The Children's Museum of Oak Ridge invites guest to create costumes reflecting the theme "A Night in the Rainforest" from 6-9 p.m. Friday, Nov. 22. The evening features guest speaker Stephen Lyn Bales, a naturalist speaking on the colorful hummingbirds that inhabit the rainforest, dinner, and a live auction to support the Museum conducted by Clinton auctioneer Bear Stephenson.

The Gala evening will feature the Selma Shapiro Friend of the Child Award, which will honor Barry Stephenson, President and CEO of Materials and Chemistry Laboratory, Inc. (MCLinc), of Oak Ridge.
Stephenson and the employee-owned company have been longtime friends and supporters of the Museum, contributing to improvements making the Museum accessible for strollers and for those with disabilities, and supporting the Gala over many years.

Heather Haley, WVLT-TV Chief Meteorologist, will emcee the Gala. Guest DJ Matt Sieger, whose day job is as a project director for Oak Ridge National Laboratory’s Oak Ridge Leadership Computing Facility, will spin music with a rainforest theme.