TimesLeader.com

Timmy’s Town Center Museum in Scranton opens Nov. 13

The long awaited children’s museum, Timmy’s Town Center will open its doors  Friday at The Mall At Steamtown with an open house from 5 to 9 p.m., coinciding with Santa’s arrival at the mall. Admission to the museum is free that evening. TTC is in memory of Timmy Kelly, the son of attorney Timothy Kelly and Lexie McFarland Kelly, TTC’s board president and co-founder along with her husband.

Plans for the museum were made public in June 2006, Lexie said.

“While Timmy’s Town Center has been very much on our minds for several years, the time has been well spent researching, planning and finding a space favorable to the types of exhibits and programming we have created for area families and children,” she said. “I have also been blessed to have had the full support of hundreds of volunteers and board members that have consistently and tirelessly gone the extra mile.”

She credited Rich Larsen and Janice Tellier of Fishbelly Inc, and DeLuca & Frigoletto Advertising, who donated their design services. 

“Thanks to them we have saved over $150,000. And, much of the work inside the museum was done by volunteers including a large contingency from the University of Scranton,” she continued

Timmy’s Town Center board members include attorney Kim Diddio, Alexis McFarland-Kelly, Janice Tellier, Anders P. Nelson, MD, F. Warren Breig III, Joe Gentile Jr. and Scott Brickel.

Timmy’s Town Center is modeled after the Please Touch Museum in Philadelphia, a favorite place and refuge for Timmy Kelly while he was undergoing chemotherapy treatments in Philadelphia.

In addition to offering the community a sneak peak of the exhibits inside the museum at the open house, budding artists will have the opportunity to try their hands at coloring a mural set up in the back of the 4,000-square-foot museum.

Volunteers from Marywood University designed the mural. Located in the Art-er Space exhibit area, the mural of the ecosystem will feature forest animals indigenous to Northeast Pennsylvania and is an example of NEPA's eco-system, mountains and lily ponds. 

Art-er Space is one of four exhibits in the museum. Art-er Space, incorporates science and art; TTC Theater uses puppetry; the Farmer's Market- promotes healthy lifestyles and nutrition; and Read-cycling encourages literacy and sustainability.

“These are permanent exhibits in the museum and we have programs planned for each weekend and the programming will change from week to week with varying themes: Art, Multi-cultural, Science, Nutrition and Healthy Lifestyles, Literacy, Sustainability and History of our Region,” Lexie said

The museum, which opens Saturday, will be available on Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 4 p.m. Appointments can be arranged during the week for school field trips and special events.

For the opening this weekend, a literacy-based treasure hunt will be held on both days. Presenters this month include WYOU-TV meteorologist Dave Kuharchik presenting Tornadoes on Nov. 21-22 and Mayra Moldonado’s nutrition-based program on Nov. 28-29.

For more information, call 585-2931.