By Mark Hansel
NKyTribune managing editor
Newport Aquarium’s million-dollar exhibit, Shipwreck: Realm of the Eels is now open to the public.
The aquarium held a ship christening ceremony Friday morning with a presentation of the flags from the communications division color guard from the 14th Marine Regiment and a performance by the Panoply Winds chamber ensemble.
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Newport Aquarium Executive Director Eric Rose christens the Shipwreck: Realm of the Eels exhibit.
Hundreds of guests were in attendance, including Northern Kentucky Chamber president Brent Cooper, City of Newport Commissioner Ken Rechtin and other Northern Kentucky business leaders, along with about 250 school children visiting the aquarium on a field trip.
Newport Aquarium Executive Director Eric Rose broke a ceremonial bottle against the ship’s mast to commemorate the grand opening.
While the christening of a ship by breaking a bottle is a tradition, this may be the first time in history a “shipwreck” has received the honor.
The Mastroianni family made the trip from Danville, Kentucky Friday to check out the new Shipwreck: Realm of the Eels exhibit at Newport Aquarium (photos by Mark Hansel).
When we were getting ready to open this up, we were trying to come up with a different way of doing it,” Rose said. “We have a ship now, so we decided to celebrate like anybody would, and christen our shipwreck.”
Matt and Autumn Mastroianni came up from Danville, Kentucky, with their three children, Clayton, 9, Kevin, 6 and Terra, 3 from Danville to check out the new exhibit.
“It’s really cool. We haven’t been here in about five years, so there’s all kind of new stuff for us to see,” Matt Mastroianni said. “The kids are just loving it.”
Rechtin said the new exhibit demonstrates that Newport continues to be the place to invest.
“I love that just as Newport on the Levee begins a Renaissance, the Newport Aquarium reinvests a million dollars into the new eel exhibit called Shipwreck,” Rechtin said.
Cincinnati-based North American Properties (NAP) purchased Newport on the Levee in December 2018.
The purchase includes an investment of more than $100 million for renovation of the 360,000 square foot, mixed-use development that is flanked by Newport Aquarium and the Purple People Bridge.
Zones in the Shipwreck Realm of the Eels exhibit include:
• Captains Quarters
• Treasure Chest
• Cargo Hold
• Ship’s Anchor
• Ropes and Rigging
Click here for more details about the “Shipwreck” zones.
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Shipwreck: Realm of the Eels was christened at Newport Aquarium Friday.
Shipwreck Realm of the Eels is the latest exhibit, but Freshwater Falls, Ring of Fire: World of the Octopus, Seahorses: Unbridled Fun and all of the other attractions popular with Aquarium visitors, remain.
“All of our exhibits, our Stingrays, Splash and Bubbles, our iconic shark tank, of course, those are our signatures and they will still be here,” Rose said. “Shipwreck being the latest addition to the aquarium, really complements all of our other exhibits. We tried to make this very unique, different and memorable, but at the same time, working with all of the other great exhibits at Newport Aquarium.”
To learn more about the Newport Aquarium and purchase advance tickets, click here or call 800-406-FISH (3474).
Contact Mark Hansel at mark.hansel@nkytrib.com
