POTTSTOWN PA – After eight years of planning, research, negotiation, fund-raising, and patiently waiting, representatives of the Pottstown Children’s Discovery Center are now at work installing exhibits inside its brick and mortar home at 95 S. Hanover St.
The center’s revitalized space lies within a downtown Pottstown building (at top) owned by Montgomery County Community College. The structure has been used by the center for activities and events over a period of several years, and recently was secured for a longer term under an occupancy agreement.
That paved the way for its board, volunteers, and contractors to bring designs and floor plans to life.
They include “interactive, hands-on exhibits” to teach children about health and wellness, emotional well-being, and exercise; science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics; and other topics to “strengthen and promote happier, healthier children and families,” its website said.
Kids will learn as they play and explore
The benefit, the center noted, is that kids will “learn through play and exploration, in an environment designed just for them.” It’s expected to open this summer.
What kinds of exhibits await? The center has already installed:
- A playhouse sponsored by Tri County Area Federal Credit Union of Pottstown that looks like, what else?, a financial institution (above). It features tall white columns, faux masonry, a teller’s counter, drive-though window, and a replica automated teller machine;
- Surroundings for its “fishing pond,” (at right) although as of Feb. 23 (Friday) the pond itself had yet to be placed. The challenge for kids is wielding customized poles to snag fabric fish. The colorful fish bodies were handcrafted by Pottstown “lilmiss” artist and retailer Sharon Desimone;
- A Barn-to-Belly Room that shows and explains the origins of what kids eat. Its brightly painted walls are covered by images of vegetable gardens, apple trees, a cornfield, rows of pumpkins, and other farming scenes. The imaginative art is the work of muralist Carrie Kingsbury of PromiseLand Art in Stowe;
- Center founder and Executive Director Beth Desch, in a video tour, said the Barn-to-Belly Room will also feature a floor-to-ceiling barn, with a silo and slide. There’s another “special structure,” too, but so far it remains a surprise; and
- A star-filled wall recognizing the Pottstown Children’s Discovery Center “Founding 50,” the names of 50 initial donors whose contributions attested “to their belief in a revitalized Pottstown and a brighter future for our children.” The star field is part of a corporate donors program logo created for the center by graphic designer Linda Jacobs of Downtown Dezign in Pottstown.
Recent months have created a “crunch time” of sorts for all involved in the center’s development, Desch reports. Volunteers are being recruited to lend a hand and expertise on “building work days,” and to assist in its operations. The center also is busy attracting funding to pay opening costs, staffing, and last-minute expenses.
One such fund-raiser is scheduled for Saturday (March 2, 2024), for families who were pre-registered by Feb. 25.
They can expect to enjoy a two-part event available anytime between 10 and 11:45 a.m. The first half involves what’s labeled as an “exciting activity” at the center itself. That’s followed up with a take-home Discovery Kit that includes four projects – a science experiment, games, and crafts – packed with all required supplies and instructions.
More fun is anticipated in the months leading up to the center’s grand opening. Prospective visitors usually can find coming attractions on its Facebook events page.
Top photo by Travels With The Post
All other photos from the Facebook page of the Pottstown Children’s Discovery Center
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