(Lincoln, Neb.) Nebraska First Lady Susanne Shore today announced tour dates for the Nebraska150 Celebration’s largest project, “Truckin’ Through Nebraska: A Mobile Children’s Museum.”
First Lady Shore said, “We created the Mobile Children’s Museum to provide a fun, hands-on learning experience for children who may not normally be able to easily access a children’s museum. Through play, interactivity and the latest technology, Nebraska’s children will explore their heritage and envision their futures. We hope the experience will help power the imagination and create an excitement about learning.”
The Mobile Children’s Museum will officially launch at 5 p.m. Friday, April 7 at the Omaha Children’s Museum, which partnered with the Nebraska150 Celebration on the project.
Shore added, “We could not have accomplished this enormous undertaking without the support and guidance of the Omaha Children’s Museum. We are incredibly grateful for their partnership and the expertise they brought to the project. It’s only appropriate that we kick-off the tour in their backyard – the beginning of our 26-week, 42-community tour across Nebraska.”
Following is an alphabetical list of the communities the Mobile Children’s Museum will visit in 2017 along with the dates it will be in each community. Hours of operation will vary by location. Visit www.ne150.org/museum/ for additional details prior to the museum’s visit to each community or contact the local Chamber of Commerce. Follow the mobile museum on Facebook at www.facebook.com/TruckinNE Twitter @TruckinNE and Instagram @TruckinNE.
Ainsworth – May 11-12
Albion – July 18-19
Alliance – May 23-24
Beatrice – Oct. 1-3
Blair – April 18-20
Broken Bow – Aug. 4-6
Burwell – July 27-29 – Burwell Rodeo
Central City – Sept. 18-19
Chadron – May 19-20
Chappell – June 4-5
Columbus – Sept. 14-16
Crofton – June 29-July 1 – Q125 Celebration
Falls City – Sept. 28-29
Gordon – May 14-15
Grand Island – Aug. 25-27 – Nebraska State Fair
Hastings – Aug. 12-13 – Kool-Aid Days
Hebron – Sept. 4-5
Holdrege - Aug. 21-22 - Total Solar Eclipse
Imperial – June 11-12 - Science Camp
Kimball – June 1-2
Lexington – Aug. 31-Sept. 2 - Junk-n-tique Extravaganza
Lincoln - Sept. 22-24 - NE150’s “Salute to the Good Life” on Centennial Mall
Madison - July 13-15 - Madison County Fair
McCook – June 8-9
Mullen – June 21-22
Nebraska City – Oct. 6-8
Neligh – May 4-5
North Platte – June 16-18 – NEBRASKAland Days
Omaha - April 7-9 - Tour Launch at Omaha Children’s Museum
O’Neill - May 7-8
Ord – July 21-23
Plainview – April 29-30
Ravenna – Aug. 8-9
Red Cloud - Aug. 17-19
Scottsbluff - May 26-28
Seward - July 4-6 - Seward’s Big Fourth of July Celebration
South Sioux City – April 26-27
Valentine – June 24-25
Wahoo – April 12-14
Wayne – July 8-9 - Chicken Days
West Point – April 22-23
York - Sept. 8-10 - Yorkfest
Nebraska150 Celebration Executive Director Regan Anson said, “We want to extend our sincere thanks to all of the communities involved for agreeing to partner with us on this initiative. A project of this magnitude requires a huge commitment on the part of the communities we will visit, including extensive volunteer support. We are grateful to all of our partners for taking on this project and look forward to ‘Truckin’ Through Nebraska’ in 2017!”
The Mobile Children’s Museum is contained in a 53-foot, state-of-the-art, custom air-ride, double-expandable trailer that is specially designed and outfitted for traveling museum exhibits. The unit is climate controlled, has GPS tracking, Wi-Fi, its own generator and is ADA accessible.
Interior exhibits will include areas where kids will build shelters and test them in a wind chamber or earthquake simulator, design their own 10-acre homestead, test their knowledge of Nebraska, create their own movie, explore toys from the past, craft their own postcards and more.
Exhibits will also surround the exterior of the trailer, allowing for optimal play and learning space. Those exhibits will include a timed “chore” challenge obstacle course, foam block invention area, toy creation station and more.
While exhibits in the Mobile Children’s Museum are intended for children ages 5-12, audiences of all ages are welcome. Admittance is free and open to the public.
The Mobile Children’s Museum is sponsored in part by Children’s Hospital, First National Bank, Peter Kiewit Foundation, BNSF, Associated General Contractors (AGC) of America – Nebraska Chapter, AGC Nebraska Building Chapter, TransCanada and Nebraska Educational Savings Trust (NEST 529).
More information about the Nebraska150 Celebration is available at www.ne150.org on Facebook at facebook.com/nebraska150 and Twitter @ne150.
ABOUT THE NEBRASKA150 CELEBRATION
Planning for the Nebraska150 Celebration began in 2012 when a group of active citizens from across the state formed the Friends of the Nebraska150 Foundation. In 2014, the Nebraska Sesquicentennial Commission was established by the Legislature and 17 members from across the state were appointed by the Governor to lead the initiative. In 2015, the Celebrating Nebraska Statehood Foundation was established to help coordinate efforts and direct everyone toward collective success.