Rochester residents might like to brag a bit about the Flower City’s sprawling lilac fields, or maybe even that the father of photography chose to live here, but let’s be honest — the best part of Rochester is probably the Strong National Museum of Play. Where else can you shop at mini-Wegmans, visit Sesame Street, and hang out with some butterflies after doing arts n’ crafts, all in one afternoon?
The museum is a guaranteed awesome time for kids and adults, and the newest exhibit is only going to make it better. The Strong Museum recently announced that it will be building a $4 million permanent exhibit called the “Toy Halls of Fame.” According to an article from the Democrat and Chronicle, the exhibit will be displaying some of the world’s most famous toys alongside profiles of the business leaders and inventors who made the playthings possible.
Some of the toys will be exhibited behind glass cases, while others will be available to play with. A selection of the most popular toys will have their original versions on display. Museum visitors can look forward to seeing “retro” versions of Lincoln Logs, Raggedy Ann dolls, Etch-A-Sketch, Silly Putty, Play-Doh, a Frisbee, and a Radio Flyer wagon.
The Associated Press reports that there are technically two Halls of Fame: the National Toy Hall of Fame, which was created in 1998 to showcase the toys themselves, and the Toy Industry Hall of Fame, which was created in 1985 by the Toy Industry Association to showcase the people behind the toys.
The Strong Museum has been housing the National Hall of Fame collection since 2002, but the Toy Industry collection has been located in New York City; Strong Museum will be combining the two exhibits.
The Halls of Fame exhibit has been funded by the Finger Lakes Regional Economic Development Council. Chris Bensch, Strong’s Vice President for Collections, said that the museum expects its new exhibit to give Rochester’s tourism industry a boost.
To sweeten the deal, just last week Rep. Louise Slaughter, D-Fairport, announced that Strong Museum would be receiving $150,000 in federal government funding to create a “Overview Zone” in the museum which will focus on “the history of play.” The Zone will offer school lessons for students in pre-K through third grade.
The two new exhibits are separate from each other but still emphasize one important point: playing with toys isn’t just a way to stay busy or waste some time. Education experts recommend that kids should have at least 45 minutes of uninterrupted and spontaneous playtime each day in order to encourage learning and creativity, and even adults can benefit from a solid 15 minutes of coloring as a way to de-stress.
Museum hours are from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday; and 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday. For more information visit www.museumofplay.org or call (585) 263-2700.
The exhibit will be open to the public this Saturday, although museum officials are giving sneak peek tour to local media tonight.
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