Town Crier Report

Who’s afraid of Friday the 13th? For many people, Friday the 13th suggests bad luck - but is it really tempting fate to break a mirror? Are you courting disaster by walking under a ladder? And what will really happen to mom if you step squarely on that crack in the sidewalk?

Visitors can challenge these and other superstitions at the Exploratorium on Friday, May 13, at a one-day Superstition Obstacle Course, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. They can smash a few mirrors, walk under a ladder, step on a few cracks, listen to some bad luck music and spill a little salt.

Although these superstitions have little or no rational basis, they influence the thoughts and actions of many. The Exploratorium presents an obstacle course and related activities on Friday the 13th as a fun opportunity for visitors to explore their own thinking and behavior.

The Superstition Obstacle Course is part of the Mind Project, a new initiative at the Exploratorium to develop exhibits and programs about attention, emotion and judgment. A major exhibition will open in 2007. The Mind Project is funded by the National Science Foundation.

Physics of toys

Plant mysteries

The Exploratorium is located inside the Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco’s Marina District. Museum admission is free for members, $12 for adults; $9.50 for seniors, students with ID, people with disabilitites and teens age 13-17; $8 for children age 4-12; children under 4 are free. The Exploratorium is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Tuesdays through Sundays.

For information, call (415) 397-5673.