By Sarah Sternhagen
Baltimore Watchdog Staff Writer
Planning for an annual mathematical holiday takes work. There’s a planetarium display of infinite numbers to create, science experiments to prepare and many, many pies to bake.
This is the preparation the Maryland Science Center is making for Pi Day, on Friday, March 14. Over 1,700 kids, chaperones, and families skipping school attend decade-long tradition.
“It’s very attractive to teachers who have taken the concept of teaching pi in class and now when they come to us it’s a chance to just celebrate everything that they’ve learned in a really fun way,” said Val Sullivan, the marketing manager at Maryland Science Center.
The annual celebration of the mathematical constant used to calculate circles, 3.14, happens every year on March 14. Math and food enthusiasts alike celebrate the day, and in the Science Center’s case, that’s more than 20 schools across Maryland.
“Obviously the younger kids, I think, are adorable to see,” Sullivan said. “But then when a middle schooler, high schooler, can let go of their coolness and just experience the space the way that it’s intended, I love seeing that.”
The Great Science Pie-Off is one of the big showcases. One chemically-prepared pie gets lit on fire and a foaming reaction in another will create what looks like a stream of toothpaste fit for an elephant. There are also edible pie slices for free downstairs at the cafe, courtesy of one local shop, Dangerously Delicious Pies.
Dangerously Delicious sits on O’Donnell Street in Canton and they have their own way to celebrate pi. They’ll be featuring $5 pie slices stacked for grab-and-go orders on Pi Day.
“We kind of just fell into it,” Mary Wortman said. She and her husband, John, bought the business in January of 2012. Soon they will be rebranding to become B-More Pies & Sweets. But Wortman said they will stay in the same location and that a name change won’t stop future Pi Day celebrations.
“Year after year, it’s just grown,” Wortman said. “People really just embrace the whole mathematical pi day.”
Though the Science Center have broadened their activities to create a more inclusive day for the less numerically inclined, mathematicians still have fun.
“The guest that is really into reciting pi into the hundreds of digits, they will come in and let us know,” Education Manager Jami Spriggs said.
Pi Day is a staple at both the Science Center and Dangerously Delicious. Neither have any plans of stopping their celebrations, if anything, they want more people to join them.
“I think at this point, like between us and Dangerously Delicious, we’re the place to go for a Pi Day celebration,” Sullivan said.