Blacksburg kids' museum gets a place to call home at First & Main
Blacksburg Children's Museum officials said a donated storefront in the First & Main shopping center will help fundraising.
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Friday, June 14, 2013
The Blacksburg Children’s Museum is starting to feel a little more real, but it’s still a long way from welcoming the region’s kids.
The nonprofit now has a place to call home after it was donated space in the First & Main shopping center on South Main Street. But Janine Kniola , chair of the museum’s board, said it still needs to raise about $1 million to fill that space with exhibits.
“We’re pretty far from that goal right now,” she said. “Obviously, we want to ensure that we are sustainable in the long term. So our goal is very lofty.”
The children’s museum organized into a nonprofit in 2010 and planned to open, by 2015, a fun, interactive place where kids can learn . Kniola said so far the community has embraced the idea of getting its first children’s museum, but fundraising has been difficult without a storefront.
“I think now that we have a permanent space, people will be able to see that it is tangible and that this is something that is really going to happen,” she said. “We can start building out some of our exhibits very soon. But certainly in order to really open on a regular basis we will need to fundraise more aggressively.”
Kniola isn’t sure when it will open, but when it does the museum will be geared toward children ages toddler to middle school. Admission is now planned at about $5 and will give children access to a variety of learning-oriented activities.
“All of the exhibits will be hands-on, allowing children to explore art, science, creativity, technology in ways that will really be educational,” she said.
They’ll make crafts, learn about fire safety from firefighters and animals from veterinarians.
The plan also includes a mock grocery store so kids can pretend to shop.
“There’s so much learning that goes on there with fake money,” Kniola said. “They learn communication skills with each other and math skills.”
Blacksburg may have to wait for the grand opening, but in the meantime the museum is offering “sneak peeks” and pop-up exhibits. Just last month it set up shop for one afternoon to help get the word out.
“It was packed the entire time,” Kniola said. “Many children played in the morning, left for lunch, then came back and played more in the afternoon. So they were definitely entertained and were able to explore things that they wouldn’t have otherwise.”
When Blacksburg APF Partners, the owners of First & Main shopping center, saw the success of these events, they knew it was something they wanted to be a part of. For the next six months, the shopping center has donated an empty space where Rack Room Shoes used to be. After then, the children’s museum will be offered reduced rent.
“A concept like the Children’s Museum is difficult to raise money for until people are convinced it’s going to happen,” attorney Jeff Mitchell said, speaking for Blacksburg APF Partners. “[We] believe the steps they took today demonstrate to the supporters of the museum that it’s going to happen. Now you need to support it.”
Of course, First & Main also has a thing or two to gain from its new tenant.
The Blacksburg Children’s Museum is the only member of the Association of Children’s Museums within two hours’ travel, the nearest being Lynchburg’s Amazement Square. Combine it with the previously announced and upcoming CineBowl & Grille – a combination IMAX theater, restaurant and bowling alley that broke ground on Wednesday – and Mitchell said he expects the shopping center to become a regional destination.
“This is a big step in the history of the center,” he said. “We think the geographic reach of the everyday shopper will be much, much broader.”
1. 41-vehicle wreck ties up traffic Sunday on I-81 in Rockbridge County
2. Virginia Tech football roster has holes on picture day
3. Medicare penalties hit hospitals in Roanoke, New River Valleys
4. Microfestivus beer event gets downtown Roanoke hopping
5. McFarling: 2 little numbers are a big hurdle for Virginia Tech football
6. Arrest made in case of missing Nelson County teen
7. DAN CASEY: Copter cost still stirring up dust
8. Virginia attorney general's office grows under Ken Cuccinelli
9. Man's drowning is 5th in Lynchburg area
10. Roanoke farmers markets making local foods more accessible
THE ROANOKE TIMES
