TERRE HAUTE —
Six months after its new doors opened, the Terre Haute Children’s Museum continues to surprise its own leadership.
The third annual “100 Men Who Cook” event raised $103,000 at Hulman Center on Saturday night, up from $86,000 the year prior. Museum executive director Lynn Hughes joked that the program’s success is getting hard to top.
“So now we’re trying to figure out what we’re going to do next year,” she said the next day, back at the museum.
The community’s support is evident for a museum it spent years trying to build. Since the new facility’s grand opening on Sept. 24, 2010, the new Wabash Avenue and Eighth Street location has logged 50,000 visitors.
“Which is really huge,” Hughes said, explaining that the organization had estimated a total of 40,000 people would visit during its first year.
This year, the Wabash Valley Community Foundation provided a match to the tips and admission funds generated by “100 Men Who Cook,” and the museum added an online tipping feature.
“We sell out so quickly, a lot of people can’t come to the event,” she said of the cooking extravaganza that has brought close to 900 participants to Hulman Center three years running. The online tipping feature lets friends support their favorite chef online, even if they can’t attend in person to sample the food.
But going is still a lot of fun, and Hughes pointed out the number of return volunteers who dress in costumes and decorate their booths with a theme.
“There are a lot of characters in this community and we appreciate their spirit,” she said.
Meanwhile, back at the museum, exhibits were crowded Sunday afternoon, as children and parents ambled through three floors of adventure.
Spring is the season for school field trips, and Hughes said the museum books between six and 10 each week, some of which bring as many as 100 students and 60 adults. Yet weekends remain the dominant days.
“Saturdays we’re averaging 700 guests,” she said. “So it’s exciting.”
The museum’s recent LEGO exhibit drew a record 1,000 visitors, she added, pointing out that’s 1,000 people visiting Terre Haute’s downtown. One of the museum’s new goals is to coordinate activities with local merchants and other points of interest to help share those visitors.
And with this success comes the costs. Hughes said the museum’s annual budget is about $400,000, a good portion of which goes toward utilities.
“The electrical bills here are quite expensive,” she said.
Meanwhile, the organization is working toward the establishment of a foundation to help provide scholarship assistance to low-income children who want to participate.
“The campaign went on for so long that we want to be sensitive about asking for more money,” she said, noting the original drive to build a new museum dates back to 2004. Still, the community continues to plow participation into the programs. Hughes said one local man and his employer have contributed $20,000 toward the establishment of a new health exhibit.
Businesses can sponsor or help establish exhibits, she said. Meanwhile, the organization is working toward raising $300,000 for its endowment. If that total is reached by next April, the Wabash Valley Community Foundation will match 50 cents to every dollar.
Hughes said the museum has a number of new programs and exhibits coming for the summer months, although the giant treehouse is sure to remain a favorite.
“The tree house is certainly one of the most exciting,” she said, explaining its location at the back, near the rear doors used by children on a school field trip. “It’s so cool to see the expression on their faces when they walk through that back door,” she said.
Brian Boyce can be reached at 812-231-4253 or brian.boyce@tribstar.com.
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