About 3,000 eighth-graders from Lawrence, Limestone and Morgan counties descended Friday on the Ingalls Harbor Pavilion and Event Center in Decatur to learn more about career opportunities in the Tennessee Valley.

The Endless Opportunities Career Fair featured more than 40 local industries, many which featured engaging hands-on demonstrations intended to get students to think about their future plans.

“This fair really opens students’ eyes to the many different fields that are right here in our area,” said Heather Gough, an English teacher at West Limestone. “They come here and they see that they really do have endless opportunities.”

A large crowd of fascinated students gathered around Jason Manning, a 3M chemist who handed out mini marshmallows he froze in a pot of frothing liquid nitrogen. West Limestone student Martha Mendez popped one in her mouth and laughed out a puff of smoke.

Manning then gave Caroline Bachus a frozen banana. The West Limestone student then put on a giant pair of blue safety gloves and wields the banana like a hammer, driving a nail into a piece of plywood.

Across the room, C.J. Adamas, a student from West Limestone, attempted to make a magnet float at the EFI Automotive display. Mengying Luo, a magnetic development engineer from the automotive parts manufacturer, explained to Adamas how the floating magnet ties into the magnetic sensors her company puts into car engines. Fascinated, Adamas explained he plans to enroll in the pre-engineering program at the Limestone County Career Technical Center in a couple of years.

“I had no idea how many different types of engineering were out there,” he said.

A group of Athens Bible Students erupted in laugher as their classmate Kara Thomas attempted to walk a straight line while wearing drunk goggles. The Limestone County Sheriff’s Department uses the refracted prism goggles to help students see through the eyes of a person impaired by alcohol.

“The goggles break the ice with these kids,” Limestone County Sheriff’s Office Spokesman Stephen Young said. “It opens up the door for me to talk to them about all the different positions available in law enforcement, from dispatchers to pilots.”

After trying on the goggles, Avery Bruette had a chance to talk with Young.

“I have a lot of family that are in law enforcement so I’ve always wanted to do something with it,” said Bruette, a student at Athens Bible School. “He really helped me see how many choices there are.”

Aly Bolin, a human resources clerk from Nucor Corp., said she had the chance to talk to several students about the career opportunities at her company. Nucor melts down scrap metal into different types of steel.

“We have 720 employees, ranging from sales to mill positions, line operators, supervisors and engineers,” she said. “Kids are asking me what kind of education they need to work here. It’s cool to see so much interest and to be able to give them some direction.”

Jennifer Williamson, President of the Greater Limestone County Chamber of Commerce, helped plan the event this year. She said it’s important to get students to start thinking about their future before they start high school.

“Now days we have so many programs in high school where kids can learn a skill before they even graduate, that it is important we get them excited about a career when they are younger,” she said. “We hope events like this will help put them on the right track.”