ST. GEORGE — Nothing brings out the family like free admission to the St. George Children’s Museum.
Such was the case Saturday when museum officials and families from around the region gathered for a 10th anniversary celebration.
The facility right next to Town Square Park was teeming with children of all ages. Their parents tried to corral them while an occasional family dog poked around the grounds outside on the lawn.
Inside the multi-leveled structure, it was standing-room-only organized chaos.
Face painting at the St. George Children’s Museum was part of its 10th anniversary celebration, St. George, Utah, June 1, 2024 | Photo by E. George Goold, St. George News
“The community we’re in is full of families, full of kids, full of individuals that love their kids and they love creating opportunities for them,” Executive Director Will Craven told St. George News.
As previously reported, Craven was named museum director in August. He said the museum has grown considerably in the past decade but remains true to the mission statement it had at the very beginning in 2014.
“A place for kids to be able to come, to be inspired about education, to be inspired about the world around them,” Craven said. “And to discover, imagine and create.”
Craven attributed the rapid growth of the facility and its programs to the family-friendly community in St. George, as well as to the museum’s many generous sponsors.
“They’ve come on board. If you think of a company in the community, more than likely they’re a sponsor here,” Craven said. “Especially if they’re local and they’ve been here a long time. We’re very thankful for that.”
He added that there is a loyal base of cherished museum fans “who really just love us” and donate.
“That’s why we’re here,” Craven said. “People just love to learn, love to come and explore, and it’s just an amazing place.”
Navigating the final frontier
Craven said that the anniversary celebration served as a fine time to announce the museum’s next major exhibit.
L-R: St. George Children’s Museum Board Chairman Kurt Ivie, Southern Utah Homebuilders Association CEO Mari Krashowetz and St. George Children’s Museum Director Will Craven prepare to cut a ribbon for a new room, St. George, Utah, June 1, 2024 | Photo by E. George Goold, St. George News
“We want to raise $150,000 over the course of the next year and then we’ll be able to begin construction,” he said.
In partnership with Intergalactic, an aerospace company located here in St. George, the museum will exhibit models of a lunar rover, a moon habitat and a moon lander.
“The kids will be able to learn how life in space is going to work,” Craven said. “How life on the moon is going to work. And hopefully inspire them to become explorers, become inventors, become forward-thinking individuals that will bring us into the next phase of our future.”
St. George Children’s Museum Board Chairman Kurt Ivie told St. George News that while the moon exhibit might be a year away, the museum has several new exhibits that are currently open for the public.
“We’ve developed a science room, we’ve renovated the Utah Tech room, the athletic room,” Ivie said. “We got the dinosaur room that we just went through. We’re really excited about where the museum is at, and where it’s going.”
Photo Gallery
Face painting at the St. George Children’s Museum was part of its 10th anniversary celebration, St. George, Utah, June 1, 2024 | Photo by E. George Goold, St. George News
L-R: St. George Children’s Museum Board Chairman Kurt Ivie, Southern Utah Homebuilders Association CEO Mari Krashowetz and St. George Children’s Museum Director Will Craven cheer at the ribbon cutting for a new room, St. George, Utah, June 1, 2024 | Photo by E. George Goold, St. George News
The St. George Children’s Museum marked its 10th anniversary Saturday with a community celebration, St. George, Utah, June 1, 2024 | Photo by E. George Goold, St. George News
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