Easton's Nurture Nature Center Holds Grand Opening

Dozens of people turned out Tuesday evening to mark the grand opening of Easton's .

Technically, the center has been open and for the last few months; Tuesday's event was more about ceremony, a chance for the folks running the center to thank the people who'd helped get it off the ground, and to show off what it can do.

Visitors got a look at the center's Sphere -- a high-definition, globe-shaped projection screen used to educate the public about weather events such as flooding.

Around the room were hung blow-ups of newspaper stories about past Easton floods, ranging from the devastating to the floods that hit .

Director Rachel Hogan-Carr told her audience she wants the center to be a place where people can share their own experience in addition to getting a science lesson.

"You'll see that it's filled with voices of our community already," she said. "It's not a museum where I tell you everything you need to know and you're smart."

In the coming weeks, the center will open itself for more public events, hosting a public forum on flooding and welcoming Boy Scouts seeking scientific merit badges. But Nurture Nature isn't just about science; the West Ward Neighborhood Partnership will host a conference there later this month, and there's a concert scheduled for December.