Kiwanis Celebrates 100 Years with $17k donation to Interactive Explorer Room at Columbia Gorge Discovery Center
CGDCM Volunteer, Billy O'Keefe, teaches a school group about entomology. Photo Credit: Mikey Goyette.
by Mikey Goyette
The Columbia Gorge Discovery Center & Museum will host a ribbon cutting for its newly designed all-ages interactive activity center, the Explorer Room on Saturday, June 3, 2023, at 2 p.m.
Museum staff, volunteers, and community members will perform a ribbon cutting to commemorate the efforts and investments that made this project possible, honoring several individual donors and organizations. Including the Kiwanis Club of The Dalles. Who celebrated 100 years of service by giving with the gift of play to the community through their more than $17,000 donation to the Explorer Room.
Group of students walking into the museum entrance. Photo Credit: Mikey Goyette.
The sun-filled 900-square-foot room has been freshly painted, carpeted, and furnished with new UV-coated windows, kid-friendly furniture, and a large screen with live video of the Bald Eagle museum's Bald Eagle habitat. The space is also outfitted with an interactive mural of The Dalles’ sagebrush steppe landscape and its plant life, wildlife, and human inhabitants. A cozy reading nook invites visitors to read books about the area’s natural history. The first of many thematic iterations of the Explorer Room will focus on the museum’s Raptor Program, and the space will also be the first in the museum to feature bilingual English and Spanish signage. Throughout June, the project team will continue to add new elements and activities.
Lily Carey, Lead Field Ranger, US Forest Service, teaches a school group at Columbia Gorge Discovery Center & Museum Photo Credit: Mikey Goyette.
Lisa Commander, Director of Learning and Engagement, said, "We are so excited to unveil the new Explorer Room. Many people worked hard to create an inviting and engaging space for all ages, and our team is proud of the results. We cannot wait to add the finishing touches to the room and continue our long-term plans of revitalizing more exhibition spaces throughout the museum over the coming years."
The ribbon cutting at the Discovery Center & Museum is free and open to the public and will take place Saturday, June 3, from 2 p.m .to 3 p.m. Visitors can experience the Explorer Room and its new additions with light refreshments provided by the Museum. Museum admission is free between 1:30 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. for the ceremony. All are welcome to attend the public event and explore the rest of the museum's exhibitions while visiting.
For more information, visit www.gorgediscovery.org or call 541-296-8600 ext. 201.
