Local News

Supporting A Space For Children

$45K in state funding presented for museum

ELKINS – State representatives announced more than $40,000 in funding for the Interact Children’s Museum, and toured the facility this week, as the museum still plans to open this fall.

State Senator Bill Hamilton, state Senator Robbie Morris and Delegate Jonathan Kyle presented a check for $45,000 to Interact Children’s Museum officials. Delegate Elias Coop-Gonzalez also assisted in securing the funds for the donation, but was not present for the presentation.

“I think, what’s so amazing to us, it just says this is an area museum and you guys are supporting it,” ICM Board President Lisa Martin said after receiving the donation. “It’s not just this idea that we have, that we think is amazing, but it’s also like this just became really a big thing for this area. We think of it as an area museum, not just an Elkins museum.”

The Interact Children’s Museum will be located at the Dann Building on the corner of Davis Avenue and Third Street and is expected to open this fall. In September 2025, the ICM Board of Directors signed a two-year lease with Seneca Mall LLC for use of the Dann Building. The location will “serve as the new home of Interact and give families from throughout the region a play to visit and enjoy,” an ICM release announcing the move stated.

Since 2019, the Interact Children’s Museum has operated as a mobile museum. The Dann Building is currently undergoing upgrades by Seneca Mall, LLC to provide new electrical, HVAC, accessible restrooms and other improvements for a bright and welcoming space for the community. Amber Kwasniewski of the Mills Group is providing design.

On Thursday, Morris, who is also the Randolph County Development Authority director, stated that, with the opening of the new Railyard Event & Conference Center, they have had people looking to book the center for conferences and asking what families can do while in Elkins. He said they have been telling those people about the upcoming Interact Children’s Museum, already “packaging and partnering” the museum with what Elkins can offer to outside travelers.

“This is just another attraction and it can build all the good things we have going on in the area,” Morris said. “Not only just for the educational piece for the students of Randolph County and the children of Randolph County, but the possibilities are endless.”

Martin noted that officials already have schools in Randolph County and in the surrounding counties interested in planning field trips to the museum once it’s open, and that people have been “clamoring” to know when they will be open for business.

Before the donation was presented, Martin informed the representatives that the museum would be adding a soft play space called “Tree Top Adventure.” She explained that “Tree Top Adventure” will put Interact in a different class of museum.

Proposal images for “Tree Top Adventure” show kids climbing, exploring, crawling and using the slide in the soft play space. Martin noted that the museum will open before “Tree Top Adventure” is added and they will have to close for a week for the installation. She also stated the soft play space will cost the museum around $85,000.

The three representatives were also given a tour of the museum, with Martin explaining the types of exhibits they will featur. In the front space, the museum will have a reception area and a space for a rotating exhibit that could be themed or seasonally-based. The front space is also a multi-use area, with room for activity tables, class events, art exhibits, musical exhibits and more. Martin also noted that the front could be used as a meeting space for groups in the evenings.

The front space will also be home to the Founding 150 Donor Tree, which will honor members of the campaign for their donations to the museum. The Interact Children’s Museum’s Founding 150 Campaign invites families and businesses to provide lead gifts to help develop the museum’s first brick and mortar location. The campaign seeks donation gifts of $1,000 to $10,000 to provide a foundation for the new location. The campaign also funds initial operating expenses to ensure long-term success.

In the back space of the museum, guests can expect to see a plethora of hands-on exhibits. This includes “Tree Top Adventure,” a light table, a magnet wall, an open section for building and engineering, a train table and more.

The museum will also feature a “village” where kids can play pretend with a market, a storefront, a theater stage, and a human and animal medical clinic. At the center of the village will be a worktable with LEGOs, DUPLOs, electric circuits and more.

Parents with smaller children can also find fun in the Infant Area. With its location in the center of the museum, the Infant Area will allow parents to sit and watch their children while also keeping younger children entertained. The museum will also have a private space for nursing mothers.

Morris asked Martin how many children they anticipate being able to use the museum space at once, and Martin said they believe they can entertain around 75 kids between the two areas. Martin also said they have been discussing holding a “Middle School Night” and having teenage volunteers to help out, keeping kids of all ages involved with the museum.

For additional information about the museum, or on how to donate, visit interactchildrensmuseum.org, or email Martin at interactmuseum@gmail.com.