Contact:
Dan Carpenter
(325) 673-4587
Marketing@thegracemuseum.org

Grace Children's Museum renovation begins September 5

Abilene , TX (August 23, 2006) -- Excitement is building at The Grace Museum as they prepare for the renovation of their popular Children's Museum.

Renovation begins on the Children's Museum September 5, and the area will remain closed to the public for six weeks while contractors and staff give the museum its first major facelift since 1992.

In some respects, the renovation started August 14. In the first visible sign of change, the Grace Coffee Shop neon sign was moved from the Diner to its new home in the Historic Lobby.

The diner is only one area of the Children's Museum undergoing renovation. Space Place, KTXS, Riding the Range, and Tot Spot will all be replaced with new exhibits.

Exhibit Designer Jay Paulus has developed 12 new exhibits for the Children's Museum and will be giving a facelift to Recollections and A is for Art, A is for Animal.

When completed, the new Children's Museum will makes its debut with a grand public re-opening.  The exact date for that re-opening is yet to be determined.

The renovation of the Children's Museum has been made possible by a generous gift from the Dian Graves Owen Foundation, with subsequent gifts from the Terrell Tone Owen Memorial Fund, Abilene Regional Medical Center, Hendrick Health System, Dr. Eric and Sue Schackmuth, Dr. Sandip and Mishi Mathur, Taylor-Jones-Haskell County Medical Alliance, and Cardiology Consultants.

The Grace Museum is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday; and from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. every Thursday. Admission is free Thursday evening after 5 p.m.

For more information, please call Dan Carpenter at 325.673.4587.

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