From the CSC: Carnegie Science Center is breaking out its messiest, sloppiest, grossest activities for a one-of-a-kind celebration guaranteed to kick off 2013 with a plop, splash, squish, and fizz with MessFest on Tuesday, Jan. 1.

MessFest, sponsored by WISH 99.7, features a variety of exciting, hands-on activities that are only available one day a year. From 10 am to 5 pm, visitors will have the chance to get slimy with oobleck, a gooey substance that feels solid when picked up, but then slips through the fingers like a liquid. The Egg Drop activity invites visitors to encase a raw egg in various packing materials, then to drop it over the outdoor railing to see whether it breaks. Kids can become messy artists with finger painting, create their own ‘Mars’ soil as they explore the characteristics of the Red Planet’s ‘dirt,’ make sidewalk chalk out of plaster of Paris and tempera paint, and compete in a pi-eating contest.

In addition to a messy load of hands-on activity tables, visitors can experience the Science Center’s most explosive, high-energy, and grossly entertaining theater programs: “Plant Pop Extreme” in the Kitchen Theater and the “MessFest Challenge” in the Works Theater.

MessFest activities are included with general admission to the Science Center. Visitors should be prepared to get messy! Visit CarnegieScienceCenter.org or call 412.237.3400 for more details.

Throughout the week, check our blog for different places to go or things to do on the Northside for New Years.With crowds downtown for First Night and overbooked restaurants and night clubs, staying near your own neighborhood might be just the right way to ring in 2013. There’s more going on than you think, so check back today through the rest of the week for different ideas to keep the celebration close to home this year.