T- minus two days!!

So shutdown... somehow... is almost over. Where did those three weeks go?? The museum looks incredibly different and is filled with fresh colors, beautiful carpet, and some amazing new art installations. Not to mention the layout of exhibits has been revamped. And the staff have the battle scars and fatigue to prove it! We are so proud of our work, and we look forward to showing it off to you!

It was quite a push to finish (or is that "finish"? Don't look in the staff hallway!) everything in time for our fundraising event, Fancy Steps, that took place on Saturday night. The dance exhibition at City Hall was so great- congratulations to all the dancers; you all did an amazing job!! A tremendous amount of people then poured into the museum for a reception to enjoy delicious food catered by the Delaney House/Log Cabin and to check out the work we've done. It was really inspiring to see the numbers of people who came out to support us- Thank you, thank you, thank you!

And so, we re-open on Wednesday for regular business. Anyone curious about Think and Play Fridays should come down this Friday, October 2nd. The new program is more involved and truly dedicated to our preschoolers. It will begin at 9:30 am and run for approximately 45 minutes to an hour. Be looking forward to music and movement, fun with food, art projects, and more with Ashley! The museum is closed to the public before 10:00am, so we will have the museum to ourselves!
This week, we will be featuring special guest, Velvet St. Amand, who will be teaching us about Baby Sign and sign language. Come and learn new signs with songs, interactive play activities and find out more about the Baby Signs® program. So bring baby brothers and sisters too! Also, plan on some fun art projects and a yummy snack! Arrive for the program promptly because it's only $6.00 per family (this includes admission to the museum) and is free for members. Anyone arriving after 10:00am will have to pay regular museum admission prices. Hope to see you all there!

Destruction! (in a good way)

I am so excited to inform all of you that the museum is now in full disarray... We're really doing it; there's no turning back now! This whole week has been devoted to demolition in all forms.

The staff have been here every day helping to organize the incredibly long list of improvements that we hope to accomplish. So far, we have managed to...

• Take all of our exhibits off of the floor (everything is sitting in the staff hallway)

• Rip up most of the old carpeting

• Prime the entirety of Cityscape (which, by the way, looks like a scary ghost town in its current all-white form...)

• Prime the walls and pick tile for the new birthday room (beautiful, bright blue!)

• Cut the hole going through the wall from the theater into our new art room (former Dalmation Room)

Our museum is going to look beautiful, and we would sincerely like to thank all of the workers that have helped us this past week for contributing to that goal! Thanks to everyone from the Sheriff's Department and also all of the United Way Day of Caring workers! We absolutely could not have done all of this without you- you are all invaluable!

Keep checking back for more progress pictures as we proceed....

Last Weekend Open!

Time is flying, and it is officially our last weekend open at the Children's Museum at Holyoke before our annual September Shutdown! We will be closed starting Monday, September 7th and will re-open on Wednesday, September 30th. The weather is beautiful, and the feeling in the air is one of anticipation and excitement. Please come and join us this weekend for some last minute fun and games! As another quick reminder, the Holyoke Merry-Go-Round (also located in Heritage State Park) has reverted to its winter hours. It is now open from 12:00pm until 4:00pm on weekends only. (photo source: holyokemerrygoround.org)

To continue with our "Introducing..." Series, I am excited to present you this month with a staff member who is not often seen by the general public. She is a seriously behind-the-scenes gal without whose hard work we would never be open today. She has worked with the museum for 8 years and is the go-to lady for need-to-know information on museum policy. Her name is Brenda Parent, and she is our Administrative Manager. If you have ever booked a birthday party, private event, or field trip, Brenda is in charge of our schedule and likely talked with you on the phone. She deals with all of our memberships and the general nitty gritty of daily operation. We love her dearly, and I hope you will all say hello if you see her around the museum!

Our first week of shutdown is sure to bring some dramatic changes to the look of the museum. On Friday, September 11th, the Mass Mutual Financial Group and Hamilton Sundstrand will be joining us for the United Day of Caring. Their generous employees will be donating their time to help some of our goals be realized! Think cleaning, new paint, and some exciting construction! As we progress, I will be adding photos and commentary to the blog, so stay tuned. Some of the magical week to look foward to (photo source: luckeyclimbers.com)...

• Death-defying cleaning... Can anyone guess how we might get to the top of the curvy climber?
  
• A disappearing act involving a certain dingy blue/grey carpet...
  
• Construction of a new exhibit.... Have you ever wanted to stand inside a bubble?

Finally, head on down tomorrow to Holyoke's first Block Party put on by Holyoke C.R.U.S.H. "C.R.U.S.H. (Citizens for the Revitalization and Urban Success of Holyoke) is a non-partisan group of residents and business owners focused on generating concrete and tangible plans that will contribute to the revitalization of Holyoke" (crushonholyoke.org). Check out their blog for more information on times and what to expect. Our own Dayna Abrazinski will be there facepainting and giving away informational packets and free passes on behalf of the museum!