Press Release:

Brattleboro Museum & Art Center Presents Sixth Annual Domino Toppling Extravaganza

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
February 26, 2013
Contact: Pete Biolsi, Mondo Mediaworks
pete@mondomediaworks.com
802-451-0828

BRATTLEBORO, VT — The Brattleboro Museum & Art Center (BMAC) presents its Sixth Annual Domino Toppling Extravaganza on Monday, March 4 at 5:30 p.m. Doors open at 4:30 p.m. for audience members to secure a good vantage point and inspect the fanciful, colorful domino course before it all comes tumbling down. Admission is on a first-come, first-served basis — free for kids 8 and under, $3 for BMAC members, $5 for everyone else. Every audience member will have a chance to guess how many dominoes make up the course; whoever comes the closest will start the entire chain reaction.

A popular annual spectacle, BMAC’s domino topplings began in 2008, when Mike and Steve Perrucci, brothers from Perkasie, Pennsylvania, traveled to Brattleboro to build and then topple a course created specifically for BMAC. The Perruccis returned to Brattleboro each of the next four years, creating bigger and more amazing courses each time. In 2011 the brothers enlisted the help of another domino-toppling enthusiast, 14-year-old Shane O’Brien, from Rockland County, New York. This year, Shane and two other teenage topplers take the helm, as the Perruccis have retired from domino duty.

BMAC Director Danny Lichtenfeld said it will take the three kids at least 24 hours of steady work to create this year’s course, which will fill the floor of the museum’s Wolf Kahn and Emily Mason Gallery. They will get started Saturday evening and continue working right up until the toppling Monday afternoon. The toppling itself will last about 5 minutes. “By far, the most stressful part of this event each year is the final hour, when all the dominoes are set up, ready to fall, and audience members arrive and jockey for good viewing position,” said Lichtenfeld. “It’s always very exciting — and a great relief — when the toppling finally begins.”

YouTube videos of BMAC’s past domino topplings have been viewed hundreds of thousands of times, and BMAC has attracted attention from topplers around the world. For more information and links to those videos, visit www.brattleboromuseum.org.

Founded in 1972, the Brattleboro Museum & Art Center presents rotating exhibits of contemporary art, complemented by lectures, artist talks, film screenings, and other public programs. The museum’s exhibits and gift shop are open Sunday, Monday, Wednesday, Thursday: 11-5; Friday: 11-7; Saturday: 10-5. Regular admission is $8 for adults, $6 for seniors, and $4 for students. Members and children under 6 are admitted free of charge. Located in historic Union Station in downtown Brattleboro, at the intersection of Main Street and Routes 119 and 142, the museum is wheelchair accessible. For more information call 802-257-0124 or visit www.brattleboromuseum.org.

Major support for BMAC is provided by its members and Entergy Vermont Yankee, Foard Panel, C&S Wholesale Grocers, Sam’s Outdoor Outfitters, People’s United Bank, Brattleboro Ford Subaru, and Whetstone Station Restaurant & Brewery.