Solar Car Pit Stop in Normal June 25-26

Date: 6/14/10

Contact: Bree Davis

Local residents can join in the excitement of a cross country solar car race that will make a pit stop in Normal on June 25-26.

The American Solar Challenge is a competition that involves the designing, building, and operating of solar powered cars in a cross country race. A team of Illinois State University students have built a car and are participating in this year's race, which runs from Tulsa to Chicago. The team and its car, Mercury III, along with other race teams will make a final stop on Illinois State's campus on Friday, June 25. Teams will stick around for activities open to the public that day and on Saturday, June 26. The final leg of the race will begin the morning of June 26 in front of the Children's Discovery Museum in Normal.

At 9 a.m. on Friday, June 25, the stage stop at Illinois State's parking lot G67 on the corner of School and Locust streets officially opens for racers to check in. Teams have until 4 p.m. to arrive. Any teams that have not arrived by 4 p.m. will have to bring their cars in by trailer.

From noon-6 p.m. there will be free activities open to the public, including mini-solar car races, create your own checkered flag, bags and ladder golf, a solar car scavenger hunt and voting for the People's Choice Award for the favorite solar car.

Beginning at 8 a.m. on Saturday, June 26, race teams will arrive at the W. Beaufort Street staging area. Ballots for the People's Choice Award will be available until 9:30 a.m. and the winning team will be announced at 9:45 a.m. The race will then kick off at 10 a.m., beginning at the Traffic Circle and exiting at North Street. From 8 a.m. till 11 a.m., there will also be a Sustainability Fair along Constitution Boulevard.

In addition to the free activities, purchase of an all-access wristband will grant participants access to the following:

Friday, June 25

Bowling and billiards at the Bowling and Billiards Center noon-9 p.m.

Dinner with the solar car teams (pizza and cake from 5 p.m.-7 p.m.)

Unlimited sno-cones and popcorn from noon-6 p.m.

Saturday, June 26

Admission to the Children's Discovery Museum

Renewable Resource Day Museum activities including experimenting with solar cars and wind turbines, building wind cars and making biodegradable plastic, 9 a.m.-1 p.m.

Entry into raffle to win a mini-Solar Car ($120 value)

Wristbands are $10 each or $30 for a family pack of four. Wristbands can be purchased in advance at the Children's Discovery Museum or by contacting Sara McCubbins at 309-438-4539. Wristbands will also be available the day of the event.
These events are made possible through a partnership of Center for Mathematics, Science and Technology (CeMaST) at Illinois State, Children's Discovery Museum and Town of Normal. For more information on the events, go to http://cemast.illinoisstate.edu/projects/solarcar. For more information on Team Mercury, visit http://www.solarcar.ilstu.edu/.