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11/03/2009
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Staff photo by Andy Molloyfrom the Kennebec Journal
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from the Morning Sentinel
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COLLEGE HOCKEY: Maine rallies but falls short against Boston College
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All of today's:
News | Sports
from the Morning Sentinel
The museum moved from downtown to 171 Capitol St., next to Harvest Time Natural Foods and near Shaw's supermarket.
Volunteers have been renovating the new space since September and are close to being done in time for the grand reopening on Saturday.
Valencia Schubert, executive director, said 30 volunteers helped move the museum displays and remodel the new location.
A train set donated to the museum was being erected Monday, along with a grocery store display. Consigli Corp. in Portland sent 10 people to help disassemble and reassemble displays, and the Cote Corp. in Lewiston sent four employees to help.
"The last-minute painting is being done, and we're organizing all our museum displays and putting them together," Schubert said Monday.
"We're just so excited. We hope everyone will enjoy it. I'm flabbergasted that this much work could be done in a month."
Melissa Merfeld, president of the museum's board, said a decline in donations and grants forced the museum to move. Rent is now a third what it would have cost the museum to stay on Water Street in downtown Augusta.
Merfeld said membership continue to grow, but the museum struggled to pay the rent. Half of the museum's funding comes from admissions, birthday parties and summer camps, she said. The other half comes from donations.
The new location will provide better visibility, more parking space and one-floor accessibility; and it is close to other businesses in the plaza.
Current displays include a grocery store, a restaurant, a Maine campground, a tree house/nature center, and a theater. The museum also has a engineering/construction/transportation exhibit and a birthday party room.
Museum members will get to see the new location from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday At that time, they will receive new membership cards, Merfeld said.
"They're getting a new membership card with an extension," Merfeld said. "Because we were closed for a month, we are going to give them an extra full month; but they do need to bring in their old cards."
The museum will be open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday. Merfeld said snacks will be provided and Mr. Harley, a children's entertainer known by members, will sing songs and engage children.
Schubert said the new location has much more visibility than downtown and should draw in more people to increase membership.
She said about 200 families belong to the museum. The museum's hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday. The museum also is open on Monday holidays during the winter.
For more information, e-mail info@childrensdiscoverymuseum.org.
Mechele Cooper -- 623-3811, ext. 408
mcooper@centralmaine.com
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