We are pleased to announce that the Richard L. Childers Midway Physics Day at the
South Carolina State Fair is back for its 30th year! We are going to try to make it a special event this year! Our Fair date this year will be Tuesday, October 14, from 11:00 am to 2:00 pm. Registered high school students will be admitted free to the South Carolina State Fair and have unlimited access to the Midway State Fair rides from 12:00 pm to 2:00 pm. You are invited to bring your students to this field laboratory for real physics.

The gates open at 11:00 am. Our tent activities will take place from 11:00-12:00, and
the midway and rides will open at noon. Make sure you adjust your activity schedule
accordingly. The State Fair will be charging a $10.00 fee for parking - buses park for
free, but all other vehicles must pay for parking. Please note that traffic and lines at the fair may be longer than normal. We would urge you to leave early in anticipation of
these factors.

We are sending this notice to you now to help you plan. In order to participate with
your class, you must:

• Remember that activities at Midway Physics Day are to be used to directly enhance
instruction of topics in physics or physical science. In order to participate with your
class, you MUST: Be a teacher/instructor for a class that is related to PHYSICS or
PHYSICAL SCIENCE. The activities offered are to be used to directly enhance such
instruction.

• Register on the USC Department of Physics and Astronomy Midway Physics Day
website starting on Friday, September 5 and ending on Friday, September 19.

We will be processing the requests as they come in and we will probably have all of
our wristbands committed before September 19. Make sure to register early!

• Prepare your students for Midway Physics Day by selecting activities appropriate for
their stage of learning, which may include ordering or building accelerometers and
other instruments.

• You should receive your wristbands around Tuesday, October 7, 2025.

• There will be a survey at the end of the event for you and your students. It’s highly
encouraged that you complete this survey. It helps us help you make the event more
successful. We do listen to your feedback and it is shared with the State Fair to help
this event keep going.

We are fortunate to have the support of the S. C. State Fair for free admission and rides for this enriching event. However, participation is limited and will be on a first come, first served basis. Due to the high demand for student tickets, we will not be able to supply free admission for chaperones. We will process requests as we receive them until wen run out of wristbands, or until we reach the end of the registration period. We anticipate another great Midway Physics Day!

We may offer a teacher-training workshop on Midway Physics activities at USC in
September/October if there is sufficient interest. This workshop is designed to help you get the most out of your time at the Fair. It will be a virtual training after school hours.

A zoom link will be provided closer to the actual training day.
Again this year, students and faculty from the Department of Physics & Astronomy will
serve as mentors and help with problem-solving exercises. Correlations to the South
Carolina Science Curriculum Standards will also be provided in the activity sheets.

More information on the Midway Physics Day experience can be found at
www.physics.sc.edu (look in the “Beyond the Classroom” section on the left-hand
side of the main website).

If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to call or send an e-mail. We will be happy to help you any way we can. The email and phone number are listed below.

May 2025 Newsletter