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Buckeye Regional Kickoff Watch Party

Presented by the Great Lakes Science Center

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The Great Lakes Science Center is proud to host the 2024 FIRST® Robotics Competition (FRC) Season Kickoff Watch Party! 

“Kickoff” marks the start of the 2024 FIRST® Robotics Competition (FRC) season, and on Saturday, January 6, 2024, nearly 4,000 high school robotics teams in 26 countries will gather online, or at one of the more than 130 kickoff locations around the world, to watch streaming video of FIRST® Founder Dean Kamen, CEO Chris Moore, and other special guests from the worlds of sport, entertainment, and science & technology as they reveal the official GAME Animation, and other important details about this season’s challenge, "CRESCENDO!"

Be sure to watch the Game Reveal & Kickoff Celebration Broadcast on Saturday, January 6, 2024 at 12:00PM ET on FIRSTtv at http://www.twitch.tv/firstinspires

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DIRECTIONS

The Great Lakes Science Center sits on the shores of Lake Erie and is one of the major attractions of Cleveland's North Coast Harbor.  Nestled between the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and FirstEnergy Stadium, the Science Center is easily accessible from Interstate 71 (I-71),  Interstate 77 (I-77), Interstate 90 (I-90), and Ohio State Route 2 (SR 2). Look for the iconic Cleveland Clinic DOME Theater. 

• GPS Address: 601 Erieside Avenue, Cleveland, Ohio 44114

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• From the South: Follow I-71 or I-77 North to I-90 East.  Continue on I-90 East, then take the Lakewood exit (Exit 174B) to SR-2 West. From SR-2 West, take the East 9th Street exit (Exit 195A).  Turn right onto East 9th Street, then left onto Erieside Avenue.  The Great Lakes Science Center will be on your right just past the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

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• From the East: Follow I-90 West to SR-2 West to Lakewood.  Take the East 9th Street exit (Exit 195A) then turn right onto 9th Street, then left onto Erieside Avenue.  The Great Lakes Science Center will be on your right just past the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

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• From the West (I-90): Follow I-90 East into Cleveland. Take the Lakewood exit (Exit 174B) to SR-2 West. From SR-2 take the East 9th Street exit (Exit 195A).  Turn right onto East 9th Street, then left onto Erieside Avenue.  The Great Lakes Science Center will be on your right just past the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. 

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• From the West (State Route 2): Follow State Route 2 East to Cleveland. Take the East 9th Street exit )Exit 195A). Turn left onto East 9th Street, then turn left onto Erieside Avenue.  The Great Lakes Science Center will be on your right just past the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

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 Click HERE for specific set-by-step directions from your location.

ABOUT THE VENUE

The Great Lakes Science Center is proud to host the local Kickoff Watch Party for participating FRC teams from northeastern Ohio and western Pennsylvania. 

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The event will take place on Saturday, January 6th, inside the Cleveland Clinic IMAX Dome Theatre, one of the major attractions at the Science Center. The Cleveland Clinic DOME Theater comfortably seats nearly 300 guests with wheelchair-accessible seating available. The theatre features a giant domed screen that soars six stories high, and a state-of-the-art sound system that will surround viewers with more than 11,600 watts of ultra-real digital sound, creating a kickoff experience like no other. 

Pre-show activities will begin promptly at 11:00 AM and will feature light refreshments, exciting guest speakers, FIRST® Trivia, prizes, and more!  The highlight of the event is the livestream webcast from FIRST® Headquarters in New Hampshire! Following the webcast, participating teams can pick up their “Kit of Parts,” which will be used to build their competition robot. Participating FRC teams can also reserve meeting/conference room space at the Science Center where they can meet to discuss robot design and game strategy.  Box lunches are available. 

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For more information about the Buckeye Regional kickoff watch party, or to arrange for special accessibility accommodations at the event, please contact JonDarr Bradshaw, the Buckeye Regional Kickoff Coordinator at:FRCBuckeyeCoordinator@gmail.com..

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EVENT PARKING

Parking is available for visitors attending the Buckeye Regional Kickoff Watch Party in the Science Center's attached 500-car parking facility. The maximum height of the garage is 6'10".  The entrance is located on the Science Center's west side facing FirstEnergy Stadium. Parking Validation will be provided for FRC attendees. There is also a $2.00 discount on general admission for all FRC Team members who wish to stay after the webcast to tour the Great Lakes Science Center.

• Attendees traveling by car or van will be able to enter the building from the lower level of the parking structure onto the science center’s Promenade, a beautiful, spacious atrium area that overlooks Cleveland's North Coast Harbor. From there, visiting teams will proceed to the second floor for Team Check-in.

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• Busses can off-load passengers at the main entrance, then park in the designated “Bus Lane” on Erieside Avenue (the Bus Lane begins behind the Science Center and extends along the curb behind the nearby football stadium. Drivers will be instructed to park their buses or oversized vehicles on the north side of the street. Great Lakes Science Center staff and volunteers will be on hand at the main entrance to direct attendees to Team Check-in and to provide your bus driver with a map and a “Parking Pass” sign that must be displayed in the bus window when parking in the designated Bus Lane.

*NOTE - Teams picking up Kits of Parts should come prepared with a hand truck to transport the heavy kits to their vehicles.

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