Jon Austria/The Daily Times Nicole Daily helps her daughters Madison, left, and Macie construct their leprechaun trap at the E3 Children's Museum & Science Center on Saturday. (Jon Austria)
FARMINGTON — David Telford stopped for a moment, his face scrunched with concentration. His little glue and glitter smeared hands fumbled with a tight lid.

It was Saturday, March 16 the day before St. Patrick's Day and Telford, 8, was among six children testing their luck against the Luck of the Irish.

The room at the E3 Children's Museum was a whir of activity from 1-3 p.m. as the children assembled leprechaun traps.

"They're going to think it's gold," Telford said pointing at the glitter-encrusted paper shamrock he cut out.

He rigged up a rubber band to a triggering device.

"It releases the top and traps the leprechaun," he said with a slight lisp.

Telford has high hopes for his trap.

The leprechaun will lead him to a pot of gold nearly as tall as he is, and wide as his arms outspread, Telford said.

As for the gold, "I'm going to buy Star Wars," he said with a grin.

Cherie Powell, education coordinator at the museum, said the leprechaun trap event is one of her favorites.

"I just tell them they need something to lure the leprechauns and something to keep them trapped," she said. "That's all I give them. They're so inventive."

The traps get particularly complex when fathers are involved in the projects, she said. The traps they create with their children range from simple rope-and-stick triggers to elaborate Rube Goldberg machines that use devices such as a falling cup attached to a string to entrap the magical creatures.

"I've even

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Jon Austria/The Daily Times Haleigh Allen's leprechan trap features a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow. (Jon Austria)
had girl traps," Powell said. "Girls would come in and make their boxes all pink and say, "the lady leprechauns are going to love that.'"

Haleigh Allen, 11, rigged up a box trap of her own.

"He takes the gold," she said placing a little gold-painted nugget at the back of the box, "then the string pulls the stick and the lid shuts."

Allen carefully planned her strategy.

"I'm going to put it by a tree," she said, "cover (the box) in bark and leaves and sticks. Then I'll put Lucky Charms in the box. That's what they eat."

Greg Yee may be reached at gyee@daily-times.com; 564-4606. Follow him on Twitter @GYeeDT


Jon Austria/The Daily Times David Talford sprinkles gold dust on a piece of paper as he creates a leprechaun trap at the E3 Children's Museum & Science Center on Saturday. (Jon Austria)