As the Curious Kids Museum in St. Joseph prepares to move into a new location at 601 Main Street, its annual fundraising gala this month will be a little different.
Museum Director Lori Marciniak tells us they’re eager to reveal details about the new building and move. What better time to do it than during the gala?
“We’re going to do it in our new building, in our new space at 601 Main Street, and we’re going to give all of our attendees and our donors kind of a sneak peek at what we’re going to do to the building, the architectural changes we will make, the exhibits we’re designing to put in there,” Marciniak said.
There will be posters up showing what will go where, and Marciniak says the timeline for all the renovations will also be revealed.
So, do people frequently ask her about the plans?
“Oh, all the time. I mean, people that even come in for the summer have Googled us, the Children’s Museum, so then they see these articles. So there’s lots of questions all summer, and from our locals as well. ‘What’s going on? When is it going to happen?'”
Marciniak says because of the new location for the fundraiser, the event this year won’t include an auction or a sit-down dinner. They will have heavy appetizers and drinks, but the focus of the event this time around is the plan for the new building. Those who want details can still get tickets to the September 19 celebration, which is typically the biggest fundraiser of the year for Curious Kids.
Marciniak was able to tell us construction at the new building will begin this fall now that the Heritage Museum has moved out. The Curious Kids move will likely be in 2027. In the meantime, they’ll be operating at three different buildings, in various capacities, and details of new branding that will be used during the transition period will also be revealed at the fundraiser.
