You will see something new and possibly startling in Centre Market in Wheeling next time you visit. A rather large Tyrannosaurus Rex head crashing out of the Smart Centre will be glaring down over you as you shop in the district.
The Smart Centre Market science store recently won Show of Hands, a community supported crowdfunding event, to help fund this project. Robert and Libby Strong, the owners, presented their plan to enhance their store front with a Tyrannosaurus Rex crashing through an upper story window. You see, while driving north in Centre Market, you can’t see their storefront as it faces 22nd Street. All that has changed.
Show of Hands is a project of Wheeling Heritage. In the round that the Strongs won, $5,257 was awarded to them. That amount almost completely covered the creation of the T. Rex, two additional signs, freight, and installation. Giant dinosaur heads don’t come cheap.
Making a Visual Impact
Both owners are science and math educators and former classroom teachers with Master’s degrees a nice a healthy sense of humor. They have wanted to make this project at Smart Center happen for years. When the opportunity arose to get funding, it was a no-brainer.
Smart Center won Show of Hands enabling them to have the T. Rex Head created for their building. 
Robert Strong, co-owner of Smart Centre Market excitedly awaits the installation of the T. Rex head 
Excited and chilly onlookers await the T. Rex installation 
T. Rex head flawlessly making it’s way upward. 
Almost in! The T. Rex weighs approximately 150 lbs. 
T. Rex being bolted to the building in Smart Centre Market. The “window” has been painted to look like he/she is crashing through the building. 
The T. Rex is up and crashing into Centre Market, Wheeling, WV!
While I want to say the T. Rex head is giant, it is actually close to scale which is, well, huge. He or she is approximately 150 pounds and around 5-6 feet in length. It’s actually an accurate representation of the size of a T. Rex looming over its new home.
Inside the Smart Centre, their merchandise is educational, fun, and some is quite beautiful like the caddisfly jewelry they stock. They let you interact with the items such as trying out the telescopes, figuring out how to work a gyroscope, or finding the perfect silly gift like stuffed versions of microbes.
Science Programming
In addition to coming up with an amazing way to get their business noticed, the Strongs work with many local schools to provide well-rounded science curriculum. They provide the tools and instruction for guided science programming through their non-profit branch, SMARTCenter.org. Science-Math-Art-Research-Technology. Robert also presents a radio program every Saturday morning called Radio Science News. It is sponsored by the Near Earth Object Foundation and SMART Centre Market. The broadcast/webcast is live Saturday mornings: 11 a.m.-Noon EST and re-broadcast Sundays 2:00-3:00 p.m. and Wednesday 8:00 – 9:00 p.m. on WEJP 107.1 FM Wheeling Community Radio.
You can also attend their star watches, Saturday Science demos for kids, camps, live music on First Friday, host birthday parties, and ask just about any science question no matter how complicated. Much of their public programming such as Saturday Science is free and provides an amazing learning resource for local children and adults.
If you haven’t been in or seen their store, now is the time to stop by, check out a T. Rex, and have some delicious Kirke’s Ice Cream that they serve in the shop.
Related: Centre Market Open for Business
