Spark Museum to open with a bolt of lightning

Courtesy Bellingham Whatcom County Tourism

BELLINGHAM, Wash. – Four million volts of purple lighting will shoot off of the MegaZapper, one of the largest Tesla Coils in the country, to herald the grand opening of the Spark Museum of Electrical Invention. The museum, formerly known as the American Museum of Radio and Electricity, opens with a new name and look on Oct. 13-14.

The MegaZapper exhibit is part of the new electrical show premiering that weekend. Guest will watch as lighting shoots 10 feet into the air onto a Faraday Cage to the sound of thunder. Eye-catching exhibits like this illustrate the inventions and innovations from the last four centuries.

“This will be an opportunity for the public to get excited about truly seeing electricity in action,” said Tana Granack, director of operations at the museum. “A multitude of activities for the weekend include a great mix of scholarship and entertainment.”

The Spark Museum showcases objects and inventions from the pages of history, including a first edition of “De Magnete” from the 1600s. It also holds items from experiments by Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Edison and the development of modern communications.

For more information, visit www.sparkmuseum.org.