North Iowa Children’s Museum Update

Greetings, friends!

It’s been a busy year for our Board of Directors.  You’ve probably seen us out and about in the North Iowa region over the past year.  It’s been a pleasure chatting with SO many amazing families.  You keep us motivated to continue our endeavor and bring a children’s museum to life in North Iowa. 

We thought it might be fun to do a bit of an update and get everyone up to speed on what’s been happening behind the scenes for our organization.

This past year, we kicked off our capital campaign and were able to hold, attend, and assist a variety of fundraisers and activities within the community.  We were able to see many of you last summer as we attended 4 separate Thursdays on Main nights.  Events included a sensory night, sink or float demonstration, magnetic experiments, and a repeat night of our favorites.  

We will attend Thursdays on Main this year on August 17 for the annual Back to School night.  It will be a great culmination after a fantastic summer to celebrate the beginning to school!

We hosted over 300 individuals at our Wind Discovery Fundraiser prior to Color the Wind.  Participants engaged with a wind tunnel, made kites, and had a story time with local teachers. 

In September, we held our first annual When Pigs Fly Fundraiser out at Plain Ol’ Pumpkins.  Small foam pigs were dropped from an airplane and the pigs landing closest to the target won prize packages from local businesses.  It was a day filled with apple sling shots, a piglet petting zoo, corn pit fun, crafty activities, tractor rides, pumpkin ring toss, and the Instrument Petting Zoo. 

Be sure to mark your calendar for September 30, 2023, for our next When Pigs Fly event out at Plain Ol’ Pumpkins.  It is definitely a sight to see and you don’t want to miss the fun!

We also had a booth at the Green Expo to celebrate Earth Day.  It was a fantastic opportunity to chat with people.  The kids who stopped by received a coloring sheet and heart-shaped crayons recycled from broken ones.  The next day, approximately 50 children planted sunflowers with us at the Lakeview Room.

Seems like a lot of activities, right?  Well, that’s not all. 

We planned a fun “spring” activity for the kick-off to Farmer’s Market.  About 1200 people visit this incredible event each Saturday.  We met a lot of new friends who planted their own seeds into a cup as we discussed how to care for it as it began to grow.

And lastly, just a few weeks ago we were a part of the first ever Meet a Machine event held at the Clear Lake Wellness Center.  This was a spectacular joint effort that brought giant machinery from all over the region to the parking lot at the CLAW.  There were food trucks, inflatables, and games on hand as well.  A big highlight was when the Mercy helicopter landed on the school grounds. 

It was amazing!

Kudos to everyone who helped plan this event, because it was quite impressive!

Our Board has worked hard to be active and involved in the community.  Getting our name out and meeting with families who will benefit from this project is key to our success. 

Another area of focus is fundraising.  When chatting with people in the community, a commonly asked question is, “Where will you be located?” 

Well, that depends on a variety of factors, really!  While I won’t divulge them all, a large portion is the amount of funds we are able to procure.  Just know we are in continuous talks with the City, and hope to be able to share a location with the public soon!

To date, we have received donations (or a commitment) from the following organizations and individuals:

Pritchard’s Family Auto Store

Curries/ASSA ABLOY

Stellar

Rye Construction

The Funky Zebras Clear Lake

Sukup Manufacturing

Bergland + Cram

Fizz Co.

Jim & Twila Hendrix

Kris Smith

John Welch

Dane Whaley

Kristin Avery

Christy Engebretson

Carol Ramaekers

Trevor Richardson

Ryan Bowman

Rachel Courtney 

CHI Trading

In total, we have approximately $625,000 committed of our $5million goal.  We are BEYOND thankful to those who have donated or committed to this project.  While we are making strides, we still have a long way to go.

But… we are running a marathon here, not a sprint!  The North Iowa Children’s Museum project is an extensive undertaking, one not without challenges and obstacles.  Our Board of Directors is dedicated to seeing this through to fruition and continues to work diligently within North Iowa. 

If you are interested in donating to our endeavor, you can do so at www.northiowachildrensmuseum.org