Chockablock Clock in Strawberry Square
It may be time for a change in Strawberry Square’s atrium, but its iconic clock will keep on ticking as it’s handed off to a new home.
Harristown Enterprises announced on Friday that the over 30-year-old Chockablock Clock will move to Shippensburg University as Strawberry Square begins a new construction project in its place.
“We’re excited for the Chockablock Clock to find new life in such a prominent location as Shippensburg University and look forward to seeing it revitalized there,” Harristown Enterprises CEO Brad Jones said.
In July, the company shared that it would remove the clock from its atrium and replace it with a first-floor stage and second-floor cantilevered meeting room, to be used for a variety of events and functions.
Arizona-based Creative Machines, which builds and maintains these types of machines, will come to Harrisburg on Oct. 11 through 14 to disassemble, catalog and package the clock for moving.
According to Harristown, the clock will then be delivered to Shippensburg who will refurbish, reinstall and maintain the machine in the Ceddia Student Union Building with the support of students in the Milton and Doreen Morgan School of Engineering.
The clock, an audio-kinetic ball machine, was designed by George Rhoads and installed in Strawberry Square in 1988. The 40-foot tower has numerous balls that run through a maze and activate a series of sound and motion devices.
“Thousands of prospective students, current students, families and friends visit the Shippensburg University campus every year,” said Dr. Charles E. Patterson, president of the university. “The Chockablock Clock has been a historic piece of kinetic art in Strawberry Square and South Central Pennsylvania for generations, and we look forward to showcasing it on the Shippensburg campus for all to enjoy.”
For more information on Strawberry Square, visit their website.
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