Dozens of little shavers will sift sand for dinosaur fossils, purchase pretend produce, link Legos, build with blocks, and make munchkin music at the new hands-on Discover! Children’s Museum that opens Saturday at the Twin City Town Center, tucked between Maurices and Michaels.
Admission to the miniature museum for moppets is $4. It’s open Wednesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. The back room can be reserved for birthday parties during operating hours and the entire museum can be rented for special evening events.
The museum where children learn as they play will be staffed primarily by more than three dozen volunteers during the six-month trial period, when information will be collected about the number of people visiting and how far they’ve traveled.
It’s amazing what dedicated people can accomplish in a short time. Only 2½ years ago, community leaders floated the idea publicly one evening at Centralia College, brainstorming in small groups about how a children’s museum might benefit Lewis County. The closest children’s museum is in Olympia.
The idea easily could have faded into obscurity like other ambitions plans — remember the artisans’ Skye Village proposed near Winlock?
Instead, diligent volunteers sought grants, conducted a feasibility study, and converted the former Hickory Farms store into a miniature hands-on museum.
Of course, Kelly Vanasse and Renell Norquist laid the groundwork for the museum more than five years ago, first by approaching Dr. Isaac Pope and later gaining the support of the Chehalis Community Renaissance Team and its go-getters, including Corine Aiken, of the Vernetta Smith Chehalis Timberland Regional Library, and former co-chairs Larry McGee and Allyn Roe.
“It’s just a dream becoming a reality,” Vanasse said Thursday. “I never thought that it would happen this quickly. Allyn and Larry and Corine and the CCRT has just really enveloped us and made this happen.”
Weekend work parties drew dozens of volunteers willing to help clean the 3,300-square-foot rectangular store and convert it into a treasure for tykes. Among the hardest working were Roe and his family.
“It’s nice to see it get this far and see what it can do,” Roe said. “The pilot will be successful, yes. Getting long-term support is questionable.”
He said they’ll need $160,000 a year in contributions beyond what is earned through admissions to keep the museum operating.
Jim Valley, former director of the Chehalis/Centralia Chamber of Commerce, has been hired to serve as director of the museum.
“It’s exciting to be a part of this,” Valley said. “It’ll be a gem of the community.”
Writers at the Beach
Last weekend, more than two dozen people of prose descended on Ocean Park for the Writers Weekend at the Beach, organized by former Chronicle columnist Bob Hansen, of Onalaska; John Pelkey, of Allyn, Wash;, and Tracie Heskett, of Vancouver.
The February event, which is in its 22nd year, draws writers of all genres to a peaceful retreat center tucked in the woods only a short walk from the beach. I carpooled with author Joyce Scott, of Chehalis.
I’ve been to many writers’ conferences through the years, but what set this one apart was its small size, which created more opportunities to share ideas, conversations, tips, and techniques one-on-one.
Among those teaching workshops and leading sessions were award-winning inspirational novelist Melanie Dobson, of Sherwood, Ore.; editor Normandie Fischer; romance author Birdie Etchison, of Ocean Park; poet Gail Denham, of Sunriver, Ore.; and mystery writer Patricia Rushford and memoirist Marion Duckworth, both of Vancouver, Wash.
If you enjoy writing, consider attending a conference for encouragement and inspiration from kindred spirits.
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Julie McDonald, a personal historian from Toledo, may be reached at memoirs@chaptersoflife.com.
