Connecticut event becomes even more family-friendly
Don’t leave the kids behind if you’re thinking of coming to the 4th Annual Barrett-Jackson Northeast Auction at Mohegan Sun in Connecticut!
This year’s event kicks off with Shell Family Day/Preview Day on Wednesday, June 26. There’s free admission for high school students (with proper ID), as well as children younger than high-school age, and there’s plenty for all ages to do and see.
While the auction arena won’t be open to guests on Preview Day, all the vehicles scheduled to cross the auction block will be available for up-close inspection in the outdoor and indoor display areas. The vast Sponsor and Exhibitor Hall will be filled to the brim, with displays showcasing the latest in automotive technology (many interactive) and a shopper’s paradise replete with unique items available for purchase (the younger set will enjoy trying out the ultimate in radio-controlled cars).
The Ford Hot Laps and Dodge Thrill Rides will be operating at full throttle on a 110,000-square-foot outdoor track, where those age 8 (or 48 inches) and above can take an exciting spin with a professional driver (included with admission).
An exciting new addition this year also kicks off on Shell Family Day and runs throughout the entire event (June 26-29): the TechForce STEM Center presented by Shell, powered by Pennzoil – featuring Flat 12 Gallery and the STEM education department from the Charlotte Motor Speedway.
This interactive exhibition features hands-on activities that enable students to experience automotive technology, understand the applicability of Science, Technology, Engineering and Math in the automotive world and explore industry career paths.
Visitors to the STEM Center can fidget with engines, pretend they’re doing a quick tire change in the NASCAR pits, discover how the laws of physics relate to the automobile, explore Ohm’s Law by working with circuit boards and other equipment, and use tablets and scan devices to examine the latest diagnostic tools. An important facet of the STEM Center will be the “Women Techs Rock” station (which will feature Bogi Lateiner of MotorTrend’s “All Girls Garage” on Friday and Saturday), an area that focuses on females in the industry and how more woman are needed in STEM careers, particularly as automotive technicians.
Flat 12 Gallery’s Jeff Allen and Meg Bailey (of “The Car Chasers” and “Skidmarks Show” fame) will also be on hand at the STEM Center with giveaways, signing autographs and showcasing an amazing 1963 Volvo build they did known as #V06 (shown at right), which will be sold at the 2020 Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale Auction with 100% of the hammer price going to assist students in the automotive field.
Jennifer Maher, CEO of TechForce Foundation, a non-profit organization with the mission of championing students to and through their education and into careers as professional technicians, says, “Instead of just showing students automotive displays and saying ‘Stand back, don’t touch,’ we want them to get hands-on.” The new TechForce STEM Center at the 2019 Barrett-Jackson Northeast Auction will allow students to do just that.
For tickets to TechForce Foundation’s STEM Center, click here>>
ABOUT TECHFORCE FOUNDATION:
TechForce Foundation is a nonprofit, 501(c)(3) with the mission to champion students to and through their technical education and into careers as professional transportation technicians. The Foundation distributes more than $2 million in scholarships and grants annually, thanks to its generous corporate sponsors and donors, and spearheads FutureTech Success®, the industry-wide initiative to help encourage and support more young people to pursue the vehicle technician profession. For more information, visit www.techforce.org.
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