Oklahoma Today Winter 1983-1984 Volume 34 ... - Digital Collections

I Hope, and the sudden "landing" of what
'
looks like a spaceship occupied by little
cute-but-clever characters whose visit is
also part of the overall script to explain
1 the workings of free enterprise.
)
1
Visitors then go up to the third floor
on the glass-fronted elevator, an attrac-
tion that in itself has been called the
largest audio-visual show in the world.
The visitors continue the tour of such
shows and take-part attractions as a place
called "Free to Choose," where anyone
can see himself-r, of course, herself-
/ on a video screen, acting the part of
whatever he or she would like to be,
including president of the United States.
There's also a room where the faces in
giant currency bills talk to supplement a
slide show telling about the free market.
I Another show has a large talking, con-
stantly changing face, portrayed by nine ' anything you want to do."
video screens, that represents the people Some areas keep him especially busy
of the nation and the government-and- as the technician. "I spend more time in
people relationship. the Venture Room," he says. "There are
Then there's an arcade where eight three or four different types of comput-
different video games can be played by ers in the place."
visitors to demonstrate, entertainingly, And there are areas he likes to talk
how the free enterprise system works. about from the view of the visitor.
The attractions seem to go on and on, "The Free to Choose, that's probably
and Irby, while walking by each one, can the biggest thing with the school
constantly see himself as both the tech- groups," he says. "And I don't care if it's
nician and the visitor. adults in their 50s and 60s or kids, if
"It's really a learning center, is what it they're in a group they have so much fun
is," he says. "It has some traits of a that pretty soon you have to tell them to
museum, and some traits of an amuse- move on."
ment park. It's really what it's called: an And, because of some characteristics
'educational attraction. ' of the attraction, he says it's about as
"Overall, we try to show how econo- much fun to watch the visitors as it is to
my affects everybody. A lot happens be- visit. The color blue plays a major part in
cause of various things, and you can do the phenomenon of the attraction, which