Community Rallies to Support Children’s Museum Expansion
The long-standing Eagle River landmark Northwoods Children’s Museum received a major financial and enthusiasm boost early this month when a Play it Forward fundraising event in Eagle River attracted more than 65 local supporters, volunteers, and sponsor representatives.
The event occurred on June 9 at Riverstone Brewing Company and included a silent auction of donated items, including vacation packages to Sedona, Arizona, and to international vacation spots in Portugal, Greece, and Scotland. There were also raffle tickets sold for additional prizes and other donating opportunities for the many supporters in attendance. At the end of the evening, all the silent action items and all the raffle tickets were sold.
Margie Rychlock is an Experience Manager and has been with children’s museum for 15 years. She said this was the first major fundraiser in the past five years and is part of a larger campaign designed to help generate financial support to maintain daily operations and to update and expand exterior and interior facilities. The first of these updates is currently active as the building is in the middle of receiving an exterior facelift that is expected to be mostly completed by the end of June.
While the recent fundraising dollar results have not been formally announced, museum officials will be looking next at interior improvements, including the addition of new themed learning exhibits utilizing vacant or underused building space at the Eagle River location on West Division Street. Last year, the museum also received a new roof, new water heater and new air conditioning units.
“This is an exciting time for the museum,” according to Rychlock, “and we are ready to grow. It is also exciting to have such strong community support, including from our generous sponsors. It means a lot to us and to the many children who visit for the wide variety of interactive experiences.” The website for the museum lists a target of $600,000 needed to complete the desired updates.
Pazia Peterson is the Lead Play Expert and manages social media for the museum. She agrees with Rychlock and added, “The Northwoods Children’s Museum is a community-owned resource and has been that way since its opening in 1998. It is all about the children and using learning methods to encourage curiosity in a fun and colorful environment.”
According to Peterson, the age of the building and some of the original exhibits are starting to show some wear, and the fundraising campaign is designed to help keep the facility modern, safe, and fun for the kids. Many of the popular exhibits such as the Pioneer Cabin have been there since the facility opened 27 years ago. The latest exhibit to be placed is the Fire Safety center which was built by volunteers of the Eagle River Fire Department and includes a replica firetruck and child sized fire gear.
The Northwoods Children’s Museum is a 501c3 nonprofit organization and has a monthly operating budget of $25,000 while serving approximately 26,000 visitors per year. There are 26 interactive exhibits plus a Discovery Toy Store available Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. and Saturdays from 10 until 3 p.m., located at 346 West Division St. in Eagle River.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Bill Zuelke is a freelance journalist who moved to the Northwoods more than a decade ago after a long career in the health insurance industry. Writing has always played a key role in his work through the years where he has produced and edited several large corporate publications, presentations, and a wide variety of marketing print material. In recent years, he has been a news and sports contributor for the Vilas County News-Review and Three Lakes News, and has won awards for his sports photography by the Wisconsin Newspaper Association.