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Highlands Today

Children's Museum

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Linda Crowder

Published: September 5, 2008

The Children's Museum has just reopened after two weeks of heavy-duty labor. Much of what was accomplished will not be visible to our families coming in to play. But it was necessary work to keep improving what we offer to the children in Highlands County. I would like to thank several people that put forth an extra effort to help the museum accomplish the very long list of needed jobs.

Our volunteers were wonderful — Bill Hawkins and Craig Crowder — spent long hours doing hard physical labor to fix a multitude of areas that needed special help. Some of the jobs they accomplished included laying new flooring, painting a wide variety of areas, repairing different components of existing exhibits and preliminary work on two new exhibit areas.

One labor-intensive effort required the help of a professional. Larry Mercure spent hours taking apart our Waterworks exhibit, replacing the rotted wood and rebuilding it. Visitors today may not notice any difference but we know that because of Larry's work, our exhibit is much improved and will last for many years. Thanks goes to Halvorsen Auto Restyling for donating material and labor to refinish the entire bottom 16-foot section of the maze, not in our original plan but we realized it couldn't wait. We also have a beautiful new mural painted by Linda Hacker that will house our new "Drumbeat Safari," which is scheduled to open in October.

I want to thank Steve and Nell Roberts for donating a gorgeous hot air balloon basket and the balloon that goes with it. The basket is almost ready for play and work as begun on the balloon to display it in the museum.

Thank you to the following businesses that accomplished a lot in a little time: Shoemaker Plumbing, Weldy Electric and Gary King Construction all jumped on board and helped, not only with what they originally were asked to do but also with additional problems that cropped up during the work time.

We are now open for visitors, as you come in — look at our beautifully renewed façade. Gary King spent hours in a basket perched high above the museum in the hot sun, so that our museum looks great.

Come and play — we are ready for you!

Linda Crowder
Director
Sebring

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